Nurture campaign implementation cost

A nurture campaign will add value to your list in an unselfish, considerate and valuable way that will prove to be the most effective trust builder you have in your bag of tricks. 

I certainly don’t respond very well to emails that just want me to put my hand in my pocket and I don’t suspect you do either (unless you’re a millionaire and just buy everything advertised because you can). Undoubtedly we are not all bathing in pound notes and so what we want is content that adds to our lives as opposed to pushes products on us 24/7. 

Proof of this is in the opening. Here are some averages from 2019 thanks to Mailchimp research;

With this in mind - how do your emails measure up? We will come back to these statistics later on.

For now, let’s consider what nurture campaign you need to implement to increase your engagement and an honest look at what it will cost you.

What is a Long Term Nurture Campaign?

A Long Term Nurture email campaign is an automated series of emails, triggered by someone signing up to your list, which delivers value. 

Every marketing strategy needs a backbone to hold it up and a Long Term Nurture campaign takes care of all your leads no matter where they are on their buying journey.

This means that regardless of whether the lead has been a three time customer or has just signed up you want to be sending them regular content that is going to make their lives better. 

For example, Mike Browne is a photographer who sends out weekly videos and blogs to his list that are teaching people about photography. Such as this one;

In most cases the benefits are felt over a longer period of time. Nurture campaigns are not quick money makers - they are designed to establish trust, develop a relationship and slowly pull people through the stages of awareness.

Here are some additional resources for you to enjoy;

How much will a nurture campaign cost?

To answer the question of investment honestly, we need to consider three scenarios that describe three separate business models. Because there are so many ways to create a nurture campaign and implement it we have to look at varying degrees of need. 

Marketing strategy is so tailored that we will consider our pricing frameworks here but you are more than welcome to use these as a baseline against another company. We will take four aspects into account;

• Strategy - this is the core structure of the nurture campaign. Including customer journey creation, buyer psychology analysis and behaviour tracking.
• Copywriting - including content plan, keyword research and content creation.
• Implementation - designing and building the nurture campaigns, reporting, deliverability and overall support.
• Maintenance - gentle check ins, content critique, support with basic implementation queries.
  
  

Scenario 1

Imagine a mechanic, let’s call him Joe. Joe runs an independent garage that functions purely on word of mouth. Joe doesn’t have a website but needs to start drumming up new clients as his business grows. Joe has no content, no automated marketing platform and no strategy.

Joe needs; strategy, copywriting and implementation on an ongoing basis. Until Joe hires an inhouse marketing expert, Joe will need to be a retainer client.

The Elite package includes everything Joe requires to set up his automated marketing, build his list and create exciting content. This would cost Joe from £2000 per month plus VAT  but would cover more than one nurture campaign - it would be the entire set up of his automated marketing inclusive of strategy, copy for the campaign and implementation. Joe would need to create his own blogs or video content for the series. 

Scenario 2

If we move on to Beth, our jewellery creator we have a different need. Beth has fantastic content, videos of her making jewellery and step by step tutorials that she shares on Youtube but she doesn’t have a nurture campaign or any automation in place. 

All Beth needs is structure, copy for the emails and implementation (along with training down the line). Beth would need a bespoke retainer because she wouldn’t quite need the full package. We would look at a monthly cost of £1500 plus VAT initially while we get everything set up and then reduced down to £750 plus VAT per month to help with copy and implementation weekly. 

Scenario 3

In contrast, Ellen owns a bakery and has mountains of content and a platform she uses to automate her emails but she is struggling to get her list engaging.

Ellen has the know how, the means and just needs some strategy and optimisation. We would recommend a one off day of strategy that would include Ellen’s customer journey at £1500 plus VAT followed by a maintenance package. 

The one off day would equip Ellen with the knowledge she would need to strategically plan out her nurture campaign. The monthly maintenance would include support for implementation plus copy support for £750 per month plus VAT. 

To sum up, it depends on your business needs. We are not a one price fits all company, so some may be able to give you a wrap around price that works for all the Joes, Beths and Ellens. But we like to ensure we’re only invoicing for what they need.

Why invest in expert help for your long term nurture campaign?

Remember the stats from above? Here they are again;

New Zealand Natural Clothing is an eCommerce company whose open rates are 22% based on the last 30 days. 6.32% above average. 

Picture This is a photography company with an open rate on Long Term Nurture of 39% based on the last 30 days which is an impressive 15.76% above average. 

These are statistics that are based entirely on long term nurture campaigns, they level up engagement in a way that rivals the best.

But doing it yourself is also entirely possible...

Top tips to create a nurture campaign

Saving money is obviously high on many agendas which we get, which is why we have made it really easy to use our methodology without our support. 

You can read this blog: What is a Long Term Nurture Email Campaign?

You can buy this book: Hack The Buyer Brain 

Additionally you can take note of these tips; 

• Content strategy - don’t just jump in guns blazing. You need to plan your content according to your prospects behaviour. Do your keyword research, know what they are consuming and give them that!
• Attract the right audience - there is no rhyme or reason throwing your net out for people who take the bus if you’re a mechanic. We have a wonderful playbook you can download to help you identify your target audience.
• Add value - THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU. Help your prospects solve their problems, position yourself as an expert and don’t sell. This is about that all important trust! Add value every step of the way. 
• Set expectations - don’t you hate it when you see something you want to know more about and sign up? Only to get 3 emails a day every day? Be honest with your prospects. Tell them what they’re going to get from you. 
• Don’t sell - there is absolutely nothing wrong with selling via email. In fact sales emails have eight times more opens and clicks than other emails but a long term nurture is not the time nor place. This is about adding value to them not sales to you.
  
  

What will a professional do for me?

You know you need a nurture campaign in place plus some other things you’ve noted and that’s great. Maybe you aren’t entirely convinced you need to hire an expert or perhaps you’d like to hire another company. We want you to know what a professional should be doing for you to level your engagement up.

• Keyword research to make sure you’re relevant
• Customer research to identify your ideal customer
• Content plan to have a strategic structure
• Copywriting for email copy and/or blogs
• Implementation of campaign
• Measurables that can be reported on
• Deliverability for your platform
• Lead magnets to generate leads
• Attract strategy to build your list

We know it’s not small money you’ll be investing in your nurture campaign so make sure you are getting the most out of it because what you ultimately want is tangible results!

Altogether what matters is that you are choosing the right option for your business that will generate the engagement and trust from your customers to grow your customer base long term. Whether that is chipping away at it by yourself using online resources or choosing an expert to guide you through it all is irrelevant. 

Just make sure you are getting a strategy that is intentional for your business and relevant to your customers. 

Don’t forget to make the most of our blog, we have loads of step by steps to help you optimise your marketing and improve your customer experience with a smashing nurture campaign!