We know this to be true: Everyone’s inbox is exploding! Daily messages come from email, Facebook, Google+, texts, Youtube, Pinterest, Linkedin and more, more, more.
Facebook gets a ton of attention, but when you go beyond the hype and the hoodie you find that, for publishers, it is remarkably similar to an old communication standby……..the email.
Digital marketing adviser and author Jay Baer was our keynote speaker recently at the Niche Digital Conference in Nashville. He shared with us a few of his insights so we can gain some clarity on how to use, and combine, these two marketing platforms.
First, consider these stats:
- Email: 58% of adults in US check their email first thing in the morning.
- Email: 77% prefer email for promotional messages vs direct mail, Facebook or text messages.
- FB: Only 44% of corporate social marketers look at Facebook as a way to get customers.
- FB: 84% of the fans of company Facebook pages are either current or former customers.
Really, email and Facebook are more alike than different. Treating them as two sides of the same coin will improve your results in both.
Evaluate your email and Facebook campaigns. Are they strategically, operationally and tactically aligned? How do you attract those new customers?
The keys to integration:
Operations & Measurements: Decide what metrics you are going to use for each that will show you what you need to know. For example: Email open rate is a good comparison to Facebook reach. Email subscribers=Facebook “likes.”
List Growth and Segmenting: You must maximize the connections points to increase the chance a prospective reader will see your message. Make sure you have plenty of email “opt-ins” on your FB tabs. Use your database to customize your audiences and re-target messages.
Messaging and Content: It is essential to integrate them. Make sure your editorial calendar is completely in sync, too. Your email followers and your Facebook fans should be the same people.
Not quite there yet? You and your team can come up with a list of ways to integrate email and Facebook, like mining Fb’s social chatter for email topics, using Fb’s fan posts in emails, etc.
Remember, Friends=Results!
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About this blogger: Diana Landau is Content Wrangler of Niche Media. A former corporate marketing hack, she has now found nirvana in writing and wrangling quality content. Diana is a food, wine, art and SF Giants enthusiast who sometimes gets carried away.
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