A few years ago I was privileged to attend a workshop conducted by the legendary Seth Godin.  Seth, as you probably know, is a serious marketer and thought leader in his field.

At one point he discussed the purpose of ‘drip’ marketing. “OK. Consider what happens when you’re being admitted to the hospital. A skilled technician (phlebotomist) starts an I.V. by finding your vein with a needle so a benign fluid can keep the vein open until some doctor uses the line to shoot $500 into his or her back pocket”.

“Look, all cynicism aside, that’s pretty accurate.  The ER staff is like the sales staff of a business — they find the vein the way a salesperson finds a prospect and opens a case.  No one on the floor (i.e. administrative staff) could pop a vein (make a sale) if they had to so they make sure the needle is taped down really good.  And yes, once the line’s established in the vein, drugs can be given to the patient because access has been established earlier and maintained until it was needed”.

I have to agree with Seth.  What a ‘drip’ marketing campaign does is keep the prospect’s brain open the same way as an I.V. drip keeps the patient’s vein open.  In both cases, if you need to ‘get in’ with a useful drug or response-able information, having a quick and easy access could spell the difference between a good and a not-so good outcome for the patient or the marketer!

KEY POINT:
Keeping-In-Touch and Staying-in-Mind with prospects for your business or practice is a good practice to practice regularly!