What Social Media Can Learn From Email Marketing

February 25, 2009: from MediaPost Communications -- Provide Psst. Hey, marketer! Trying to figure out your social media strategy before the boss asks again? I gotta few tips for you. Many social media challenges can benefit from hard won lessons we've learned through email marketing.1. It's not free. There are plenty of free social media tools out there. You can certainly set up a MySpace brand page or LinkedIn profile for free. However, no social media program will succeed without time, resources and expertise.

2. Being present is not enough. Put up a corporate-speak Facebook page and see who comes. Not so many, right? But a Facebook page that has a cause or purpose is interesting because it's meaningful and engaging. At the same time, tell no one about your page and it's all but invisible.

3. Be authentic. This is a universal marketing truth, but worth mentioning because too many email and social programs lack it. Our customers know when they are being sold. Relevance, honesty, believability, integrity: these are the only things that create value and drive predictable response.

4. Integrate, don't imitate. Replicating your website on Facebook does not a compelling and engaging destination make. Posting your email offers on Twitter will quickly tire followers. Selling product may not be the best objective of your social strategy. Perhaps your blog is about education and driving inquiries. Your MySpace brand community may be about reach for video ads. Twitter may be a great customer service outreach tool.

5. Endorsements matter. Social media pulls the marketer off the brand pedestal and drags her into the throes of the messy, wild, unpredictable community. In this equality, social media empowers brand advocates.

6. Measure well. All investments in social media must be linked to a business goal.

7. Have something to say. This is perhaps most important. Don't start talking until you have something valuable to say. Make the commitment and stick to it. Fund it. Be ready to maintain it. Conversation takes two people who do both listening and talking. This is the essential truth of our social Web 2.0 world: Marketers don't own the conversation. Give your subscribers and community members what they want -- engaging, interesting, relevant content and offers that are worth reading and talking about -- and they will give you what you want: sales and loyalty.

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