 What place does the e-mail newsletter have in today's social networking strategy? Why e-mail when you can tweet, provide a status update, or post instant video?
According to Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Contact, "Ultimately, e-mail goes hand in hand with social media marketing. Each plays a specific role, and the magic happens when they are used together. E-mail is effective for two simple reasons: it ensures that your message gets 'heard' and it keeps you top of mind. Social media has a lot of benefits but we know that only a small percentage of social media posts will be seen by customers. Facebook estimates that a post on a business page will be seen by only 16% of fans. E-mail gets delivered; we at least glance at every e-mail that comes in."
Your business can use e-mail to create client and prospect engagement by providing content that is interesting, educational, fun, and share-worthy. The content doesn't always have to be about your business. In fact, some of the most shared content is often not about your business. If you already have a good following on Facebook or Twitter and you have a solid e-mail list, you could see results from e-mail campaigns almost immediately. If you still need to build your fan base, it might take a bit longer.
Using an e-mail marketing service for newsletters is a best practice. Constant Contact is one of these services; it allows you to create e-mail campaigns and track results. Additionally, you will be able to gage the effectiveness of your campaign because the tool provides measurable data points:
- Percentage of e-mail opens, and who readers are
- Links generating the most click-thrus
- Which e-mails drive the most traffic to your site, and generate the most sales
- Number of Facebook fan Likes and Shares; Tweets about your e-mails
- Social Stats of LinkedIn posts about your campaigns
- How many people forward your e-mails to friends
- Monthly list growth by source--website traffic, forwarded e-mails, etc.
- Who unsubscribes from your e-mail list, and why
- Which e-mail addresses bounced, and why
If the thought of identifying content, writing copy, building templates, and measuring the effectiveness of an e-mail campaign seems overwhelming, there's a solution. Ideal Lifestyle Concierge uses Constant Contact to network through e-mail. We also help our clients maximize the system. Call us at 305-371-0077 or e-mail customerservice@ideallifestyleconcierge.com. We can help you start using e-mail to connect with clients and prospects today.
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