by Jerrik Neri Social media still represents a sort of “shiny new toy” for marketers today. While platforms such as Facebook, Twit...
by Jerrik Neri
Social media still represents a sort of “shiny new toy” for marketers today.
While platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest have become hugely important to the success of many SMBs, they aren’t the be-all, end-all of your marketing strategy. Many business owners make the mistake of putting way too much time into social and end up squandering their marketing efforts as a result.
Here’s a not-so-secret secret: there’s a better, more cost-efficient and time-sensitive way to grow your business organically. The best way to turn fans, followers and subscribers into customers that actually spend money?
Yeah, you guessed it. Email marketing. Plain and simple.
Don’t get us wrong, though! Businesses shouldn’t have to choose between social media and email. After all, social media certainly has its place when it comes to marketing your business and we’re obviously avid social users ourselves. In fact, we encourage you to follow us on Facebook and check out what we’ve been up to lately on YouTube!
But let’s take a step back and break down just why email is so valuable to business owners today.
Let that sink in for a second.
Not every single one of your prospects has a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram presence. On the flip side, an email address is the gateway to getting just about anything done online.
As a business, the energy spent targeting every single social network could be better spent gathering email addresses and finding ways to get your message heard. Your leads and prospects are already out there, ready to join your list. By finding ways to attract subscribers, you can build your list in no time.
For example, something as simple as an opt-in form on your homepage like this one for our free ebook can keep readers engaged with your content on a regular basis versus being missed on social:
Now, there’s no denying that you still have to fight for your readers’ attention. After all, people receive a lot of email on any given day. While some might see a few dozen messages pop in their inboxes on a daily basis, others are getting bombarded with hundreds of emails.
Bad news, huh? Not necessarily.
Keep in mind that the average person spends approximately 30 hours per week checking their inboxes. That’s a lot of time to potentially interact with your messages, isn’t it? Compared to your readers spending time sifting through tweets and random cat videos on Facebook, the odds are actually in your favor for your messages to get read.
That’s why regular email newsletters are so vital to making sure your most important content never goes unseen. Check out this example from our own newsletter which includes the latest news from our blog and a recap of previous posts:
Think
about it like this: the amount of social posts your prospects see on
any given day is endless. On the other hand, emails land in your
readers’ inboxes and stay there. It’s easy for your prospects
to skim over your latest blog post, white paper or product launch on
Twitter or Facebook. Through email, they can’t miss it.
What gives?
Simply put, social algorithms are quite fickle in terms of what your audience and followers actually see. This is especially true on Facebook which has become more of a “pay to play” game in recent years. In fact, organic reach for business Facebook posts could be as low as 2% in some cases. Your reach on Twitter likewise might be low just because the platform moves so quickly and few users check their feeds more than once per day.
In other words, a lot of that time spent on social could result in few reactions despite your hard work. Unless you’re willing to run Facebook lead ads to encourage email subscribers, the ideal way for your fans to engage with your content is via email as opt-in’s never miss your messages.
With email, the task of getting your emails read is simple and straightforward. You have a list that’s ready for your content: all you have to do is make sure it reaches them successfully.
The emails we sent here at Sendlane are crisp, clean and primed for delivery. Shouldn’t your messages be, too?
The keys to optimizing your emails for deliverability are well-documented. For example, you can guarantee that your messages reach your list by…
Marketers can get the best of both worlds by promoting via social and email so no piece of content goes unnoticed.
The biggest benefit of social media is that it is indeed truly free. It’s possible to gain thousands of fans and followers without spending a dime, but doing so requires a serious time commitment. Of course it makes sense to take advantage of free avenues to promote your business. However, email is the one place where marketers should be willing to splash some cash.
Email marketing is noted for its sky-high ROI. Whether you believe the 122% ROI or the oft-cited $40 for $1 spent on email, the numbers supporting email are absolutely staggering from a financial perspective.
What makes email so cost-effective, though? Consider the following three factors in favor of email messages, including…
A low monthly cost for an email automation subscription will most definitely stretch further than a pricey ad campaign.
For example, at Sendlane we offer plans starting as little as $9 per month for those just starting out. While you’re not going to get very far on $9 of Facebook ad spend, you can reach and sell to your small list again and again without limits.
The ability to save big via email is all the more reason why you shouldn’t sleep on building your list today. While a large social following is great, a list of opt-ins represent one of the most important assets of any business.
Now, that’s not to say your social fans and followers aren’t valuable in their own right. After all, through Facebook or Twitter, followers have the ability to get in touch with your business in real-time. This sort of connectivity and communication is one of the strengths that social indeed does have over email.
But while there are certainly businesses with legitimate followers out there, email subscribers are a totally different story in terms of value. If someone takes the time to subscribe to your email list, they’ve effectively told you three things:
These
three trust signals alone should clue us in on just how worthwhile
email subscribers are. “Likes” and shares on social media are nice! But…
they aren’t always the best indicators for who’s willing to purchase
your products or services. On the flip side, anyone who opts-in to your
list is willing to stick around for the long haul and are your more
likely candidates for future customers down the line.
Followers. Reach. Mentions. Engagement. Oh, and that’s for each platform you’re using.
Social media can teach you a ton about your audience. But with so many moving pieces, it’s often difficult to figure out which pieces of content are performing best and how to scale them. Also, tracking metrics becomes a total nightmare as you’re scrambling from platform to platform.
With email marketing, it’s crystal clear what’s working and what isn’t in terms of your marketing messages. For example, Sendlane’s analytics reporting spells out quickly how well your emails are performing based on the numbers.
Thanks to these black-and-white numbers, there’s little second-guessing in terms of your email’s performance.
And while there are plenty of metrics to consider and optimize, there are core elements to keep a close eye on which are totally easy to understand. Those four metrics are…
Open rate: the percentage of people who opened your message
Click rate: the percentage of people who actually clicked a link within your message
Unsubscribe rate: the percentage of people who opted out of your email list after a message
Deliverability rate: the percentage of your emails which were actually received by your list
As you can see, these particular metrics are pretty self-explanatory. Understand at a glance what needs fine-tuning versus trying to sort through a laundry list of metrics and data points on Facebook.
Quite the opposite, actually.
There are numerous ways in which social media and email marketing go hand in hand. For example…
In
short, you don’t have think of email marketing and social media as a
strict matter of “either/or.” They can certainly compliment each other!
When it comes to attracting qualified leads and building your subscriber
base, email is the undisputed top dog.
While you certainly shouldn’t discount social media altogether, there’s nothing like an engaged email list to build your business for the long term. With email marketing, you have more control over what you’re sending out, who sees and when they see it.
And the more control you have over your business, the better. Right?
We at Sendlane believe in putting our users in the driver’s seat when it comes to growing their businesses. With our email automation solution, you can start building your list sooner rather than later regardless of what you’re looking to say or sell. If you haven’t already, experience the power of email marketing firsthand with Sendlane by giving our platform a free spin today!
Source
Social media still represents a sort of “shiny new toy” for marketers today.
While platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest have become hugely important to the success of many SMBs, they aren’t the be-all, end-all of your marketing strategy. Many business owners make the mistake of putting way too much time into social and end up squandering their marketing efforts as a result.
Here’s a not-so-secret secret: there’s a better, more cost-efficient and time-sensitive way to grow your business organically. The best way to turn fans, followers and subscribers into customers that actually spend money?
Yeah, you guessed it. Email marketing. Plain and simple.
Don’t get us wrong, though! Businesses shouldn’t have to choose between social media and email. After all, social media certainly has its place when it comes to marketing your business and we’re obviously avid social users ourselves. In fact, we encourage you to follow us on Facebook and check out what we’ve been up to lately on YouTube!
But let’s take a step back and break down just why email is so valuable to business owners today.
With Email, There’s Less Competition For Your Audience’s Attention
Here’s some food for thought: you cannot have a social media profile without an email address.Let that sink in for a second.
Not every single one of your prospects has a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram presence. On the flip side, an email address is the gateway to getting just about anything done online.
As a business, the energy spent targeting every single social network could be better spent gathering email addresses and finding ways to get your message heard. Your leads and prospects are already out there, ready to join your list. By finding ways to attract subscribers, you can build your list in no time.
For example, something as simple as an opt-in form on your homepage like this one for our free ebook can keep readers engaged with your content on a regular basis versus being missed on social:
Now, there’s no denying that you still have to fight for your readers’ attention. After all, people receive a lot of email on any given day. While some might see a few dozen messages pop in their inboxes on a daily basis, others are getting bombarded with hundreds of emails.
Bad news, huh? Not necessarily.
Keep in mind that the average person spends approximately 30 hours per week checking their inboxes. That’s a lot of time to potentially interact with your messages, isn’t it? Compared to your readers spending time sifting through tweets and random cat videos on Facebook, the odds are actually in your favor for your messages to get read.
That’s why regular email newsletters are so vital to making sure your most important content never goes unseen. Check out this example from our own newsletter which includes the latest news from our blog and a recap of previous posts:
Think
about it like this: the amount of social posts your prospects see on
any given day is endless. On the other hand, emails land in your
readers’ inboxes and stay there. It’s easy for your prospects
to skim over your latest blog post, white paper or product launch on
Twitter or Facebook. Through email, they can’t miss it.Social Algorithms Are Fickle (Email? Not So Much)
If you’ve spent much time trying to promote your business via Facebook or Twitter, you’ve probably run into a similar dilemma. That is, you have killer content and fans to eat it up, but nobody seems to be engaging with your posts.What gives?
Simply put, social algorithms are quite fickle in terms of what your audience and followers actually see. This is especially true on Facebook which has become more of a “pay to play” game in recent years. In fact, organic reach for business Facebook posts could be as low as 2% in some cases. Your reach on Twitter likewise might be low just because the platform moves so quickly and few users check their feeds more than once per day.
In other words, a lot of that time spent on social could result in few reactions despite your hard work. Unless you’re willing to run Facebook lead ads to encourage email subscribers, the ideal way for your fans to engage with your content is via email as opt-in’s never miss your messages.
With email, the task of getting your emails read is simple and straightforward. You have a list that’s ready for your content: all you have to do is make sure it reaches them successfully.
The emails we sent here at Sendlane are crisp, clean and primed for delivery. Shouldn’t your messages be, too?
The keys to optimizing your emails for deliverability are well-documented. For example, you can guarantee that your messages reach your list by…- Avoiding spam triggers such as aggressive sales language or tons of images
- Using a legitimate email automation solution like Sendlane versus a personal email address
- Crafting engaging emails in terms of your subject line to entice readers to click-through
>
Marketers can get the best of both worlds by promoting via social and email so no piece of content goes unnoticed.
Email Marketing is Way More Cost-Effective Than Social Ads
It doesn’t matter how big or small your business might be: the more money you can keep in your pocket, the better.The biggest benefit of social media is that it is indeed truly free. It’s possible to gain thousands of fans and followers without spending a dime, but doing so requires a serious time commitment. Of course it makes sense to take advantage of free avenues to promote your business. However, email is the one place where marketers should be willing to splash some cash.
Email marketing is noted for its sky-high ROI. Whether you believe the 122% ROI or the oft-cited $40 for $1 spent on email, the numbers supporting email are absolutely staggering from a financial perspective.
What makes email so cost-effective, though? Consider the following three factors in favor of email messages, including…
- Sending emails costs next to nothing, especially if you’re dealing with a smaller list
- You have the unique ability to optimize the timing and tone of your messages
- The ability to segment your list and send out personalized messages
to specific audience members versus hoping that a one-size-fits-all all
ad sticks
>
A low monthly cost for an email automation subscription will most definitely stretch further than a pricey ad campaign.
For example, at Sendlane we offer plans starting as little as $9 per month for those just starting out. While you’re not going to get very far on $9 of Facebook ad spend, you can reach and sell to your small list again and again without limits.
The ability to save big via email is all the more reason why you shouldn’t sleep on building your list today. While a large social following is great, a list of opt-ins represent one of the most important assets of any business.
Email Opt-ins Are Your Best Prospects
How long does it take to follow someone on Twitter or “like” a Facebook page? Half-a-second? In other words, not much of a commitment, right?Now, that’s not to say your social fans and followers aren’t valuable in their own right. After all, through Facebook or Twitter, followers have the ability to get in touch with your business in real-time. This sort of connectivity and communication is one of the strengths that social indeed does have over email.
But while there are certainly businesses with legitimate followers out there, email subscribers are a totally different story in terms of value. If someone takes the time to subscribe to your email list, they’ve effectively told you three things:
- They trust you enough to provide them with their personal information
- They’re legitimately interested in hearing from you and want to learn more about your business
- They’re willing to interact with your brand in the future
>
These
three trust signals alone should clue us in on just how worthwhile
email subscribers are. “Likes” and shares on social media are nice! But…
they aren’t always the best indicators for who’s willing to purchase
your products or services. On the flip side, anyone who opts-in to your
list is willing to stick around for the long haul and are your more
likely candidates for future customers down the line.Email Analytics Are Easier to Track
Keeping track of your analytics via social media can be a hassle.Followers. Reach. Mentions. Engagement. Oh, and that’s for each platform you’re using.
Social media can teach you a ton about your audience. But with so many moving pieces, it’s often difficult to figure out which pieces of content are performing best and how to scale them. Also, tracking metrics becomes a total nightmare as you’re scrambling from platform to platform.
With email marketing, it’s crystal clear what’s working and what isn’t in terms of your marketing messages. For example, Sendlane’s analytics reporting spells out quickly how well your emails are performing based on the numbers.
Thanks to these black-and-white numbers, there’s little second-guessing in terms of your email’s performance.And while there are plenty of metrics to consider and optimize, there are core elements to keep a close eye on which are totally easy to understand. Those four metrics are…
Open rate: the percentage of people who opened your message
Click rate: the percentage of people who actually clicked a link within your message
Unsubscribe rate: the percentage of people who opted out of your email list after a message
Deliverability rate: the percentage of your emails which were actually received by your list
As you can see, these particular metrics are pretty self-explanatory. Understand at a glance what needs fine-tuning versus trying to sort through a laundry list of metrics and data points on Facebook.
The Key to Finding a Balance Between Email and Social Media
Again, we’re not telling you to totally forget about social media entirely.Quite the opposite, actually.
There are numerous ways in which social media and email marketing go hand in hand. For example…
- Encouraging your social followers to opt-in to your email list
- Include social buttons within your email signatures
- Upload your email list as a Custom Audience on Facebook
>
In
short, you don’t have think of email marketing and social media as a
strict matter of “either/or.” They can certainly compliment each other!
When it comes to attracting qualified leads and building your subscriber
base, email is the undisputed top dog.Why Email Marketing Still Reigns Supreme
There’s a lot of hype surrounding the ever-changing world of social media. That said, email marketing still reigns supreme when it comes to getting closer to your customers and selling to them time and time again.While you certainly shouldn’t discount social media altogether, there’s nothing like an engaged email list to build your business for the long term. With email marketing, you have more control over what you’re sending out, who sees and when they see it.
And the more control you have over your business, the better. Right?
We at Sendlane believe in putting our users in the driver’s seat when it comes to growing their businesses. With our email automation solution, you can start building your list sooner rather than later regardless of what you’re looking to say or sell. If you haven’t already, experience the power of email marketing firsthand with Sendlane by giving our platform a free spin today!
Source
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