If social media and search engine optimization (SEO) make a powerful pair, adding email marketing to the mix makes a search engine-friendly trifecta. Unlike the static, boring email of yesteryear, today’s email has search engine staying power long after it shows up in the inbox.

Write Top-Notch Content

You can’t expect people to spread the word about your business if they aren’t excited themselves. Make sure your emails are well-formatted and easy to read, whether on a laptop, tablet or mobile device. One easy way to keep your email newsletter content interesting and increase site traffic: A teaser paragraph for every new article on your site. Simply add a “read more” link at the end of each one, pointing back to the article (and your site).

Keywords Are Key

Use keyword-rich text in your emails, referring to the main subject of your article. For example, if selling vintage G.I. Joe action figures, you want the phrase “vintage G.I Joe action figures” taking up around 3 to 4 percent of your text. Keep your keywords specific without making them too long. The more specific, the better your ranking will be.

Keep Them Coming

Start building your email list. This is where social media platforms come in handy. Give people an idea of what to expect when they sign up for your newsletter by including your most recent email’s topics in your Facebook and Twitter posts. Also, make sure that your profiles have obvious newsletter signup links. The more the social media world knows about what you are offering, the more they will want to subscribe to your newsletter.

Keep Them Together

All newsletters should be archived on your site so your audience can both refer back to and search them. That way, the email keeps working for you after it has been sent. Add social sharing links so your customers can send the newsletters to their friends with the click of a button.

Remember, the most important things are to stay in touch with your audience and keep them wanting more. Countless e-businesses out there all vie for the same market, so use all the tools in your toolbox – email marketing, SEO, social networking – and use them creatively.