Coordinating Email Marketing and Social Media

Has your company waded into the world of social networking? Whether you've created a profile on Facebook or built a custom social media site with OneSite, you're probably at least sticking your toe into the water. The truth is, Web 2.0 applications are so incredibly popular that it's unusual to find an online firm not taking advantage of at least one. These online networking sites are, after all, a great way to "go viral" with your message at little expense.

But did you know it's possible to coordinate your social media sites with your email marketing campaigns? Remember, the goal for a sustainable online business is to plan and implement a seamless message across all forms of marketing. Here's a quick guide to three ways your company's social networking impact can grow with email marketing campaigns.

Announcing Your Blog

Out on the blogosphere, there are millions of people hoping to be heard. Your company should be joining in, as well, but that's a topic for another marketing lesson. Assuming you've spent the time to create a great blog, and have committed to keeping your content fresh, the next step is to get the word out.

With so many blogs and podcast sites out there, how can your company's blog have an impact? One of the easiest ways is to let your email list know it exists. Your blog, hopefully, contains information in every post that is useful to your customer base. What better way to give them access than to announce your blog by email?

At first glance, it might seem logical to simply say, "Hey, read my new blog" in a message. Stop and think, though, would you open that email? If, instead, the subject line said, "Tips for Cash-Strapped Marketers", you might be more likely to investigate.

The purpose of a business blog is to draw traffic to your websites. The purpose of an email marketing campaign about your blog is to get people to visit it. With careful crafting, you can produce a campaign that makes readers want to know more.

This isn't the time to make a sale. This is developmental marketing; you're developing a relationship with your list so they'll trust you and buy your products. Pushing for a sale while announcing your blog will simply turn them off.

Here's the right sequence: 1)Point them toward valuable information on your blog via email marketing, 2) Link to your website promotions through your blog and 3) Watch the sales develop.

Another neat trick for successful email marketing & email advertising campaigns is to add a teaser audio to your message when announcing a podcast site. A good email marketing application will help you create the code you need, so this doesn't require a lot of technical skill.

Once on your podcast site, the sequence is the same. Give the listener helpful content in your podcast and end with a suggestion to visit your website for more help. You're not hard selling, in your email message or your podcast, but you're accomplishing the same goal - sales.

Marketing Your Social Media Promotions

Blogging's a great way to join the Web 2.0 arena, and social networking sites are the next logical step. Setting up a profile on these sites is fairly painless, but it should have the same goal as the rest of your email marketing and web site promotion plans.

What do you want people to learn about your company from a Facebook page? Is your image fun and funky or seriously professional? It's possible to create either image with content and photos on most social networking sites. Because you're able to upload lots of image files, some companies are setting up product images in "albums" for visitors to browse.

The beauty of sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter is that, once someone learns about your products and services, they can spread the word to others that you might never reach. To get that ball rolling, though, you need to tell your email list you're out there.

What better way to do that than through a promotion linked to that community? For example, if you have a Facebook presence and want to draw prospects to it, create an email promotion & email marketing campaign offering a discount to members of that online community. Since your profile's going to be a "public" one, meaning anyone can access it, they don't really have to join the community to see your information.

You can still give the impression of exclusivity by requiring them to enter their Facebook identity in your order page. The truth is, since most social networks are free, they'll probably join just to get the discount. But do you really care? You've made a sale, after all.

This email marketing campaign is different from your blog announcement. The point is to make a sale, and you're definitely offering a product in the message. The big benefit is that you're announcing the promotion while introducing your social media presence.

Upgrading Your Email Signature

One last tip for using email marketing to promote your social networking sites: use your email signature to passively mention them with every message. Some email service providers actually link your social media sites automatically to your messages, but it's simple to do yourself. Just add links below your signature line, such as, "Visit our MySpace page at ..." and "Read Great Marketing Tips on our Blog." Every person receiving an email contact from you will know you've expanded to social media.

Email marketing itself is still a good way to reach a lot of people inexpensively. Having the right email advertising strategy then combining that with the power of viral communication created by social networking communities, your Internet footprint can be huge. Research what other businesses are doing on social media sites, and keep your list posted through effective communication using targeted email marketing campaigns.

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