Instead, content tends to be scattered across the board. One thing is said on one platform and something else entirely somewhere else.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s shared on the blog, of course, often makes it to social media platforms — but not all social media platforms. First of all, content is not adapted to suit the style of each platform. What works on Facebook will not work on Instagram; and what works on Instagram is not going to cut it for Twitter.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at content the other way around. In fact, let\u2019s look at your biggest organic content generator: social media.<\/p>\n
![\"Social](\"https:\/\/www.benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/smartphone-2123520_640.jpg\")
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Filling the Social Media Follower Void <\/b><\/h2>\n
If you have an active social media presence on any platform — and you\u2019re not pulling from the engagement and dialogue there — you\u2019re missing out on some major opportunities. One of those opportunities is getting more people from your email marketing list to convert as new social media followers. This is particularly important if you have a strong email marketing subscriber list and a loyal following there — and are trying to build up your social media accounts.<\/p>\n
The most under-utilized way to bridge the gap is to integrate social media into your email campaigns, particularly newsletters. If you have a hot Instagram or Twitter account, take some of the best high-traffic posts and link to them in your campaigns. If there was a dynamic Facebook post the generate a riveting dialogue with followers, then summarize that with a headline and an invitation to join the conversation on Facebook. The point is to tease your subscribers with linked-back images of the chats that are happening somewhere else so you can funnel them to your social platforms.<\/p>\n
In fact, you can have an entire email campaign per week dedicated exclusively to social media chatter for the week. When it comes to social media, you want to keep this a weekly occurrence just because the news cycle changes so quickly. What\u2019s relevant or hot today, may not be of interest to your followers next week, even if that social post is visually driven images from Instagram.<\/p>\n
![\"Social](\"https:\/\/www.benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image4-2.png\")
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Cultivating Social Media Followers from Email Campaigns <\/b><\/h2>\n
The point is not to forget about one pocket while you\u2019re working in another pocket.<\/p>\n
For starters, it\u2019s highly recommend to center one entire email campaign is centered on a call to action for social media. It should be well-designed, clean and organized, as you see with the two examples.<\/p>\n
The one above for JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores is a fantastic example of how to focus on your niche audience. At the top of the email campaign, as you would also share at the top of a website, they list all the social media platforms they\u2019re on. They understand their demographic is women who are inspired to create and get crafty.<\/p>\n
The best social media platform for that is Pinterest. If they were to focus on a second, maybe it would be Facebook and then Instagram. JoAnn\u2019s chose to focus on Pinterest and paired it with a pinboard. There isn\u2019t an excessive copy. The call to action is simply the pins, which they repeated in various graphic design elements throughout the email campaign.<\/p>\n
The example below is Bed Bath & Beyond. They have a cheeky theme about \u201cgetting into the swing of it,\u201d paired with value for each platform. The value isn\u2019t also a thesis, it\u2019s about pairing strong visuals that direct action with language that supports taking that action.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, the email campaign weaves in elements of website design. The top two rows of categories mimic their website. This is smart. It reminds people what the brand is about but also is a non-verbal cue to shop.<\/p>\n
![\"Bed](\"https:\/\/www.benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image2-2.png\")
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Building on that, there are other ways to get email subscribers to show. Try including social media links in your email sign up form as well as your email confirmation form. Your subscriber\u2019s welcome email can also be broken up into two separate campaigns, the latter of which focuses exclusively on social media. Have a second follow-up welcome email focus exclusively on social is smart if your email campaigns tend to be spaced out, allowing your subscribers to stay engaged in other ways in between campaigns.<\/p>\n
Weaving in Your Brand Value <\/b><\/h2>\n
When integrating your social media teasers into your email campaigns, the key is to keep in mind brand value. In other words, think of communicating, \u00a0\u201cHere\u2019s what you need and here\u2019s why you need it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That is how you go about drumming up your value. Ask yourself what\u2019s the one thing you offer on your social platforms that make them pop out? Going further, perhaps there are multiple types of value. You might get great community engagement on your Facebook page. Perhaps your Twitter page scoops up the hottest issues. Instagram might be where you curate the best finds across the visual platform and repost on your Instagram account. Maybe your Instagram is where you capture your brand\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n
The point is the value you have your social media accounts tends to be diverse, and each platform captures a different facet of your brand value. Now it\u2019s time to bring that back home to your email campaigns.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Always About the Numbers <\/b><\/h2>\n![\"Most](\"https:\/\/www.benchmarkemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/image3-2.png\")
Graph as seen on OptinMonster<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\nThe people marketing higher-ups typically answer to are easily charmed by the appeal of social media. The engagement there is visible. The likes and the replies are visible, but that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re measurable in the same way you measure engagement on email marketing.<\/p>\n
Think of it this way: 5,000 subscribers to your email subscriber list is not the same 5,000 subscribers on your Facebook or Twitter page. According<\/a> to Stuart Marler from Retriever Digital<\/em>, \u201cIf you have 2,000 Facebook fans usually only 2-5 people will see each post you publish.”<\/p>\nThe level of engagement on social media is typically very minimal unless you\u2019ve boosted the post. Then there\u2019s the issue of boosting a post. While a boosted post gets you more traffic, likes, shares, and replies, etc., that engagement very typically isn\u2019t driven by people who like or follow your business page. They\u2019re often one-offs, there because you\u2019ve paid for a sponsored post. It\u2019s not an accurate level of reach or fanbase, especially when not compared to what you get on email marketing.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at what you get when you post the same thing to social media, on a platform like Facebook, while also sending the post to your email subscribers. Thought leaders Ogilvy note that Facebook organic reaches an estimated 6%<\/a> of a brand\u2019s fanbase, whereas the average reach (open rate) for email is 22%<\/a>. That is a huge discrepancy in numbers.<\/p>\nThe point is this, the level of followers or subscribers is not equal to the level of engagement had based on that number alone. Think of it like this: you can have 5,000 contacts on your phone but who picks up the phone when you call? When it comes to social media, the same relative theory applies. It\u2019s a question of who\u2019s there versus who answers the call.<\/p>\n
Coming back to the point, considering that you naturally have a higher rate of email marketing engagement, it\u2019s smart marketing to drive that audience to social media. Not only do you want to make sure you are evening out the playing field with the same people accessing all platforms you\u2019re present in, but you can also use your email subscribers to help boost social media engagement.<\/p>\n
Graph as seen on OptinMonster<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n The people marketing higher-ups typically answer to are easily charmed by the appeal of social media. The engagement there is visible. The likes and the replies are visible, but that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re measurable in the same way you measure engagement on email marketing.<\/p>\n Think of it this way: 5,000 subscribers to your email subscriber list is not the same 5,000 subscribers on your Facebook or Twitter page. According<\/a> to Stuart Marler from Retriever Digital<\/em>, \u201cIf you have 2,000 Facebook fans usually only 2-5 people will see each post you publish.”<\/p>\n The level of engagement on social media is typically very minimal unless you\u2019ve boosted the post. Then there\u2019s the issue of boosting a post. While a boosted post gets you more traffic, likes, shares, and replies, etc., that engagement very typically isn\u2019t driven by people who like or follow your business page. They\u2019re often one-offs, there because you\u2019ve paid for a sponsored post. It\u2019s not an accurate level of reach or fanbase, especially when not compared to what you get on email marketing.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at what you get when you post the same thing to social media, on a platform like Facebook, while also sending the post to your email subscribers. Thought leaders Ogilvy note that Facebook organic reaches an estimated 6%<\/a> of a brand\u2019s fanbase, whereas the average reach (open rate) for email is 22%<\/a>. That is a huge discrepancy in numbers.<\/p>\n The point is this, the level of followers or subscribers is not equal to the level of engagement had based on that number alone. Think of it like this: you can have 5,000 contacts on your phone but who picks up the phone when you call? When it comes to social media, the same relative theory applies. It\u2019s a question of who\u2019s there versus who answers the call.<\/p>\n Coming back to the point, considering that you naturally have a higher rate of email marketing engagement, it\u2019s smart marketing to drive that audience to social media. Not only do you want to make sure you are evening out the playing field with the same people accessing all platforms you\u2019re present in, but you can also use your email subscribers to help boost social media engagement.<\/p>\n