Three Different Email Drip Campaigns For Your Law Firm - JD Supra

[author: Noreen Fishman]

A robust email list is an incredibly valuable tool at your disposal. What is the most effective way to use such a tool? An email drip campaign can be a powerful communication from your firm, but first you have to know what to say. Here are three click-worthy campaigns that our clients say get attention time and again. Put your email database to good use by instituting one of these email drip campaigns. 

Best Practices for Email Drip Campaigns

Before you get started, consider the important aspects of a drip campaign. What makes some of them effective while others go unnoticed? Once you're ready to create an impactful drip campaign, follow these best practices. 

1. Keep it short, but be informative. Occasionally, long-form content is useful. Generally speaking, though, when it comes to email you want to get people to the CTA as quickly as possible. Show readers why the content is valuable, but usher them to an immediate next step. 
2. Have a compelling CTA in every email. Do you want people to schedule a consultation or register for an upcoming webinar? No matter your goal, people need to know what to do or who to reach out to. Even better if you tailor the CTA to the stage of a recipients' client journey. 
3. Send emails on Friday. There has been a ton of research about the best day to send emails, and it's worth testing your own schedule or cadence. However, substantial research shows that Fridays tend to have the highest open and click-through rates, while Saturdays have the worst. Again, this is something you'll want to test eventually. 
4. Test different send times. Just like days of the week, certain times of the day are going to be more effective for email sends. You'll want to A/B test different time slots to see what's right for your firm. The right time will depend on who your clients are, where they are located, etc. 
5. Track the key metrics. When we say "key metrics", we mean open rate, click-through rate, and click-to-open rates. Understanding all of this information will help you to figure out the best times to send emails, as well as test verbiage, images, and more. Having a pulse on the numbers will provide insight so you can optimize. 
6. Have a follow-up sequence for non-responders. If a lead has gone cold, that doesn't mean it's time to give up. You may need to provide even more value to convince them to contact you. Make sure you have an email or an email series prepared for people who you haven't heard from in a while. If enough attempts go by without any engagement, then you can send a "break up" email saying you'll remove them from your list. 
7. Ask for feedback if campaigns aren't having success. If you consistently don't get the desired response from your campaigns, then consider asking why. You can send a survey link directly to your lead list to find out why they aren't interested or why they chose a competitor. Armed with their answers, you can create more relevant content and address common objections moving forward. 

3 Email Campaigns with High Open Rates

There are a few kinds of key campaigns that tend to be most successful. Try creating one (or all) of these for your next email series. 

1. Onboarding email drip campaign – Once someone submits their information through a form, you want to welcome them into your community. The best way to welcome them is with content that they'll find interesting and valuable. An onboarding sequence should provide great information, entice leads to keep engaging, and eventually speak to your sales team. You can send leads things like: 

1. Blog posts or case studies that pertain to their particular industry or challenge
2. A schedule of upcoming events that might interest them
3. Premium content like white paper.

2. Retargeting drip campaign – This type of campaign is aimed at people who have previously engaged in meaningful ways with your content. Examples of such activity are downloading a white paper, visiting the same web page multiple times, or attending a webinar. Bring contacts back by serving even more specific content that will interest them. In particular, you may want to provide information that can help them to make a decision on a law firm. Good things to send in lead nurturing emails are: 

1. A complementary resource for something they downloaded, such as an infographic from a report or a template for a legal document
2. An introduction from a business development rep asking for some time to answer their questions
3. A request for feedback on the content they've viewed

3. Post-consultation drip campaign – If you have had the opportunity to meet with people, you have a great chance to follow up. After an initial meeting or consultation, you want to reiterate the value your firm can provide. You can also send resources that may be required for further decision-making, for example information that they can take to other people on their corporate team in a B2B scenario. Things you might want to consider including are: 

1. 1. Testimonials from past clients or a link to video case studies
   2. A list of tutorials or resources that pertain to the needs you discussed
   3. Access to exclusive content that is normally reserved for clients
   4. An invitation to an upcoming event where you can talk more

Takeaway: 

If you can implement these three campaigns – and use proven best practices when doing so – you'll be off to a great start in your email drip campaigns. Effective drip campaigns lead to engagement and new clients, so it's worth continuously optimizing and following up. Consistently deliver value and ensure contacts are getting the right content at the right time, and you'll achieve record open and click-through rates.