The Marketing Bureau

by Richard Evans
First Published on www.mycustomer.com  

Richard Evans looks at three ways that email marketers can capitalise on the growth of social communication mediums.

The growth of social communication mediums such as Facebook and Twitter has created exciting opportunities for marketers over recent years. As communication channels continue to shift and evolve, online marketers are faced with the challenge of identifying the best ways to integrate email and social mediums in a way that more strongly engages customers and drives increased revenue.
 
Although the effective integration of these channels holds undeniable potential, successful implementation requires careful strategic planning. Here are three ways email marketers can capitalise on this exciting opportunity:  

1. Use social media to drive opt-ins for email programs

Social media channels attract a new group of engaged customers, so seek to add followers, friends and influencers in these channels to the email channel, where conversion and nurturing of relationships may be more likely to occur.
 
First, make sure you have email opt-in forms or links on your company’s social network profiles. Second, keep in mind that people who have interacted with your company in a social network may expect that same level of personality and 'voice' in your email communications, so make sure your marketing messages focus more on education, personality and peer recommendations rather than corporate-speak.

 2. Consider your customers’ preferences
 
Most savvy marketers know and appreciate that preference centres help increase message relevance and minimize list churn. Case in point: Offering alternatives to email communications such as social media, SMS or direct mail helps companies communicate with customers on their terms.  
 
For example, some consumers might prefer SMS for urgent notifications, email for purchase acknowledgements and social media for promotions. And as social media continues to proliferate and become the channel of choice for certain types of communications moving forward, the preference centre will become more important than ever. As such, consider adding a link to your preference centre on your Facebook page.

3. Increase the share-ability of email messages

One of the most important aspects of integrating social media into email marketing is making sharing easy and desirable for consumers. To entice recipients to share their messages, email marketers must ensure that personalised, relevant content is incorporated into emails, alongside links to suitable social media sites.
 
If your company solicits user reviews of products or promotions, review-posted notifications provide an excellent opportunity to encourage recipients to share content. Try incorporating social media links into messages sent to users once a review goes live, providing customers with the ability to broadcast their review via their social media profile, thus increasing the reach of your company’s product or promotional offer, as well as the brand.
 
Despite presenting a range of challenges, integrating social media into email marketing activities offers the opportunity to grow and engage with your audience in a more effective and rewarding way. Don’t miss this chance to turn conversations into conversions and, ultimately, revenue.

Richard Evans is director of marketing EMEA at Silverpop.