Utilizing ONTRAPORT for Drip Marketing Campaigns
We met ONTRAPORT’s founder back in 2008. Back then, we were using Salesforce.com to organize contacts and manage our client’s sales pipelines. However, when it came to sending list-based emails, we were using Constant Contact. But rather than have these two separate tools, we really wanted a single tool that would enable us to execute true “Drip Marketing” campaigns. Our job was to introduce our clients and their salespeople to new leads and help them stay in touch until the lead was in a position to buy. Sounds simple, right?
We looked at Silverpop, Marketo, Vtrenz, Infusionsoft and other options. It was really hard to understand what we were actually getting for our money with these platforms. That’s when ONTRAPORT’s founder, Landon Ray, showed us what was then called “Office AutoPilot.” We laid out a sequence of drip marketing steps we wanted to execute and he showed us how his software could do it. That’s all it took. We’ve been a client ever since and have used the platform with dozens of clients.
So What Exactly Do We Mean by a “Drip Marketing” Sequence?
Well, here’s an example:
A salesperson meets someone at a networking event or this contact fills out an online form. The expectation is set with the new contact that they will be sent something that will help them. We call that an offer, while others may refer to it as a lead magnet. Either way, the contact is entered into ONTRAPORT and tagged accordingly (form filled out, the place they met, salesperson assigned, industry, etc). We also automatically set their stage to “Permission”, which means they have agreed for us to stay in touch with them.- ONTRAPORT then automatically delivers the item. It could be an email with a pdf download, a link to a private web page with exclusive content, a postcard with a special event confirmation, or a brochure in the mail. Whether it’s print, email, text, or a prompted phone call, ONTRAPORT makes it happen automatically.
- Now the fun part . . . If the contact takes a step like downloading the item, signing up for the event or engaging in a phone call, ONTRAPORT automatically updates their stage to “Responsive” and puts the contact on a special sales report and flags them to be followed up by a salesperson. If they don’t take us up on the offer, they keep their stage as permission and will be assigned to a regular date sequence of things like featured projects or newsletters. If they take action within 6-18 months from content they receive, the sales team will be alerted to personally follow-up. Or, sometimes, we’ll automate a special sequence. We even track if one of these contacts clicks certain links on the website and use that to alert the sales team as well.
- During the sales process, we use ONTRAPORT to track opportunities, potential revenue, project schedule, key contacts, agreed upon next steps, and much more. Tasks can easily be assigned to make sure opportunities don’t fall through the cracks. Meanwhile, salespeople can log in to ONTRAPORT and easily see which web pages a contact has visited and which emails they have read and/or clicked. Also, when an opportunity is created, the contacts stage is automatically updated to “Collaborative” and when an opportunity is won, the contacts stage is automatically updated to “Client.”
- Now, for sales entry and reporting, most of our clients use an ERP or accounting software. We typically import that data into ONTRAPORT for purposes of dealer and account planning. There is a huge opportunity to show appreciation to clients and expand your relationship by automating targeted communications, offers, and sales alerts.
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3049″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]So there you have it—a complete example of how we use ONTRAPORT to identify, connect, nurture, convert, and expand business relationships. This is tailored to fit each company and their team’s goals.
What’s a Great Next Step?
Consider Getting a Demo by either clicking here or by calling our office at 574-294-6900.
We’ve sort of grown up with ONTRAPORT over the years and it was a great step forward for our team when they started publishing tools and content. The online marketing world changes very fast. We are all learning together and helping each other gain clarity on what strategies, tools, and best practices will be successful. I consider ONTRAPORT’s eBooks a very important resource for our team and our clientele.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Want to see some of our