In business as in life success does not come on its own. There are typically strategies that work together to create a prosperous outcome; two such partners in success are social media marketing and email marketing. When seamlessly integrated they have the capabilities of increasing brand exposure and return on investment.
Email marketing has proven to be a powerful marketing tool in business, turning prospects into sales and increasing sales with existing customers but when integrated with a social media strategy it gains even further traction.
To achieve marketing success (especially in today’s digital world), it is important to take a holistic approach to your marketing strategy, recognizing that tools like email and social media complement each other and can provide a consistent customer experience.
In order for businesses to create and integrated strategy it is important to assess where the company stands in terms of their marketing efforts and to do so, they should consider the following:
- Is there a current integration of email marketing and social media?
- What are the “achievables” when it comes to integrating these marketing tools?
- Once the goals have been set, how will be they be achieved?
- Where has success already been achieved through social media and email and where has there been a shortfall?
After having conducted this assessment then the development of a plan can begin which should include: creating or synchronizing a marketing calendar; incorporating social media profiles in emails; using social media to grow your subscribers list and retargeting your advertising efforts.
Synchronizing a marketing calendar
A marketing calendar is an incredibly useful tool. If your organization already has one in use, ensure that social media scheduling is tied in, particularly if that component is operated by a separate individual or team.
A synchronized calendar will ensure that efforts are not being duplicated and facilitate coordination of marketing efforts. Project management and scheduling tools such as Trello, Asana, Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook can assist with keeping calendars coordinated.
Incorporating social media profiles in emails
Email is a great place to incorporate social media. By showing off your social media profile(s) in your email marketing you are showing your subscribers that you are active in the social community; as well as engaging new subscribers. Utilizing a call to action such as asking subscribers to visit and like your page on Facebook for a chance to be entered a contest for example can further connect people to your brand.
Using social media to grow your subscribers list
Promoting your social profiles in your emails is great but on the other end, encourage people to sign up for your email lists through your social networks. One very effective social media tool for growing a subscribers list is the use of Twitter Cards which allows subscribers for sign up for an email list without having to leave the platform.
Facebook posts are also another effective tool. By offering teasers or reminders about the benefits of subscribing to email lists through social media posts you are encouraging people to sign up.
Those subscribers’ lists can be further integrated by uploading them to social networks. This allows brands a greater opportunity for engagement as it helps to personalize the experience by connecting email addresses to names and faces via their social profiles. This helps in gaining valuable consumer insight as to their needs and interests which can then allow for specific audience targeting through ad campaigns.
Retargeting your advertising efforts
If you’ve already spent money on advertising, stretch those dollars further by retargeting ads on social media. Doing this will require the installation of a tracking code on your website that will account for people clicking through based on a Facebook or Twitter ad for example. When an email is sent to your subscribers that drives them to your site ads can be targeted specifically to those who clicked to the page.
When social media marketing and email marketing work together effectively it can lead to increased brand exposure and return on investment. The experts as Social Know How can aid in integrating your marketing efforts.
