No matter what business you are, when it comes to interact with customers, these days, you may spend more time on the Internet with them in person. When properly used, your time online with clients and potential clients can work to your advantage. Customers cannot go through your shop every day, but they spend more time online with the proliferation of mobile Internet. The Net has become the best place to earn new customers and retain the 'old' - and two best tactics Internet marketing for each of them, respectively, social media, SEO, and email marketing.
Email marketing provides one way of building a customer base and a means of keeping in touch with current customers. Since email requires no physical materials, it costs less than more tangible marketing campaigns, like flyers and mailers. It also takes less time. You can launch an email initiative yourself, but there are many companies that can help you devise and execute a managed email marketing campaign. New product information, current deals and company news can be sent to a customer’s email inbox within a few seconds, instead of the days it would take for a mailing or for distribution through the newspaper. This works especially well with keeping in contact with repeat customers and pulling them through the (proverbial) door again and again with weekly promotions, sales announcements et cetera.
Social networks offer many of the same benefits as email marketing, and also offer their own means of bringing customers into the fold. With email marketing, you must rely on individuals to sign up for your email list or send cold emails to those who haven’t signed up, which is a huge turn-off for many prospective customers. Social networks offer a subtler introduction to those who may not be familiar with your business. By friending or following those individuals who may be interested in your business, you can let them know you exist without invading their inbox. The viral nature of social media is always a factor, but unless you and a very creative way of selling a product, you shouldn’t expect ultra-sharing to propel your brand into the stratosphere.
Despite their differences, when it comes down to it, both email and social media provide the means of announcing your business to new customers and relaying new information to your customers. Since the sharing of information through these virtual means is instantaneous, customers will never miss a deal or event simply because they didn’t know about it in time.
Though both email and social media marketing stand on their own, they create an even more dynamic marketing campaign when used in conjunction. Email is an ideal place to share extensive news articles or send incentives to long-time customers, while social networks provide a great place to post short bits of information, like sales and spread general incentives to try to bring new customers into the fold. By successfully integrating email with social media, you can create a fully rounded virtual marketing campaign. The key is getting customers involved in both platforms.
- Offer perks for signing up.
Keep in mind that regular communication with your customers helps keep your sales up, so offering incentives, like coupons or special offers, to get customers to sign up for your email list or connect with you on a social network may be worthwhile.
- Let email customers know about your social media presence.
Send an email out to those customers already on your email list asking them to join you on Facebook or Twitter if you haven’t already. Whenever someone new signs up for your email list, send an email thanking the individual and asking him or her to connect with you on Facebook or Twitter.
- Add social media icons to your email signature.
These icons provide an easy click-through that simplifies the process of connecting with you on Twitter or Facebook. Let customers know how following you on Twitter or Facebook benefits them with phrasing such as “Follow us on Twitter to find out about weekly deals and new products.”
- Let social media customers know about your email list.
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