If you’re managing each marketing channel as a separate entity, it’s time to jump on the omnichannel bandwagon. While social media and email marketing can exist without each other, they work much better together. Many companies put all their eggs in one social media basket and forget about the tried and true nurturing tool that is email marketing. Email remains a powerful way to reach your target audience and nurture leads from social campaigns to ultimately land a conversion. In some cases, email marketing can realize a higher ROI than social media; it’s estimated that email generates $36 for every $1 spent (Home, n.d.).
So, how can marketers make their social media and email strategies work together? The key is to create a cohesive, integrated approach that leverages the strengths of both channels. Depending on your strategy, social media’s primary purpose is to build awareness (a top-of-the-funnel channel), while email is commonly used to nurture a lead down the conversion funnel (a re-marketing tactic). Here are a few tips to help you start making these strategies work together.
1. Use social media to drive email sign-ups.
Social media is a great way to attract new followers, and you can use this to your advantage by utilizing it to drive email sign-ups. We recommend sharing links to your email form on your social media profiles and running social media ads that promote your email list. In both situations, you want to make sure your email sign-up form is easy to find and simple to complete; because we all know consumers' attention spans are short. Don’t make them jump through hoops to sign up for your email list! The first thing they click on should be your form, and they should have an excellent incentive to do so. Will they get an exclusive offer? A promise to receive exclusive content that non-subscribers do not get?
We recommend utilizing a LinkTree in your Instagram bio to have all of your links easily visible and accessible to your followers.
You can also host fun giveaways and incentivize your followers to sign up for email as a way to earn extra giveaway entries. For some clients, we have hosted social media giveaways where the only way they can enter is to fill out a simple email form at the link in their bio.
2. Share email content on social media.
Email marketing is an effective way to engage with your audience, but it's not enough to just send out emails regularly. To keep your subscribers interested, you must offer them something valuable that meets their needs, i.e., a new product launch, discount code, brand collaborations, etc. By providing value, you're more likely to keep your subscribers engaged and interested in what you have to say.
To reach even more potential subscribers and get more eyes on your email content, share a condensed version of your emails on social media. You can utilize your graphic designer to create teaser versions of your email newsletters, product launches, etc. You want to highlight items in your email that social media does not get to see. Do your emails have helpful how-to’s that relate to your niche? Do your email subscribers get access to exclusive blog content? FOMO is real and can be used to your full advantage here. This can attract new subscribers who might not have found your email list otherwise.
3. Use email to drive social media engagement.
One way to drive social media engagement through email is by encouraging your email subscribers to follow you on social media. You can include social media icons in your emails, link them to your social media profiles, and invite subscribers to follow you for updates, offers, and exclusive content. This not only helps you increase your followers on social media, but it also keeps your email subscribers informed and engaged.
Similarly, you can use your email campaigns to promote your social media content by sharing links to your recent posts or offers. This can increase the visibility of your social media campaigns, encourage social sharing, and ultimately drive more traffic to your website. Additionally, by sharing your social media content through email, you can target your most engaged audience, leading to higher engagement rates and conversions.
4. Create targeted campaigns for different channels.
When it comes to marketing, a cohesive approach is crucial to ensure consistency in messaging and branding across all channels. However, it's also essential to tailor your marketing campaigns to specific channels to maximize their effectiveness. This means that how you market on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram will differ from how you market through email campaigns.
Social media is a great way to create buzz and promote limited-time offers, flash sales, and contests. These platforms are perfect for grabbing your audience's attention with eye-catching visuals, engaging videos, and witty captions that speak to your brand's personality. On the other hand, email campaigns offer a more personalized approach to your customers, allowing you to share more in-depth information about your products or services, nurture leads, and drive conversions.
Knowing your audience is critical when it comes to creating targeted campaigns. Understanding their preferences, interests, and behaviors will help determine which marketing approach to take.
5. Test, measure, and optimize!
Testing, measuring, and optimizing your marketing efforts is very important. This means monitoring your email and social media metrics and making changes based on what you see. For example, if your email campaign performs better than your social media campaign, you should adjust your social media strategy to align better with your email campaigns. What kinds of CTA’s do your followers prefer? Try A/B testing different CTA’s in your email and social content to see what sees the best results. We always recommend using a CMS like HubSpot to integrate email and social media marketing campaigns in one place and look at your metrics side by side.
When used effectively, social media and email are powerful for marketers. By creating a cohesive, integrated approach and targeting your campaigns for different channels, you can maximize the impact of your marketing efforts, and who doesn’t want that?
