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3 Ways to Combine Social Media with Email Marketing - Part 2

The previous article we covered the first way to combine social media with Email Marketing and in this part 2 of the article we will cover 2 more ways.

2. Increase Your Social Following Through Email Marketing

Aside from allowing your readers to share your newsletter with their social networks with “share” buttons, don’t forget to include links for your subscribers to follow you on the social media sites. Try creating a call-out box in the header of your newsletter or in the sidebar with call-to-actions like “Become a Facebook Fan”, “Follow Us on Twitter” or “Subscribe to our YouTube Channel”.

Not only will your readers know that you have a social media presence, but they will also have easy access to connect with you online, thus building your online following. Be sure to test your tactics. Try positioning your “follow me” icons in various places on your newsletter and track the clickthrough rates to determine which location works best.

Remember to leverage the email signature you use in your day-to-day emails. Consider adding “follow me” links in your email signature to build your online following as well as a “subscribe” link inviting people to subscribe to your newsletters.

3. Promote Your Email Content in the Social Media Platforms

Don’t be afraid to cross promote social media and email marketing. As mentioned above, you can use your email marketing to let your readers know that you have a social media profile. On the same token, you can use your social media profile to bring awareness to your newsletter.

Social Media Sites Used and Produced the Best Email Marketing Results 80% of respondents used Facebook 28% said Facebook produced the best results 71% of respondents used Twitter 10% said Twitter produced the best results 48% of respondents used LinkedIn 8% said LinkedIn produced the best results 43% of respondents used YouTube 8% said YouTube produced the best results 38% of respondents used a company blog 6% said a blog produced the best results Source: eMarketer, October 2010

Remind your Facebook fans, Twitter followers, LinkedIn contacts and YouTube channel subscribers that you have a regular email newsletter and encourage them to subscribe to receive emails from you. Once they sign up, they are likely the subscribers who will share your email content with their own social networks.

Use email marketing as a catalyst to start conversations online about your brand. Create compelling content that people will want to read and share. Include a specific call-to-action asking readers to spread the word about your content, whether it is an enticing offer or helpful information.

Keep in mind that you should not be directly selling your products or services to your readers. Instead, provide education and valuable information to them – content that they would find useful to share with their connections.