Email marketing has become ubiquitous these days because of a relatively low cost-per-campaign and high return on investment. Statistics show that there are nearly 4.48 billion email users worldwide, suggesting the sheer audience size businesses can target with this strategy.
Not surprisingly, one-third of marketers use email campaigns to promote brands. Forbes states that the average click-through rate for these campaigns is 1.4%, while the average open rate is 36.5%.
However, running a high-performing email marketing campaign takes more than writing engaging and personalized messages. Marketers need to think outside the box to achieve good results. Integrating social media into email marketing campaigns can set them apart.
Undoubtedly, social media is indispensable to modern marketing, with its global user base touching a whopping 5.17 billion in July 2024.
That means businesses can connect with a broader audience, drive engagement, and build brand awareness by adopting social media marketing. Moreover, they can communicate directly with the audience, get feedback, and use it to fine-tune their marketing tactics.
Now the question here is how to integrate the social media element into email marketing. The answer is simple: use social media icons as a bridge between email subscribers and social media channels. In this article, we will discuss how to do it effectively.
The importance of social media icons in email marketing
Before digging deep into the process of adding social media icons to email marketing, marketers must understand why they should do it in the first place. With 63.7 percent of the world’s population using social media, these platforms offer a host of opportunities for brands.
Making social media icons visible everywhere encourages users to engage with your brand across different platforms. Most businesses have them on their websites to ensure that prospective buyers use them to land on social media pages and see what the brand is actually about.
Adding social media icons to your emails is a great idea, as your subscribers can use them to visit their preferred platforms. This increases the ongoing engagement with subscribers beyond the inbox.
How to make sure that subscribers notice these icons and remember them? That’s quite challenging, considering that 333 billion emails are sent and received every day globally and a professional user may get more than a hundred emails.
To catch the eye, just make sure that these icons are prominent. If you explore some email signature examples worth emulating, you will find that they have social media icons included in them.
The right icons placed strategically can make email signatures appear aesthetic and professional. There is a good chance that users may notice them and click on them to access the social media page of the brand.
Selecting the right social media icons
While email marketing and social media make a winning combination, maximizing its benefits is about doing some things right. Selecting the right social media icons is one of them. Here are a few things you must consider to pick the right platforms and place their icons in your marketing emails.
Read More: Everything You Should Know About Online Reviews
1. Platform popularity
As of 2024, Facebook tops the social media popularity charts, with three billion monthly active users. YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, and TikTok are next on the list.
While integrating social media icons into your email campaigns, consider the size of the user base as it can have the most significant impact. Besides these big names, Twitter and LinkedIn are popular in branding circles.
However, the choice can vary, depending on your business niche and audience. That’s what we will talk about next.
2. Relevance to your audience
When it comes to adding icons to your emails, ensure that you choose the platforms that are relevant to your target audience. In simple words, these are the ones where your target audience is most active.
For example, LinkedIn might be relevant if your audience is predominantly professionals in the B2B space.
3. Brand alignment
Being selective about the social media icons to add to your email campaigns is also about prioritizing brand alignment. Ideally, you should pick the ones that align with your brand’s identity.
Instagram or Pinterest are ideal for a brand that focuses on visual content. Conversely, LinkedIn is right for B2B businesses selling to business leaders and decision-makers.
4. Icon consistency
Icon consistency is an equally important aspect of including them in your email campaigns. In simple words, the icon design you choose should be consistent with your overall brand aesthetic. This will create a cohesive look and feel across your emails.
Use colors, shapes, and sizes that match your brand’s visual style guide. With this approach, the icons you select will blend in seamlessly rather than looking like a designer’s afterthought.
Check this email design by WIRED with boxy, angular social media icons. Don’t they perfectly replicate WIRED’s visual brand?
Best practices for icon placement
Statistics show that the average return on email marketing is $36 for every dollar spent. That’s an impressive figure, but achieving it requires creative design and engaging content.
When it comes to design, you need to ensure that every element looks aesthetic and cohesive. This applies to the placement of social media icons as well. Here are the best practices to follow in this context:
1. Place them strategically
Begin with strategic placement, as you want the subscribers to see them but not feel overwhelmed when scouring through the email. As a rule, you must place them in a prominent but non-intrusive location.
The header, footer, or sidebar are preferred placements. Most designers prefer the footer as it does not distract from the main content yet is easily accessible. Adding them to the email signature is also a good idea.
You can follow this example of a campaign by Martha Stewart Everyday Food. It uses a different idea, adding social media icons in the upper right corner. That’s a great way to put them in the spotlight!
2. Optimize size and spacing
Once again, the right size and spacing determine how prominent social media icons are. A size too large means they may dominate the email and too small entails a risk of being overlooked. Brand designers should play a bit to find the perfect size.
Adequate spacing between the icons is also essential. You don’t want them to look cluttered, as it can affect visual comfort. Optimal spacing also ensures that each icon is clickable.
3. Add call to action
CTAs are integral to top-performing email marketing campaigns. Including a compelling CTA near the social media icons can compel recipients to take the right actions.
For example, “Connect with Us” or “Follow us on Social Media” encourage subscribers to click and access the brand’s social media pages. Here, too, you can think beyond the ordinary.
McDonald’s did a great job with its email CTA, inviting social media followers with a catchy and compelling one: “Sometimes, it’s good to be a follower.” Obviously, the campaign was a winner.
4. Prioritize responsive design
This applies to the entire email design, including social media icons. With 41% of email views coming from mobile devices, responsiveness cannot be overlooked while designing them. You cannot expect users to wait for an email to load if it takes more than a few seconds, right?
A responsive design ensures that icons are easily visible and clickable on all devices, regardless of screen size and resolution.
Design and aesthetics for social media icons
Another factor that can make or break the success of email marketing integration with social media icons is their design and aesthetics. Like any other aspect of email design, they can influence how recipients perceive your brand. You can follow these design tips to win the aesthetic game.
1. Keep them simple
Simple and clean designs are great at holding visual attention and driving engagement. Avoid flashy or complicated icons as they may look unprofessional and detract users from the email’s primary message.
Check this simple design Amazon has used to add social media icons to its email campaign. The aesthetic is pretty basic, but the idea works as it entices a reader to click these icons right away.
2. Consider customization
Using custom-designed social media icons is a good idea, as you can align them with your brand’s aesthetic and color palette. Also, choose colors that pop up against the email background for easy visibility and attention without going over the top.
Bumble and Bumble, in an email campaign, customized its social media icons with whimsical handwritten lettering stating “Let’s be friends!”.
3. Align with email theme
While designing your social media icons, ensure that they complement the email theme. Simple icons will go well with a minimalistic email design, while you can create more dynamic icons for a vibrant and colorful email.
4. Add hover effects
Try adding subtle hover effects to make the icons more visually appealing and interactive. For example, a color change or slight animation makes them attention-grabbing and indicates that they are clickable.
Read More: What is Metaverse Marketing? 5 Key Strategies to Implement
Bonus: Track your best-performing channel and add those icons
Another bonus tip is to track your best-performing social media channel and prioritize those icons. Not all platforms have the same level of engagement, so track the best performers and fine-tune your email marketing strategy accordingly.
You can use tools like Google Analytics, email marketing software, and social media insights to track clicks and engagement on icons. Also, test the design, size, and placement to see what works and optimize your icons over time.
Keyhole can be helpful to understand what captures the audience’s attention and which social media platform is your brand’s strength. You can utilize these insights to fine-tune your email marketing campaigns with the right icons.
Maximizing your email campaigns with social media icons
Undoubtedly, social media icons can be a catalyst for your email marketing strategy. However, just pasting them randomly will not do the trick. You need to select the right ones, blend them into your email designs, and ensure aesthetic appeal. Also, measure, track, and improve to maximize the value they deliver.
Explore the potential of Keyhole today and keep your marketing strategy relevant and result-oriented.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why should I integrate social media icons into my email campaigns?
Adding social media icons in your email marketing campaigns is a strategic way to get them to follow your brand on social media. Once they land on these platforms, they can know your brand better, check reviews, and become loyal customers.
2. Why should I use custom social media icons?
With custom social media icons, you can ensure that they perfectly match your brand’s style, aesthetics, and color palette. These create a more cohesive experience for your followers, and they can instantly recognize and connect with your brand.
3. How can I track the effectiveness of my social media icons?
Tracking the effectiveness of social media icons is an integral part of measuring the performance of your email campaigns. You can easily track clicks on them with analytics tools. This data helps you identify the platforms that drive the most traffic and engagement.
