5 ways to integrate email & social media marketing
Unlike some people claim, email is far from dead! Just ask yourself this question: how many times have I checked my mailbox this week? The answer is simple, email is still central in our daily routine: when you sign up for promotions or newsletters, order and shop for items online and even when you sign up on social media an email address is required.
While email remains the main vehicle for many companies to reach customers and prospects, social media has emerged as a powerful force. That is why combining both platforms permits companies to reach the highest number of prospects. In this article we sum up 5 tips for integrating email marketing and social media.
1) Develop a theme for your campaign
Every tweet, email, blogpost or Facebook post that goes out, should focus on your established design. Before sending out your campaign, we recommend to create a content plan. This is a kind of a roadmap that can guide you in actions when to use different social media channels in combination with email. For example: use LinkedIn Tuesday, send an email Wednesday, and combine this with several tweets. In addition, you can track social media data to find out what your customers are most interested in. Based on that data, you can decide the subject of your next email.
2) Include ‘specific’ social icons
Including social icons in your email campaign sounds obvious, but there are differences between a sharing and a connecting button. With a share button you give the subscriber the option to share specific content of the entire email with their friends. If you want people to like your Facebookpage or follow you on Twitter, use a connect button. Don’t be afraid to identify the icons and let people know what they mean. Busted Tees for example does this with a clear message.
Another way to integrate social media in an email campaign is to implement ‘Retweet this’. Simple, direct and with one ‘click’ your message goes viral.
3) Promote email sign-up via social networks
If you promote your social media in email, then the reverse is possible too. Just ask your followers to subscribe for new email . Bloovi does this clever with one subscribe button in Twitter:
In Facebook you even have the possibility to embed your email with an integrated opt-in page, as Habitat does in this example:
4) Use Pinterest
Pinterest is a platform that offers a visual discovery, sharing, collection and storage tool. It is a fun tool to show off graphic template designs. Just take a snapshot and pin it! You have the possibility to create a board with all the designs of past newsletters. Do not forget to include the link to your subscription form at each image.
5) Sell exclusive content before sending out your newsletter
Before sending out your special newsletter with a coupon or exclusive preview, you can make your followers on social media curious with a teaser. Don’t share your entire newsletter, because otherwise this strategy won’t work. Think about when and how you’re going to share your email content.
Conclusion
These are just five ideas to integrate email marketing and social media. Email marketing stays one of the most effective ways to maintain productive and loyal relationships with your customers. Integration is the key word, if you do not have a well thought out strategy and an overall marketing plan, it won’t work.
