In terms of raw power and the ability to connect with your targeted audience, few things even come close to deserving mention in the same sentence as email marketing, let alone having the potential to stand as its equal. However, there is one thing that takes an inbox initiative to the next level by adding an astounding amount of reach and power to the equation – social media. The only problem is that plenty of brands that try to combine the two fall woefully short, thanks to mishaps and implementation mistakes. To make sure your brand never ends up in this less than illustrious company, let’s spend a few minutes going over the five social media mistakes that have no place in your campaign as you attempt to take your marketing efforts to the next level.
Misunderstanding the Relationship Between Social Media and Email Marketing
The first mistake on the list also happens to address the social media and email marketing connection from a distinctly big picture perspective. As Shea Bennett of the All Twitter resource explains, too many brands fail to see inbox connections and the social networking landscape as it rightfully stands – two sides of the same coin. Because both methods of outreach work so well together, thinking of the two as separate or disjointed parts is not only incorrect, but can lead to inefficiencies in your content development. By basing your strategy around the notion that email marketing and social media work hand-in-hand through each phase of connecting with customers, you can approach your upcoming campaigns with a mindset that promotes interactive and interconnected offerings.
Offering up a Drastically Different Social Page
In terms of the design of your social pages – from Twitter to Facebook and Google+ – Lisa Cannon of Business 2 Community notes that presenting a profile that drastically differs from the themes and design of your current brands website creates a jarring and disjointed experience that can turn your audience off in a hurry. Instead of operating these branches of your digital outreach as separate entities, consider taking a more streamlined approach that promotes continuity across all fronts. This way, your email content, social profiles, and official website all stand as a unified and professional representation of your brand.
Lacking Extra Content on Your Social Profiles
Another major mistake that can sink your social media operations highlighted by Cannon focuses on the lack of non-sales oriented content on profiles and accounts. While there’s nothing overtly wrong with sharing the same discounts and deals that end up in the inbox of your followers on these platforms, only offering this kind of content is a quick way to lose the attention of social viewers. Repurposing and sharing content from your site, as well as relevant offerings from around the web, helps differentiate your brand as a thought leader, which in turn completes the powerful one-two punch of valuable marketing offers and entertaining content.
Spreading Your Brand’s Presence Too Thin
When it comes to deciding on which networks best compliment your email marketing campaign, your answer should focus on quality and not quantity. As Bob Hutchins of Social Media Today explains in his look at properly utilizing these networks in a supporting role, spreading yourself too thin and trying to use every platform available is a bad idea. If you’re able to properly monitor, post, and interact on a multitude of social media sites, you’re much better off honing in on a smaller selection and maximizing your impact with the target audience this way. You can always spread to new platforms later if you’re comfortable with the position your brand holds on the original selections.
Failing to Respond to, and Acknowledge, Feedback
Of course, the whole reason social media even matters in today’s world is because it offers people and brands a way to constantly interact in a meaningful and enjoyable manner. If you’re not embodying this mentality, there’s no reason to log into Facebook, Twitter, or any other platform.While posting discounts and updates about brand products and services is a nice place to start, if you really want to see your organization flourish, and your email contact list numbers start trending upward, don’t be afraid to mix things up a bit with your followers. Whether it’s answering questions or responding to comments and suggestions, showing that your company is interactive and can offer more than just the standard sales pitch goes a long way toward tapping into the power of social media. With this ideal guiding the way, and the rest of these potential mistakes in your rearview mirror, there’s nothing stopping your brand from enjoying a healthy and vibrant social media and email marketing campaign.
