Reports on the death of email have been greatly exaggerated as of late. Likewise, the rise of social media has not been all it was made out to be. Of course, social media is a great communication tool, but sales don’t always convert well via social media. Why is that? Because consumers who are following a brand on social media already know, trust, and love it, and have been buying that brand for years.
There is now a consensus that the convergence of email marketing and social media marketing is well overdue. Their union has become inevitable. If you want to find how to best officiate the ceremony, read on.
When two become one
Many companies have thus far maintained one marketing team for their email campaigns and another for their social media campaigns. It’s time to not only have both teams talk to one another and work together, but to integrate the two together. Email and social media campaigns need to work hand-in-hand to achieve maximum reach. While most consumers prefer to receive marketing-related messages through email, if they ever opt out of receiving a newsletter, they will still be able to see your content on Twitter and Facebook.
Enable sharing
The easiest way to integrate social media into your email campaigns is by adding social media buttons strategically into your email newsletters. Allow your customers to share your content and connect with you on social media platforms.
Pitch your newsletter on social media
A Facebook ‘like’ doesn’t mean a happy customer also receives your newsletter. They may not even know that you have one. They simply expressed their trust and interest in your brand by liking you on one of your social media sites.
Let them know that they can learn more about you by signing up to your newsletter. A simple Facebook post will do. The same is true for sending out tweets to your followers. A lot can be said in 140 characters – just be creative and don’t put on the hard sale.
Remain recognisable across all platforms
If your company has a logo and colour scheme, be sure to integrate it across your platforms as much as possible. Of course there’s only so much you can do on Facebook, but a recognisable cover photo will ensure that your customers know it’s still you.
By integrating your social media platforms into your email campaigns you are asking your customers to connect with you in as many places as possible.
Know your customers and focus on what works
Social media allows you to get to know your customers like never before. Read comments on Facebook, follow your followers on Twitter. If someone shares your blog posts, find out why and make sure to thank the person. If you engage the consumer, they will return the favour and promote your company simply because they like you. By giving them the tools via email and social media in an integrated package, you can help your customers to help you.
Remember to look at the data and statistics to find out which campaign has been especially successful in the past. Social media makes this easier than ever before, because you only have to count the likes, shares, retweets, and favourites. If you can figure out why something worked particularly well, great! Now proceed to replicate that success.
