In the digital era, social media and email marketing are the most popular platforms for businesses and brands to connect with their audience. Each works in their own way, but incorporating social media content to your email campaign can improve your messages, traffic, and ultimately sales. In this post, we’ll discuss how you can leverage social media posts in your emails with practical recommendations and techniques for putting them to the fullest.
Learn How Email and Social Media Fit Together.
Before getting to the actual implementations, let’s discuss the relationship between social media and email marketing. The two platforms are similar in that you can connect directly with your target market, but they do things better than each other. You typically use social media for interaction and brand promotion, and email marketing for more immediate actions like conversions and sales.
Incorporating social media into your emails allows you to not only grow your following, but to build a brand identity. This integration can entice email recipients to follow your social media channels and, in turn, improve your overall presence and develop a community around your brand.
1. Curating User-Generated Content
Most credible content for your emails is UGC (user-generated content), which includes the images, videos, reviews and testimonials that your clients or followers are sharing on social media.
Email Using UGC:
Highlight Customer Reviews: Use glowing testimonials or reviews on social media. Include them in your email to increase your brand’s credibility and trust.
Highlight Customer Images: Highlight images that users are sharing using your products. This not only organically brings awareness to your products but also fosters community by giving customers the sense that they are respected and valued.
UGC Gallery: Collate the best social media posts from your customers and display them in a gallery-style style in your email.
Through user-generated content, you humanize your brand and develop relatability.
2. Incorporating Social Media Feeds
Inserting social media feeds into emails adds visual interest and allows your subscribers to receive updates in real time. It provides a movement that is not possible with static.
Embed Social Media Feeds : How to Put Social Media Feeds on your Website.
Link to Live Feeds: Many email clients don’t allow embedded media, so take screenshots or screenshots of your social feeds and create a CTA linking to the live feed on your website/social platform.
Favorite Popular or Trending Posts: Promote your most popular or trending posts directly in your email. This calls focus to something your audience already cares about.
Activate Hashtags: If you have hashtags for your campaigns or events, include them in your email. This can also prompt subscribers to include these hashtags in their social posts, and so you’ll get a lot more material to share.
3. Promoting Social Media Contests and Campaigns.
When you mix your email marketing and social media efforts, you can encourage both to engage. Contests, giveaways and campaigns are great ways to tap into your audience’s competitive nature while increasing engagement.
How to Promote Contests:
Publish Contests via Email: Send out emails to subscribers about any future contests or promotions you might be running on social media. Make sure you provide clear instructions on how to get involved.
Offer Exclusive Rewards: Offer special rewards to your email recipients for participating in your social contest. These might be anything from pre-contest prizes to e-mail only prizes.
Report Contest Winners: Send results and winners out via email after the contest. Uploading photos or references to the competition’s social media posts will incentivize re-engagement.
4. Utilizing Social Proof
The social proof, the reason why people will conform to what others do, is easily harnessed by your email marketing campaign. By combining social media conversations, shares, and likes you can generate awareness and curiosity about your brand.
Social Proof Strategies for Emails:
Social Share Numbers: If a blog or product has many social shares or likes, make sure to mention that in your email. These statistical facts can bolster your message.
Integrate Influencer Engagement: If your influencers have been following your posts, include them in your emails. Take a screenshot of a positive comment from an influencer, for example, and describe the partnership.
Make Use of Social Media References: Share examples where your brand was mentioned or discussed positively across multiple social channels.
5. Cross-Promotion of Content
Email is the channel that pushes your social media and vice versa. This promotion ensures you have as much exposure as possible for your content across your marketing platforms.
Ways to Cross-Promote:
Content Teasers: Use little bits or sneak peeks of your social media content in your emails. Let readers come and see the content and interaction on your social channels.
Highlight Recent Posts: Create a separate area in your email that contains a brief description of your recent social media activity, such as a new video, blog or product launch.
Promote Social Media: Create CTAs within your emails to entice the reader to follow you on social media for more content and updates.
6. Analytics and A/B Testing
Analytics and A/B testing are the best tools to see whether including social media content into your emails works. Check open rates, click through rates, and engagement metrics to determine what resonates best with your audience.
Suggested Steps for Analytics:
Monitor Engagement: Use email marketing software to track how social media content performs in your emails. Track what’s popular in terms of what is the most engaging content.
Data Driven Campaign Optimization: Optimize emails with data gleaned from your analytics. A/B-test different formats and content types on social media to see what works best.
Conclusion:
Adding social media content to your email marketing campaign is not only an exercise in content reuse, it’s a chance to develop a total engagement approach that engages your readership. With the help of user-generated content, contests, social proof, and cross-promotional strategies, you can develop a strong connection to your audience across all platforms.
While trying out these strategies, make sure you’re maintaining your brand voice and track your progress. Through constant experimentation, you can learn how to mix social media content into emails and deliver better engagement and marketing performance.
