Running a successful marketing campaign requires a dynamic approach that attracts your audience and keeps them engaged. The secret lies in leveraging multiple marketing channels. In this blog post, we’ll discuss two: social media and email.
Social media platforms offer unparalleled reach and real-time interactions with your audience, while email marketing allows for personalized, direct communication.
On their own, both marketing channels have unique strengths and weaknesses. But when combined, they become a dynamic duo that can boost engagement rate and rapidly expand your customer base.
With that in mind, we’ll look at five ways to combine social media and email to maximize the impact of your digital marketing efforts.
1. Build an email list
According to the Litmus State of Email Report, email is the most effective marketing channel to increase revenue and sales. And a robust email list helps you connect with your audience and grow your business. For example, LinkedIn has become the go-to platform when it comes to seeking certain people
But how do you build that list effectively?
Encourage email sign-ups on your social media networks. Since your social media followers are already interested in your brand, use that opportunity to invite them to join your subscriber list.
You can do so by creating compelling posts and stories that showcase the value of subscribing to your emails. Also, share the exclusive offers, helpful content, and exciting updates your followers will get by being part of your email community. And make it easy for them to sign up by providing a direct link or a clear call-to-action (CTA) button.
In addition, provide incentives for signing up. People love getting something in return, so offer a special discount, a free ebook in epub or pdf format to let the customers choose their preferred downloading format and access to exclusive content for those who sign up. This extra value will entice more social media users to leap into email subscribers.
After building your email list, it’s essential to verify the email addresses to ensure accuracy and engagement. This step helps maintain a clean and active subscriber list, enhancing your email marketing efforts.
2. Create content that’s relevant to your audience
Relevant content is the key to capturing your audience’s attention and building lasting relationships. And when you understand your customers’ interests, you can create content that resonates with them, sparking engagement and loyalty.
With that in mind, take the time to know your audience and what makes them tick. Conduct surveys, analyze feedback, and monitor how they interact with your business to identify their interests and pain points. Once you understand their needs, create content that speaks directly to those interests.
For example, if you have a fitness brand, you can produce videos and content about effective workout routines, healthy recipes, and lifestyle tips to cater to your health-conscious audience.
Use email content for social media and vice-versa
Another way to engage your audience with your content is to integrate social media and email marketing campaigns to maximize their reach and impact.
For instance, if you have an engaging email newsletter that discusses your latest product features, you can use that copy on your social media ads.
Similarly, encourage your social media followers to subscribe to your newsletters for exclusive offers and insights. That way, your audience will stay connected to your business, regardless of the channel they use to engage with your brand.
Incorporate user-generated content to promote your products without sounding too “salesy”
You can also incorporate user-generated content (UGC) to showcase your products in a genuine and relatable manner.
For example, you can encourage customers to share their experiences and photos with your products on social media. That not only promotes your brand without a direct sales pitch but also builds a sense of community among your audience.
Here’s an example from Starbucks:
The company runs campaigns encouraging customers to share pictures with their signature drinks, turning everyday coffee enthusiasts into brand advocates.
3. Use personalization tactics and segment your audience
When it comes to engaging your audience, a one-size-fits-all approach won’t cut it. You need to segment your subscribers and personalize your messages to truly connect with potential customers.
Your SMS marketing ecommerce audience is different as a segment since they’re the ones that will receive messages about special offers, discounts, and new launches. In contrast, your email marketing segment is entirely different.
By doing so, you’ll be able to tailor your communications to meet your audience’s unique needs and preferences and create solid relationships with them.
When segmenting your customers, divide them based on how they interact with your business. For a global audience, consider geographic segmentation to target customers based on language, culture, and interests. This will enable you to send targeted content that resonates with each subscriber and boost engagement.
Here’s an example from Talbots:
The brand uses the customer’s name in the greeting to personalize the email. This makes it feel more personal and relevant to the recipient.
The mention of the customer’s membership status (Classic Awards member) is another way Talbot personalizes the email. It shows that the brand knows the customer and appreciates their business. It even offers a personalized reward (100 bonus style points) for purchasing products that month.
These personalized elements make the email stand out and encourage the customer to click the call-to-action (CTA) buttons. Furthermore, a professional email signature can add more personalization and establish trust, providing essential information about the sender and their affiliation, thus reinforcing the overall impact of the message.
4. Integrate your social media campaigns with email marketing
Another way to run your marketing campaigns effectively is to integrate your social media campaigns into your email newsletters.
Here are a few ways you can do so:
- Share social media content in your direct mail marketing campaign to keep subscribers updated on your latest social media activity.
- Run social media contests and giveaways in your email campaigns to generate excitement and engagement among subscribers and drive traffic to your social media posts.
- Use data from your social media accounts to segment your email list and send targeted messages to subscribers. Enhance your email segmentation strategy by leveraging a LinkedIn email finder, allowing you to pinpoint new connections and personalize messages effectively.
- Promote your social media channels in your email campaigns. For example, you can include links to your social media profiles in your email signatures and footers to encourage subscribers to follow you on social media.
Here’s an example of an email from Netflix that promotes its new original series, “Stranger Things.”
The email includes links to Netflix’s Facebook and Instagram profiles in the footer so subscribers can easily gets some brand visibility on social media. The icons are clear and concise and are placed in a prominent location in the footer to make it easy to spot them.
5. Measure key marketing metrics
Measuring your marketing metrics helps you understand how your campaigns are performing. As a result, you can make the necessary adjustments to ensure they succeed.
That said, not all metrics are created equal. Some metrics will be more critical than others based on your business goals.
Nevertheless, here are some key metrics you should measure for your email and social media campaigns:
Open rate: Percentage of people who open your emails.
Click-through rate: Percentage of users who click on a link in your emails.
Conversion rate: Number of people who take a desired action after clicking on a link in your email, such as buying a product or signing up for a newsletter.
Unsubscribe rate: Percentage of subscribers who unsubscribe from your email list.
Social media
Reach: Number of followers who see your social media posts.
Engagement: Number of people who interact with your posts by liking, commenting, or sharing them.
Conversion rate: Percentage of users who take a desired action after interacting with your posts, like visiting your website or purchasing a product.
Once you’ve tracked these key metrics, you can analyze the data to see what’s working and what’s not. You can then use this information to make changes to your marketing campaigns and improve your results.
To streamline this process, you need email and social media marketing tools. For example, email marketing software can help you track your email in real time and adjust accordingly.
Additionally, implementing email verification will help you reach the relevant audience over mail. You can even optimize campaign reach and compliance with anti-spam regulations. Hence, it proves to be a crucial step towards a clean mailing list.
For social media analytics, Keyhole is your go-to platform. The analytics tool helps you track multiple profiles, campaigns, brand mentions, and influencers instantly. That way, you can make data-driven decisions on your social media campaigns.
Bonus: A/B Test your campaigns to improve marketing performance
On top of measuring your marketing metrics, make sure to A/B test your campaigns using apt email marketing software.
A/B testing allows you to test different variations of your campaigns and see what works best for your audience. This can help you increase your click-through rates, conversions, and sales.
To A/B test your marketing campaigns, you need to:
1. Identify the elements you want to test — subject line, product images, content, or the call-to-action (CTA).
2. Create two versions of the campaign, each with a different variation of the aspect you’re testing.
3. Send each version of the campaign to a different segment of your audience.
4. Track the results to see which version performs better.
5. Apply the version that performs better to your future email and social media campaigns.
Key Takeaways
There you have it. Leveraging social media and email marketing is a game-changing strategy every marketing team should consider. To ensure maximum ROI on your marketing campaigns, follow the five marketing tips shared in this article.
Remember, social media provides a platform for real-time interactions and widespread reach, while email marketing enables personalized and direct communication with your audience.
Integrate these two channels to create deep connections with your customers, nurture lasting relationships, and drive meaningful results.
Need a tool that’ll help you thrive with social media? Keyhole might be the one! Plan, schedule and track your campaigns with ease.
Author Bio
Skirmantas Venckus is a writer by day and reader by night. He hates talking about himself in the third person. He is also the growth hacker at Sender.net – the email marketing provider that is focused on user-friendliness, affordability, and utility.
Related Articles
Netflix’s Winning Social Media Strategy: A Deep Dive
5 Social Media Strategies That Succeeded In 2024 [Key Takeaways]
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I use both social media and email for my marketing campaign?
Absolutely! Combining your social media and email marketing can help you have a successful marketing campaign. Social media platforms help you reach a broad audience and engage with them in real time, while email allows for more personalized and targeted communication. Using both channels, you can build brand awareness, nurture solid customer relationships, and boost sales.
2. How can I integrate social media and email into my campaigns effectively?
You can integrate social media and email by cross-promoting your content. For example, you can share your email newsletters on your social media platform to encourage more sign-ups. Likewise, use your email campaigns to promote your social media posts and exclusive offers to drive traffic to your website or landing pages.
3. Why is it essential to track my marketing campaign results?
Tracking the results of your marketing efforts helps you make data-driven decisions. So monitor key metrics like opens, click-throughs, conversions, and engagement with tools.