The Marriage of Social Media & Email

One of the more recent and consistent questions I seem to get from clients is “how do I increase awareness of my email program?” followed almost instantly by “how do I get more social followers?”. So many marketers still see email and social media each set in their own silo. By doing this, they could be missing out on some pretty solid opportunities to increase both programs with very little effort.

My response back to my clients is a short and quick statement. “Use both of them together and see what happens”. See, email may touch one set of your customers in various stages of the customer lifecycle and social media can incorporate a whole different set of customers. Combine the effort for both methods and you have the potential to increase overall awareness and engagement on all levels.

From an email standpoint, integrating social into your current program can extend the reach of your emails and message as well as provide an opportunity for list growth. If you integrate social outlets into your email program, you also give your current email list more options for engaging with you. This is a good thing.

Now the million dollar question is how do you get started? My answer is usually this, start simple. It’s not a complicated process, but you have to make it simple for you and your customer or you won’t get anywhere.

Included in just about any up-to-date email platform is the option to incorporate social media icons and links within your emails. Just do it and don’t question why. It’s easy and it takes no time at all to create. Email is also a great way to ask your subscribers to “like” you on Facebook without being intrusive. Build a one-time “like us” campaign, but know that you will need to provide a reason for them to do so.

Another one of the more simple items you can create is an email opt-in form app on your Facebook page. As part of the app, keep it simple. Don’t require more than 4 fields for someone to fill out. Show an example of what they’ll receive. Include a preference center if you have more than one type of email campaign and let your customer decide when and what they receive. There’s also no harm in asking your Twitter followers. Tell them about your emails, what they can get, or simply post a link to an archived newsletter a few days after it’s been sent.

Simplicity and information are the key factors here. Take that first step and see what happens. I’d be surprised if you wound up disappointed.

Looking for more advice on creating a kick ass email and social media program? Check out OMI’s Online Digital Marketing Strategy Summit September 17-28.