Email is increasing used to create a dialogue between brands, their customers and prospects. Yet claims that email enables a symmetrical dialogue are somewhat premature: even the best-planned and executed email campaign resulted in a somewhat one-sided conversation, with brands communicating with subscribers but rarely the other way around.
Two very different brands, M&S and Greenpeace, are integrating social media with their email campaigns and encouraging subscribers to take part in a conversation on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Email channel is enabling a symmetrical dialogue between brands and their customers/donors, giving the latter the opportunity to share their opinions and post their own content, comments and questions on brands' social media sites.
Of course, the nature of customer feedback isn't always going to be positive, but any criticism is far outweighed by the increased customer engagement, activity and brand loyalty from subscribers who finally feel that their opinions are valued by brands.
So whether they personally love it or loathe it, email marketers need to exploit social media. The good news is that by following some simple rules, any marketer can ape M&S's successful social media strategy.
The M&S and Greenpeace guide to blending email and social media
1. The first rule for getting subscribers involved in a conversation is: if you don't ask, you don't get. Brands can't expect their customers to seek them out online if they don't give them a reason to do so. That's why M&S puts a prominent Facebook graphic at the top of its weekly marketing email, along with the call-to-action asking subscribers to "Find us on Facebook, we'd love to hear from you."
The message footer also includes Facebook and Twitter icons, so subscribers only need to make a couple of clicks to become fans or followers.
2. It's also important to remember that social media goes far beyond Twitter and Facebook. Greenpeace makes excellent use of a wide variety of social media, with a special footer in their email messages directing subscribers to "More Greenpeace goodness on the web".
This feature links to the charity's pages on the ubiquitous Facebook, MySpace and Twitter sites, but also to its own YouTube channel, its pages on photo-sharing site Flickr and social bookmarking service del.icio.us. There's also a footer which promotes a subscription to their podcast and a feedback section where subscribers can submit comments and questions relating to the e-newsletter and website.
3. The key to really great subscriber engagement is to make them active participants in a conversation, rather than just passive followers or fans. That's why not-for-profit organisation RSPB includes user-generated content in the "Readers' Tips and Tales" section of its monthly newsletter, where readers can submit their own ornithological observations. The newsletter also encourages subscribers to submit a "tip, tale or other comment", along with a promise to include favourite comments in the next edition.
It's fashionable in some circles to talk about the death of email as a marketing channel, in part as a result of the rise in social networking. The irony is that social media is fundamentally reliant on email. Brands can spend significant time and money creating a great social media presence, but if they blithely believe that this alone will make people come visit their pages and take part, they will be sorely mistaken.
Email marketers need to incorporate social media elements into their emails, and actively invite subscribers to be part of the conversation on these sites. Just as importantly, brands need to look at the content and feedback that's generated by subscribers, and use the email channel to share these contributions with other subscribers.
This will enable savvy marketers to turn email into a true two-way conversation with subscribers; one which will boost engagement, strengthen customer relationships and increase brand loyalty.
Margaret Farmakis is senior director, strategic services at Return Path
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