Email Marketing Really Works

By: Joe Prasad
Category: Internet Marketing
July 17, 2012

Email marketing can cut your marketing budget down significantly and concerns with ownership of the lists you build goes out the window. Today’s social media platforms are beginning to require payment for exposure to your fans and friends. What many people don’t realize is that the great majority of relationships you have fostered with people on sites such as Facebook never reach their full potential. Only 16% of your status updates reach your fans on average. You can greatly increase exposure to your message by using email marketing. Marketing your content through email increases your return on investment.

 

Why Should I Combine Social Media and Email Marketing?

The benefits of social media marketing are clear, exposure to individuals through sharing can make content go viral. In addition, social media platforms allow business owners to better target their audience. Social media tools allow access to important information, such as age, income and personal interests. You can harness this information to strategically select those individuals who may benefit from your information.

 

You can integrate social marketing tools into an email marketing campaign. Email list software usually provides a number of options to allow social sharing. For example, if you release a monthly newsletter packed with solid content, the “share” buttons on the bottom of each message will encourage people to spread your information.

 

It’s really this simple. If more people share your information, you are more likely to reach new subscribers. If you reach more subscribers, you acquire additional business prospects. Doesn’t that make sense?

 

In addition to your email marketing campaigns, your social media persona can further engage potential customers and fans and provide a platform to share important business milestones, sales or important information.

 

 

How Do I Get More From Social Media?

Take every opportunity to share your social media accounts. If you send regular email marketing campaigns, incorporate links throughout the copy in a creative fashion and be sure to add links at the bottom of each email.

 

Redesign your website to include placement of social media links in prominent locations. In addition, include your email marketing opt-in boxes and provide a link to your social media profiles in the “Welcome” email.

 

Your business cards can be redesigned to include social media addresses or you can create mini business cards specifically for this purpose. Any promotional items you use, such as coffee mugs or pens, can also prominently display your social media platforms.

 

What Techniques Can I Use to Build My Email List?

There are multiple techniques that work to build an email list. Your website and blog must include an opt-in box on each page. Using well-developed, strong content, such as a whitepaper or “How-to” document, to entice people to share their email address offers a professional appearance and lays the foundation for building trust.

 

Some social media platforms allow you to design pages that have additional content. For example, Facebook provides pages that you can customize for fan accounts. Customize your pages to include a link to your opt-in box for your email list.

 

You should also develop “registration required” content, such as exclusive reports. Once you begin building your list, ensure that you cultivate your social marketing persona. For some additional tips and ideas you can check out the following articles.

 

A Simple 4-Step Plan for Building an Email Autoresponder that Works

 

5 Secrets to Write a Clickable Subject Line for Your Email Letters

 

Four Responsive Email Layouts