Killer integration of Facebook and Email
I won’t write out the entire presentation for you in blog post form – that’s what Slideshare is for – but here are the high points of this presentation on Killer Integration of Facebook and Email Marketing, where I offer 17 specific ways to tie these two important programs together.
2 Sides of the Same Coin
The notion that Facebook is a tool to create new customers is massively flawed. Research from DDB shows that 84% of fans of company Facebook pages are current customers. Of course they are. Think about how you use Facebook. You don’t randomly surf around, clicking the “Like” button for companies of which you’ve never, ever heard. Why would you want their info in your news feed?
Consequently, Facebook is primarily a tool for keeping your brand top-of-mind among customers who have given you permission to do so. Through this messaging, you hope to solicit repeat business and customer advocacy. And email marketing sets out to do the exact same thing.
Thus, the people in charge of Facebook and the people in charge of email marketing in your company should be the SAME PEOPLE.
3 Types of Integration
There are three main areas where Facebook and email marketing can and should be integrated:
- Strategic Integration
- Channel and Audience Integration
- Message Integration
Strategic Integration of Facebook and Email Marketing
There are several areas of overlap here, but perhaps the most illustrative is the fact that the metrics used to measure both tactics are mathematically quite similar, even if we call them different names:
- Email subscribes = Facebook “Likes”
- Email unsubscribes = Facebook “UnLikes”
- Email opens = Facebook impressions
- Email clicks = Facebook feedback
- Email forwards = Facebook shares
You can even derive the value of your overall Facebook marketing effort by examining it through the prism of your existing email marketing investment. I wrote a post about this new way to calculate what Facebook is worth to your business a while ago. It includes a link to a free Facebook valuation worksheet.
Channel and Audience Integration of Facebook and Email Marketing
The goal is not to get an email opt-in or a Facebook “Like”. The goal is to get both. Consequently, whenever you are asking for you, you should be asking for the other, as well.
- Email thank you messages.
- Email unsubscribe preference centers.
- Facebook landing tabs.
- Social log-ins using software like JanRain.
Message Integration of Facebook and Email Marketing
Tons of options here for using (and re-using) your Facebook and email content.
- Use email subject line testing to optimize Facebook ad headlines. And vice-versa.
- Test image effectiveness via email, incorporate into status updates or Facebook ads. And vice-versa.
- Just like Sponsored Stories, incorporate fan expressions of advocacy into your email content.
- Incorporate most popular email content into status updates. And vice-versa.
- Tease upcoming emails via status update.
Do Not Eat This Entire Sandwich
The presentation has 17 ways to tie Facebook and email together. Do not try to tackle all of those at once. Pick the two to four that make the most sense for your company, and try them. Them, add two more. And two more. Until you’ve integrated your programs in many ways. Remember, however, that your Facebook and email marketing will NEVER be optimally integrated if different groups (or even different agencies) are handling them.
You know how you can tell social media is a truly big deal? It’s become too important to stand on its own.
This is a presentation I originally put together for the Facebook Success Summit. Many thanks to two geniuses and good guys Christopher S. Penn and Chad White for their help and inspiration.