When you can integrate your social media efforts with your email marketing campaign, you can develop a serious powerhouse online marketing strategy, one that can get in front of a large number of people and be very effective. Combining these two internet marketing solutions can extend the reach of your company and your brand, and give your recipients plenty of options that will all help you in the long run. When email marketing list recipients share your messages on their social networks, you will benefit from having a huge increase in exposure. When social media contacts join your email marketing list, your email address database will quickly grow into a force to be reckoned with. Using one without the other just does not make sense in the internet marketing world we are working in today.
Combining social media with email marketing can result in significant list growth, and significant brand exposure and recognition. When you spread your net wider, you are able to build up a network that includes a perfect target audience. Social media allows you to connect more closely with those people who are already naturally interested in what you have to say and what you have to offer. When you use those contacts to build up more contacts, each of these leads can be far more valuable than those you can get from traditional search engine optimization solutions.
Here are some ways in which you can make your social media campaign and your email marketing campaign work hand in hand to deliver consistently effective results.
- Make sure you include the right social sharing icons in every email that you send: When you make it simple for your email marketing list recipients to share your message quickly and effortlessly with others, they are going to be more likely to do so. Some will do so every time, without even really thinking about it, which benefits you. Others will share the messages that they find most helpful and interesting, which also benefits you. Essentially, including these social icons is a “win win” for you.
- Ask email marketing list recipients to share your message with their social networks: Sometimes all it takes is a friendly request or a reminder that your message is intended to be spread wide and far, and shared with everyone they know. Again, many will just comply with this simple request, and you will notice that your message is received by a huge number of additional contacts, just for asking.
- Offer small incentives for sharing: When there is something in it for the email address database member, sharing becomes even more likely than ever. Offer a discount for anyone who can find a new member for your email address database, or offer an incentive for anyone who can refer a new customer. Again, this will spread your message farther than you imagined, because everyone wants a prize of some sort.
- Promote your email marketing list on your own social networking profiles: Mention that you have an email marketing list and that you are looking for subscriptions to your newsletters in your tweets and status updates. Include a link to the bulk email opt in and wait for the subscribers to pile on. If someone has been following you on the social networks, then they will be very likely to sign up for your email list. Then, all of their contacts will be notified that they have done this, and you will get even more.
- The text connection: Adding an SMS or text option for your subscribers gives you yet another way for you to connect with them. Ask for this method of communication when they use your bulk email opt in, and you will have another direct way to contact the members of your email marketing database, by building up an SMS database, as well. With so many people using their smart phones as their primary way of interacting online, SMS can put your message into the palms of their hands, simply and seamlessly. Include a link, and the recipient will be highly likely to click through to see what’s new and exciting on your site, or what new offers might await them.
- Give the recipients something to share: Keep in mind that you have to be offering something that is worth sharing. Informative newsletters, helpful tips and great deals are things that are commonly shared on social networks. Use an autoresponder blast message to help your recipients announce to the Facebook and Twitter world that they are a part of your network, and how amazing that opportunity is. Sharing dull content with your list will not result in having them share with their social networks, so try to come up with interesting content that will be impossible for them to keep to themselves. People want to brag about their online findings, make your company something that they want to brag about discovering and connecting with.
In conclusion, the power of combining your social media efforts with your email marketing efforts is real. You can increase your connections and your exposure, simply by employing the ideas outlined above. When you can harness the power that you already have in either social media or email networking, and combine those solutions, the results can be exponential. Watch your analytics carefully, to see which networks are working best for you, and concentrate your efforts where they are going to be most effective. Don’t wait for subscribers to come to you, go out and actively promote your email marketing list and your social media connections to each other. Because each solution alone works so well, combining them can only make your online marketing strategy stronger and more powerful. As a result, you will not only build up a very strong network, but you will see subscription rates and conversions rise as a result. The search engines like to see active social media involvement by internet marketers, and they like to see effective email marketing campaigns. Imagine their pleasure when you can use both together, successfully!