Social media is the trend of recent times: almost everyone has at least one social account, which has become a suitable means of communication for companies, too. However, it would be a mistake to consider them the only marketing lever capable of reaching a large target audience, and it would be even more severe to consider the good old email an obsolete and useless tool.
That doesn’t mean social media isn’t necessary, but one thing doesn’t exclude the other. The best strategy is integrating the various online marketing channels and harmonizing the synergies between email and social media.
Social Media Has Many Advantages, But…
Social media involves the user in a direct but, above all, active way since the user himself can easily interact with the brand and at the same time can decide in the blink of an eye that he no longer wants to follow it or that he disagrees with it. The contents posted. Facebook and Twitter, for example, compared to the newsletter, have the advantage of involving the reader more in a two-way interaction: users can comment, insert photos, and receive replies and feedback.
However, it is not as immediate to reach users as it seems. The user must visit your page and read your posts or tweets to interact with you. Furthermore, to obtain visibility and a following of people who read and interact, you need to publish genuinely engaging and captivating content, never banal.
Why Not Ditch Emails?
Despite the undeniable success of social media as a communication channel between companies and customers, marketers worldwide still rely on the good old email as an essential means of communication for their marketing mix. In fact, “dated” does not mean ineffective.
What Are The Strengths Of Email That Make It Still Very Current?
First, the email arrives directly in the recipient’s inbox without requiring effort from the user. Furthermore, the content of emails is customizable, while that published on social media must necessarily be aimed at everyone without distinction. If it is true that most people have a social account, it is even more true that almost everyone has an email address (if it were not also for the fact that to have a social account, you generally need an email address).
Email is then perceived as a more personal means of communication, which certainly conveys a more serious and professional image. Last but not least, customers who receive an email have already entered into a “buyer” perspective, unlike what happens when the same user browses social networks, since the “social” medium leads to entering a mental state of relaxation or fun but not of “business.”
In this regard, therefore, we could talk about LinkedIn. On the other hand, you have to be careful not to undermine the company image, so here, too, not all of your content can be shared, but it is a suitable means to reach other types of customer targets. Everything also depends on your type of business. Still, in most cases, if you want to boost your business, email remains an effective tool to complement your social media activity.
From Email To Social Media And Vice Versa: A Two-Way Integration
More than a competition, here we want to suggest you use both tools and integrate email and social media while differentiating the type of content and sharing methods. The first necessary step to integrating the two tools is inserting the “buttons” of the leading social networks into your newsletter and inviting your users to connect to your social pages and share their content. Once users have landed on social media, we must ensure they stay there and continue following us.
Therefore, Much attention must be paid to developing exciting and engaging content to increase shares among your contacts. It is possible, for example, to offer incentives (for example, a coupon to those who bring a friend) and constantly monitor user feedback without letting their comments be brushed aside to create a closer and more personal relationship with each of them. The same integration can also be done on social media. For example, you could invite your users to subscribe to your newsletter by placing a permanent web form on your Facebook page for subscription, or you could hold a contest in which you will require their email address to participate.
It is clear that to entice your average user, you should offer something in exchange for registration—a coupon, a discount, or a dedicated promotion—so that the user perceives the advantage of registering. Our advice, therefore, is not to abandon one medium in favor of the other but to try to be flexible and use various tools simultaneously. Every person is different, and everyone prefers one communication channel over the others, so explore, use your imagination, and enjoy the results!
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