Combining social with email – a summary of Hubspot’s report

Old fashioned, one-way and downright obsolete. If this is how you perceive email in the social age, it’s time to think again. Yes: social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter have opened up exciting new avenues of rich dialogue and engagement, but they have also made old-faithful email an even more powerful marketing tool than ever. Hubspot has just released a Definitive Guide to Integrating Social Media and Email Marketing, and here are the 5 key takeaways for you:

Know exactly where your audience is

Social media is a huge category, extending beyond the ‘big three’ (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) to encompass smaller niche sites like Digg and sector-specific networks. To determine which networks are the right fit for your brand, and where to therefore focus your social marketing efforts, dive into your web analytics data.

In general though, Facebook has been proven to be the most effective site for B2C marketers, and LinkedIn most effective for B2B marketers. Remember, your email opt-ins may not be the same folk who engage with you on social media – why not run simple surveys of your social media fans and email subscribers to determine how your audience overlaps?

Use social channels to grow your email list

Email subscribers are marketing gold. They’ve already opted in for your most targeted and effective messaging. So, see your first task in integrating social and email as converting as many social fans and followers into email subscribers.

On Facebook, try the underused method of adding an email opt-in widget to your page. You can incentivise people with coupons or free content downloads if they’re slow to bite. Take footwear brand Crocs’ method of offering fans a 20%-off welcome coupon for signing up to email – now, 12% of their weekly email subscribers come from Facebook.

Over on Twitter, tweet occasional requests for followers to sign up to emails (adding a shortened URL direct to your email sign-up page to make it easy). Add tempting benefits of joining your email list such as breaking sector news, exclusive content and offers.

At LinkedIn, zone in on Groups, either by creating your own or joining others. Then share useful content like articles from recent e-newsletters to encourage sign-ups.

Use email to grow your social followers and reach

Think of email subscribers as potential ambassadors for your brand who will spread your content in the social space. Most email service providers now offer simple social sharing widgets to connect people directly from your email messages to your social networks.

Remember to add social sharing buttons (such as “Tweet this”, Facebook “Like” and LinkedIn’s “Share This”) to each article or link in your email messages to encourage subscribers to share that content easily through their personal networks.

You can then feature the best discussions from Facebook and LinkedIn in future email newsletters.

Use the right content for each channel

You want to get people sharing your content, but the reasons people share vary across different channels, even between social networks. Tailor to email subscribers based on their past activity and email preference settings. Think relevant promotions and special offers. Facebook fans also welcome discounts and promotions, but are keen to show support for their chosen brands, and keep up to date on company news and products. Create entertaining, fun and varied content to drive Likes and other interaction.

Again, deals and special offers appeal to Twitter followers, but avoid stuffing your Twitter feed with deals. Remember that some Twitter users are influencers, bloggers and online reviewers, so feed them great content to sink their teeth into.

LinkedIn users use the service primarily to network with industry peers and discuss serious business issues – this is no place for sales offers. Adopt a lead generation approach, starting relevant discussions on industry issues and sharing your best content with the appropriate people.

Tie it all together

Finally, once you’ve harnessed email to extend your social reach, and social media to boost your email list, combine the channels to maximise integrated campaigns. For example, use Facebook updates, tweets and LinkedIn updates to promote upcoming events and product launches – and save email for a final blast to give your subscribers some breathing space. Alternatively, use social media to extend the life of an email campaign by sharing links to the message, inviting further discussion on Facebook or LinkedIn.

You can also share top stories from your regular email newsletter (based on clicks) with your social media followers – they’re bound to find something that whets their appetite and get them to click though, or even subscribe.

Once your email/social media integration strategy is up and running, fine tune your efforts by tracking key metrics such as clickthrough rates on social sharing buttons in your emails, or increases in fans and followers after running “follow us” buttons in your email template.

To download Hubspot’s Definitive Guide to Integrating Social Media and Email as an ebook, visit

http://www.hubspot.com/the-definitive-guide-to-integrating-social-media-and-email/