Despite the infamous belief that email is dead, any other marketing channel is unable to boast of the tremendous 3800% ROI that email keeps bringing to those who practice this marketing channel in a proper way. Analyzing from where the rumors about the dying email usually arrive, the social media come to mind as a logical assumption.
Indeed, many may recognize the social media as a direct and more powerful competitor of email. Such a misconception is grounded in the fundamental confusion of different roles both channels play in communication with customers. Is the effective fusion instead of confusion possible in order to benefit from both marketing tools? Yes, it is definitely possible after the “labor division” of email and socials is comprehended.
Comparing email with Facebook, for instance, every marketer should clearly understand that Facebook is a great tool for keeping the current customers within the community-oriented communication while email is unbeatable in driving new customers being more transactional by nature.
However, it does not mean that email and Facebook can have common features even though they seem not apparent at first glance. Looking beyond the habitual names, the email subscription can be recognized in the “likes” of Facebook. In the same manner, the sharing in Facebook can be equated to the forwarding an email. One way or another, both email and Facebook serve to foster customer advocacy through their messaging functionality. And since the ideological distinction between both channels is reconciled, it is possible to take up their integration.
Great brands are great because of the harmonized experience their customers feel whatever brand-relevant environment they appear in. While passing through the branded brick-and-mortar boutiques, calling to the website customer support, or sharing community values on the corporate Facebook group, they are covered with the holistic customer care the great brands provide. Then why not to take advantage of the pre-installed features that such great brands as Facebook and the major ESPs offer for combining email with social media?
It is impossible to sign up for brand newsletters without having to visit the brand’s website unless Facebook cares about corporate customers offering such an opportunity through the customizable tabs of the brand pages. Both the brand fans and random visitors can sign up for the newsletters using an opt-in tab embedded in brand pages.
Thus, a brand can get new subscribers who in their turn can bring other new visitors to the Facebook page forwarding the newsletters to their mates.
It is reasonable to arrange a dedicated email campaign where Facebook should be emphasized as a central social media. The novice visitors of a brand page will most likely appreciate the opportunity to be timely informed about the upcoming events of the brand’s Facebook community with no need to visit the page every day. Besides, the icons of the other social media can also be present in such emails. However, they should be smaller by size residing in the footer or header of the page.
Large numbers always draw attention, especially when it comes to the number of users. However, the number is worth using not by every channel for marketing objectives. Facebook page visitors will hardly be impressed by the number of the brand newsletter subscribers. But the opposite situation is typical for emails that indicate the size of a relevant Facebook community.
In most cases, visiting a popular Facebook page seems attractive for the email subscribers when it can be done in one click. The view of the majority matters and this is when the social proof really works. For many people, just the popularity of a Facebook page is the main driver to visit it. Represent your Facebook community sharing its large size with your email subscribers and you will convert them into the new Facebook visitors most likely.
Not all your email subscribers are your Facebook followers at the same time. Moreover, many of them do not want to follow your brand page for whatever reasons. This is quite natural since many private Facebook profiles are often overloaded with random followers. Insisting on following does not make sense in such a case. Instead of it, provide your subscribers with an opportunity to share your content they enjoy whenever they want. An unobtrusively available “share” tab in your newsletter will not impose any obligations on your subscribers. People can hardly be against the tab appreciating the “free choice” very much. Sharing your content from time to time they will become accustomed accepting your brand in the realm of Facebook. That’s enough – a habit begins with repeating.
Creative, exciting, and honest content makes any marketing channel successful. Impressive Facebook posts can encourage your followers to click the newsletter subscription link even if it is placed inside the plain text. Various discount programs can work similarly. However, in such a case the new subscribers can easily unsubscribe after the discount event is finished. In order not to pile up the one-time customers your “trapping” content should be based on something more meaningful than a trivial greed. The unique content works as a universal two-ways method: your impressed Facebook followers can become your email subscribers as well as vice versa. The minimum operational tricks bring the maximum marketing results when the content matters.
Why not try transforming your respondents into your marketing promoters? Both re-posts on Facebook and forwarding emails can be assigned to your customers when they are incentivized to share your content with a wider audience. The formula is simple: the more efforts your customers attempt in sharing your content, the more discounts, preferences, and rewards they can get.
It works like a progressive discount when the quantity determines the price. Propose your email subscribers to share your Facebook link with their friends. The more referral followers your subscribers bring to your Facebook page, the richer loyalty program they are covered with.
Establish a club of your active promoters offering them some exclusive terms and conditions. The method is reliable being approved by various elite clubs along with religious sects and financial pyramids.
Thus, the mutual interest along with a sense of belonging to an exclusive community can make both your subscribers and followers your marketing agents.
In order to foster your influence in the digital marketing environment, it is reasonable to combine different communicative channels such as email and Facebook. They both work for customer retention being dedicated to the uneven communication areas nevertheless.
The tips above demonstrate how to combine email and Facebook in order to reinforce the marketing effect. Any efforts improving a marketing campaign cannot be redundant. The seamless integration of email and Facebook is possible and desirable.
The last suggestion for making this double impact irresistible is to assign the same team for both channels.
By Expert commentator
This is a post we've invited from a digital marketing specialist who has agreed to share their expertise, opinions and case studies. Their details are given at the end of the article.
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