While it’s not necessarily breaking news, there’s still quite a few brands that aren’t on to the powerful connection between social media and email marketing. As for those who are “in the know” regarding this veritable match made in heaven, there’s plenty among this group that can’t see beyond the wide reach of Facebook and the SEO benefits of Google+. While there’s no denying the merits of these two major platforms, this oversight does present a strong opportunity for brands like your own to leverage the unused potential of Twitter. To find out just how your brand can start boosting conversions and contact list numbers 140 characters at a time, here’s a few tips to help build a better bond between your email marketing operations and Twitter presence.
Collecting Handles and Follows
One of the oldest tricks in the book for brands looking to build a bigger social presence comes in the form of slipping in quick connection requests at opportune times. With this in mind, why not try to connect with a simple request in the inbox or on the checkout screen after landing a conversion thanks to your creative email content? Twitter lays claim to over 284 million active users, so even if you only harvest a small percentage of followers for your email marketing operation, or the handles of prominent customers for later tweets and outreach, the potential for visibility among previously undiscovered audiences is through the roof.
Become a Major Player in the Right Hashtag Discussions
Of course, simply asking inbox viewers to follow your brand or identify themselves on the network for your marketing team only goes so far. To really spread the word about your email marketing operations, or any other related digital marketing content for that matter, you need to have your tweets seen in the right place, at the right time, and by the right people.So how does a brand do this? The answer revolves around finding the right hashtag conversations. For instance, the constantly flowing discussion within #emailmarketing matters quite a bit to us, just as a brand in the home improvement industry naturally will gravitate toward #diy and #interiordesign. The big point here is that finding specific, narrow conversations and inserting your brand directly into the middle of these relevant discussions goes a long way.
Make the Most out of Retweetable “Snippets”
One of the best ways to accomplish this goal once you’ve honed in on the right hashtags is by making certain portions of your email content retweetable with a simple click by the viewer. As DJ Waldow of Social Media Examiner explains, highlighting the best “snippets” of your content goes beyond the basic plea of “retweet this!” and gives your inbox audience a great reason to promote your brand presence on Twitter to their followers. Incorporating tweets and quotes from industry thought leaders also fits into this tactic exceptionally well.If you’re struggling to drum up some interest on this front, Waldow goes on to point out that incentivizing the process is not only fair game, put a pretty smart tactic as well. Whether it’s providing an additional entry into a related email or SMS sweepstakes, or simply unlocking some gated content in return for this action, giving your audience a reason to retweet the best parts of your marketed messages can go a long way toward getting this highly valuable content in front of the eyes of potential new members of your contact list and future customers alike.
Have Some Fun with Your Tweets
Above all else, don’t forget what makes Twitter so popular – it stands as one of the most fun and informative places on the Internet. Whether it’s sharing funny cat pictures or a link to the latest great industry white paper, people simply can’t get enough of these brief glimpses into the lives of others. In short, the average Twitter experience touches on quite a few emotions and subjects, so if you want to best leverage this platform to gain more traction for your email content and increase conversions, you can’t afford to approach this process from just one angle of attack.To avoid disenfranchising your following – and ruining potential gains for your email marketing operations – don’t be afraid to mix in some lighthearted or engaging content. People aren’t always looking for sales-oriented content, so aim for a healthy blend of branded selections and curated content that’s both informative and enjoyable. By doing this, you’ll key in on the best of both worlds and keep users, both longstanding and new to the fold, coming back for more.