Email and social media are two of the most powerful marketing platforms, and they’re even more effective when used together. While some marketers approach each channel separately, more and more companies are starting to combine their marketing platforms for a more cohesive customer experience.
In this article, we’ll cover some of the most effective ways to combine your social media and email marketing strategy. Interacting with users on multiple platforms will improve your outreach and encourage cross-channel engagement, helping you move leads through the sales cycle and convert more first-time visitors into loyal customers.
1. Generate email subscriptions on social media
Social media follows are a great first step, but they don’t always offer the same level of engagement you get from an email subscriber. Encouraging your social media followers to sign up for your email newsletter will get them even more invested in your brand.
Fortunately, social media channels make this simple with ad templates—Twitter, for example, offers lead generation cards that can be easily configured to generate subscriptions. From there, Twitter automatically fills in the name and email address associated with a user’s account, making it easy for them to join your list in just a few clicks.
Of course, you can also move leads the other way by including social media CTAs in your marketing emails. If you use email marketing software, add links to each of your social media profiles at the bottom of your email templates.
2. Leverage user-generated content
Most of your content should come from your team, but user-generated content can give your brand more credibility when used correctly. Positive content from your users demonstrates organic engagement and shows your products in action. You can share user-generated content on your social media pages or in your marketing emails.
If you’re having trouble gathering user-generated content, consider running a social media contest to generate more interest. For example, you can give your Facebook audience one entry for liking your page, plus an additional five entries for posting with your hashtag. You could also provide additional entries for other actions like joining your email list or engaging on other social media platforms.
3. Retarget email leads on Facebook
Email is one of the best tools for generating sales, but users often need to engage with a brand several times before they’re ready to make a purchase. Retargeting your email subscribers on Facebook and other channels will help you stay connected and keep your products in their thoughts.
These campaigns are easier than ever to manage with contemporary retargeting tools. To start a Facebook retargeting campaign, go to your audiences and select Create Audience. From there, you’ll be able to import your existing contacts from a data file or from your email marketing service provider. Facebook will automatically sync your list whenever you add new leads.
Furthermore, Facebook’s Dynamic Ads tool can automatically identify the most relevant ad for everyone on your list, helping you provide more targeted content without taking the time to manually craft each message. Given their high success rate, retargeting campaigns are one of the best ways to get started if you’re new to Facebook marketing.
4. Create a private Facebook group
One of the main challenges of email marketing is the fact that most users are already receiving more emails than they can read. Even with spam filters working overtime, the average user reads each email that they open for under 15 seconds. With that in mind, it’s crucial to adopt an email strategy that focuses on providing a value your readers won’t want to miss.
While users aren’t usually motivated to join a new email list, you can incentivize them by offering a lead magnet in exchange for their contact information. In principle, a lead magnet could be anything of value—various companies provide white papers, discounts, free shipping, PDFs, ebooks, guides, and a wide range of other resources. But Facebook groups are a particularly effective lead magnet if you’re trying to connect your email and social media audiences.
The draw of a private Facebook group lies in its membership structure along with its exclusive content, so it’s important to take the content seriously. Members should feel that the group gives them a value that they couldn’t get on your public social media pages. For example, you might take audience questions or publish interviews with experts in your field—users who are interested in your niche will be highly motivated by premium content that isn’t available anywhere else.
Like contests, private Facebook groups can be used to encourage a variety of actions. You could let all your email subscribers join the group, or require additional actions like sharing it on their social media profiles. Your contact list has already demonstrated an interest in your brand, so they’re more likely than other audience segments to engage in a private Facebook group.
5. Reach new readers through LinkedIn group updates
LinkedIn is another underrated way to get in touch with your audience, and it’s an especially valuable channel for B2B vendors. Joining established LinkedIn groups in your niche can help you find new readers who are interested in content that’s relevant to your brand.
LinkedIn users often subscribe to email group updates that cover the most popular recent posts in any groups they’re subscribed to. If your content generates engagement in the right group, you could quickly gain a large number of leads through the email update. Of course, there aren’t any shortcuts to appearing in an email update—you’ll need to provide unique, valuable content that stands out from the average LinkedIn post.
Unlike most other types of email marketing, this strategy allows you to interact with users who haven’t even subscribed to your list. On the other hand, that naturally makes it more difficult to achieve—you’ll need to build a LinkedIn presence and consistently create high-quality content in order to differentiate yourself from other thought leaders.
6. Redirect email unsubscribes to your social media pages
Every brand wants to keep a lead subscribed for as long as possible, but unsubscribes are a natural part of the email marketing process. Fortunately, you can stay engaged with at least some users who unsubscribe by re-engaging them on a platform that’s more convenient for them.
Some users unsubscribe because they simply don’t care about your content, but others might just be dealing with email overload. Giving them the chance to stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, or another social media channel will help you retain more leads and minimize the impact of your unsubscribes.
With that being said, you can also prevent unsubscribes from happening in the first place by giving your subscribers more control over the messages they receive. Receiving emails too often and receiving messages that aren’t relevant to their interests are two of the most common reasons for users to unsubscribe from an email newsletter. Each user should be able to set their own frequency and specify which kinds of updates they’re interested in.
In Summary
Interacting with a new lead on one channel is the first step toward a sale, but you should always try to stay engaged on as many platforms as possible. By combining social media and email marketing, you can leverage the advantages and mitigate the disadvantages of both channels to create a more cohesive experience for your customers. These tips will help you maximize cross-channel engagement and move users through the sales cycle even more quickly.
by Laura Cerbauske SEO Manager at Omnisend
