5 Email Marketing Practices to Use Social Media for Word-of-Mouth Referrals

Does integrating social media into your emails really make a difference? After all, most people read their emails on Gmail or Outlook, not Facebook; so what can change just by bringing traditional email marketing online?

The short answers to those two questions are yes and a lot.

Leveraging social media alongside your email marketing campaign greatly extends your brand’s reach by encouraging email recipients to share a message within their own social networks. And it also allows businesses to do a better job of identifying key influencers.

The following suggestions will only scratch the surface. But in the interest of time, here are five ways to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your next word of mouth (WOM) marketing campaign through the power of emails:

1. Ask Your Email Subscribers to Share with Their Friends

Simply asking people to share your brand can be a surprisingly effective method. Include a brief call to action in your email asking subscribers to follow you on various social networks. It’s a great way to not only loop in new ambassadors who may not have known about your referral program, but also re-engage former ones who may have fallen off the map.

2. Include Social Sharing Widgets in Your Emails

Virtually all of the relevant social networking sites offer widgets that you can integrate within your emails to take readers directly to your chosen landing pages. Your widgets should be noticeable and easy to click on, as this will reduce friction and make it easy for your subscribers to share content.

3. Include Social Commentary in Your Emails

If you have a flattering customer review, an e-book you’d like to promote, or even a helpful blog post, include it in your email and allow readers to retweet or share your message easily. Including your supporters’ messages will help build a stronger community for them to participate in and make them more engaged in your referral marketing program.

4. Promote Email Signups Directly on Your Social Pages

Here’s an easy one: create an integrated form on your social media properties to make it easy for fans to sign up. This goes back to friction: It shouldn’t be difficult for potential leads to subscribe to your emails. Make sure you’re effectively leveraging multiple acquisition channels to make the greatest impact.

5. Provide an Incentive to Share

There’s no better way to re-engage brand ambassadors than simply reminding them of your program and offering new incentives. For example, you can offer new subscribers a special discount in the form of a coupon that only they can see. Or allow them to sign up for your referral program right on the spot. In other words, you want to offer a reward for sharing that will give customers a nudge in the right direction.

Building a community via email is an oft-overlooked component of successful WOM marketing programs. But with such easy wins, there no reason not to integrate email marketing into a broader brand strategy.

Did we miss anything? How are you leveraging email marketing techniques?

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