Electronic direct mail, or EDM, is a great B2B tactic for people who visited your site, discovered a great asset and downloaded it. Because what you really want isn’t to give them an asset, what you really want is to get a meeting. Today, I’ll show how to do that with Electronic Direct Mail.

If somebody visits your site, reads about an asset, downloads it, and in the process of downloading it, gives you their details, it’s safe to assume they’re interested. Because of that, everything changes.

We need to use the EDM to earn the meeting, so ask for that meeting seven times:

  • 1st ask: The thank you page sells a meeting
  • 2nd ask: Then send the lead bait, and offer a meeting
  • 3rd ask: Then introduce yourself, and offer a meeting
  • 4rd ask: Then reinforce a key point from the lead bait, and offer a meeting
  • 5th ask: Then send a surprise additional asset, and offer a meeting.
  • 6th ask: And then, just offer a meeting
  • 7th ask: And finally, leak with intent

So, they’re your seven times. Let me now, just unpack those a little.

1st ask: The thank you page sells a meeting

It’s quite normal to imagine that having given you my details, I go to a thank you page, I’m probably expecting to see the asset at that point.

But it’s not in the least bit offensive that instead of that, you say, “Hey, thank you so much for giving us your details. The asset is on its way, but by the way, do you actually want to talk about this now?” That’s not in the least bit offensive and it’s your first chance to ask for the meeting.

2nd ask: Then send the lead bait, and offer a meeting

When we send that email that we promised, clearly it needs to include the asset so include it as an attachment. Preferably not a download. Make it nice and easy for them. We’re not trying to be too cute. Send them the asset and again ask for a meeting.

3rd ask: Then introduce yourself, and offer a meeting

A little while later, after that first email that included the lead bait, give them a chance to read it, but we don’t really need them to have read it just yet.

So that second email, maybe it’s going to be a day later, perhaps two days later, introduce yourself. Say, “Hey, thanks again for downloading the such and such report. I hope you’re really enjoying it. By the way, let me tell you a bit about myself and the company that I work with.”

Keep it short, but it’s about introducing yourself and hinting at the value that you’re able to deliver. It’s not a hard pitch, but you do want to conclude with, “And by the way, do you want to have a chat about that? Here’s an easy link to my calendar anytime you want to have a conversation about that.” That’s the third ask.

4rd ask: Then, reinforce a key point from the lead bait, and offer a meeting

In the next email, make some kind of reference to a really critical point in the asset itself. So, maybe there’s a particular chapter or a particular section that you think is quite powerful, make some reference to that.

Say, “Hey, I hope you’re enjoying the…” name the asset, the eBook, whatever you’ve called it, “take a look in particular at Chapter 3. I really think that that sums up the essence of what we’re trying to get at. Hope you’re enjoying it. Oh, and by the way, if you want to have a chat about this stuff here’s a link to my calendar. Let’s talk anytime.”

We’re asking again and again and again but it’s contextually relevant to the conversation and it’s not a hard sell.

5th ask: Then send a surprise additional asset, and offer a meeting

Our next email, you might have waited for a little while longer, maybe it’s two or three days this time. Wait a little while, send them the next email, and say, “Hey, look I really hope that you have enjoyed that. By the way, I’ve got another little something for you that you might enjoy.”

Give them then, some kind of surprise, an additional piece of value. Unasked for, but relevant to them. “Hey, and by the way, if you want to have a conversation, I’d really love to meet with you. Here’s a link to my calendar.”

6th ask: And then, just offer a meeting

At some point, we need to reach an end to this conversation with them via email. So, the almost final email is going to say, “Hey, sent you some things, I really hope they were relevant. I learned a lot when we put them together. I hope you did also. By the way, would you like to meet?”.

7th ask: And finally, leak with intent

The final piece is simply, “I’m going to stop bothering you. This perhaps isn’t important for you right now, but it will be at some point and when it is, I’d love to have a conversation, but for now, I’m going to stop bothering you. But what I’ll do is because you’re obviously interested in this topic, from time to time, I’m going to send you key insights that we’ve gleaned from other companies who are doing the same kind of things that you’re trying to do. Hope you enjoy them.”

What we’ve really done with that final email is to stand down, so that we don’t become annoying, and when we stand down, we’re explaining to them that they’re still going to hear from us, but it’s going to be less frequent. Maybe it’s once a month, that’s a fairly normal frequency in B2B. But we’re telling them that we’re going to stand down.

Using Electronic Direct Mail trigger sequences is only a tactic

Clearly, EDM trigger sequences and the related asset are only a couple of tactics. You need tactics end to end.

  • How are you going to find the names?
  • How are you going to position with them?
  • How are you going to create demand?
  • How are you going to condition what they think they knew?
  • How are you going to put an offer on the table, persuade them that it’s the most appropriate offer to take advantage of, and close?

All those tactics need to be agreed between Sales, Marketing, and often even Finance and Ops. And that’s the job of Funnel Plan.

Now, if you have Funnel Plan, you know what I’m talking about. The Tactic section is at the bottom of your plan, the top section being Strategy, and the middle being Velocity. If you don’t have a funnel plan, go get one. Go to Funnelplan.com and start planning your trigger campaign.

This is the second part of a four-part series about Electronic Direct Mail. The first one was on nurture. This is on trigger campaign. I’ve got two more lined up for you over the next couple of weeks. Until then, may your funnel be full and always flowing.

 

Our thanks, this week to:

  • Lisbeth Peña  for blog production
  • John Ang  for video production
  • Hugh Macfarlane  for scripting and presenting this week’s show