5 Tips for Integrating Email With Social Media
Published 20 May 2012
There is a lot of talk about integrating social media into other aspects of marketing, but do you know what that really looks like? Can you just post a link to your newsletter on Facebook and Twitter and call it good? No. At least not if you want to make the most of it!
Here’s the crash course on getting synced:
1. Get linked up. Your readers expect you to be interlinked at this point, so that when they visit any one of your sites, newsletters, or profiles, they can access the others with a single click. Don’t forget YouTube!
2. Automate content. There is a secret in the social marketing world: an easy way to cross-post that won’t take long to set up and maintain. For example, consider setting up your Twitter so that new posts on your blog and Facebook automatically show up. Tweet and post a link to your latest newsletter on your social media sites.
3. Invite interaction. Offer social media contacts an incentive to subscribe to your email newsletter. Entry into a raffle or contest is a safe route to go if you want to minimize the cost of the effort. In the reverse direction, offer your newsletter subscribers a similarly enticing option if they follow you on Twitter, friend you, or “like” a post on Facebook, etc.
4. Ensure consistent branding. Your company name and logo should be prominently displayed on each site creating a unified front. If you have a parent company with sub-companies either coalesce into one or have individual accounts for each. Everything needs to be clear and obvious not only to build brand recognition but to ensure that new visitors can easily identify your sites.
5.Listen and participate. Conversations are happening all over social media. Ask open ended questions, follow up on comments, and when you’ve got something great going make sure people notice. A quick “check out the interesting debate happening in the comments on this blog post” will direct readers to your content and show that you have an active interest in connecting with your readers.