Everything you think about list segmentation and social media is wrong (well, sort of).

If 2010 was the year social media took the spotlight, then in 2011 it borrowed the car, stayed out past curfew and ate everything in the refrigerator. Social media will no longer be ignored, and in the last month of 2011, we gave it serious play in one of the world’s top search engine marketing blogs, Search Engine People.

What else did our team write about in the last month of 2011? List segmentation and using email readers to get scoops for your blog. Sounds cool, right? Here’s a breakdown of what our writers penned in December in blogs beyond this one.

Daniel Cassady on Search Engine People

As social-savvy businesspeople, it’s hard to remember everything you need to know about social media, including what your audience wants out of your interactions. Equally important but often overlooked is whether social media is for sales, brand awareness or building an army of loyal customers. In a guest post by Daniel Cassady for Search Engine People, he lays down some serious stats on what businesses like your own think about social media, but also what you should think about for maximum influence. Read all about Social Media Marketing Misconceptions here.

Curt Keller on iMedia Connection

List segmentation can feel like a time luxury you just can’t afford. It works, but on its face, executing it seems as complex as reading the stats you’ll gain from spreading out your campaigns over multiple lists. Our CEO Curt Keller gets that list segmentation is not a priority for most email marketers, but he makes a very compelling case for using it on iMedia Connection. Read Keller’s take on list segmentation at his Segmentation: The Best Email Marketing Strategy You’re Not Using guest blog here.

Hal Licino on Daily Blog Tips

Depending on the subject covered, blogging can be hyper-competitive. New info that sets your blog apart from others is as rare and valuable as gold, and just as difficult to find. In Hal Licino’s awesome blog post for Daily Blog Tips, our resident blogging guru delivers an awesome plan for getting scoops from subscribers of the email version of your blog. Visit Daily Blog Tips for excellent info on How Bloggers Can Solicit Sccops from Their Email Newsletter Subscribers.

This year, the Benchmark Email team is already hard at work crafting compelling, important content for blogs across the Internets. Early January has already been an awesome month, so make sure to watch this space.