Get thoughts and ideas on creating an IndieDev Email Drip Campaign that'll improve your relationship with your fans.
Creating an Indiedev Email Drip Campaign helps you to stay in contact with your fans, while simultaneously improving your relationship with them. Here are some examples on how you can use them as an Independent Video Game Developer.
While I've automated parts of my marketing, I still find it difficult to manage my time to learn video game development, create games, and produce marketing content.
I want the content I create to not be spammy.
I want it to be personal and grow in relationship with my fans.
While I've covered how to automate your Facebook and Twitter, another tool for automation is through email campaigns.
Email is a very personal tool for most people. In fact, to get on a person's e-mail list, the audience/fan/customers are the one's that voluntarily agree to join a list.
While you can always send out your newest blog posts and messages through email, you can create automated email campaigns.
These automated campaigns can serve a variety of uses.
Specific to IndieDevs, here are some examples you can use:
Educational Content - This is what I use currently on this blog, since I blog mostly about what I'm learning. My sequence extends over several months (Once a week on days my regular emails don't go out), dripping my old successful content (blog posts) to my readers.
Art Releases - While you can release your artwork to your fans on your website or development log, you can share several artwork pieces exclusive to your closest fans (the ones that sign up for your emails).
Art Processes - In Cory Huff's, The Abundant Artist course, I learned that people are fascinated by the creation process, whether to learn how to do it, or just for curiosity's sake. Share your team's methods of creating or even a time lapse of your programming.
Special Codes - While it would be rude to give your audience a code for your game after they bought your product, you might offer a discount code for one of your other downloads that might go with the game (artwork, stamps, music, other games, etc).
Behind the Scenes - With some of my favorite games I've played, I also wondered about the thoughts and ideas that went into it. You can collect several members of your team thoughts about the game, and spread it over several weeks.
Many of the ideas that went into creating an IndieDev Email Incentive can also be applied to drip feeds. Just spread out the content.
One of the techniques that helped me organize my own Email Campaign, was to actually visualize it. 
I went through the corresponding blog post and created a short message with the link that included personal feelings / thoughts.
An advanced action you can do is to segment your subscribers based on a clicked link in your e-mail.
For me, those only interested in the Video Game side of Lion Root, I separated. I don't want to alienate them by only showing what I'm learning on the business end.
Once you've got your plan, you'll have to check with your email provider on how to create Autoresponder sequences. Here's some links to get you started with: Mailchimp, Aweber or the what I'm currently using, GetReponse.
While it may take some initial time and effort to get started, the satisfaction of having increased your relationship with your closest fans will pay off in the end.
Email is a very personal tool for connecting to your audience.
By creating IndieDev Drip Email Campaigns, you can stay at the forefront of your fans minds, as well as improve your relationships with them.
Do you think IndieDev Drip Email Campaigns work? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook.
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