#SocialPlus Email: An Interview With the Rebel of Email Marketing

#SocialPlus Posted by Glen Kosaka 34 Comments

So, you’re social following is growing—now what do you do with all these new fans?

(Spoiler alert:  we’re gonna tell you what!)

An engaged social following is only worth what you make of it . . . so… do something with it! With that in mind, we want to share one of the quickest and most seamless ways to turn followers into customers: email marketing.

We had the distinct honor of interviewing email-marketing guru DJ Waldow, author of “The Rebel’s Guide to Email Marketing” (available here on Amazon, but don’t go there quite yet — you’ll have an opportunity to win a free copy at the end of this article).

GLEN:  So, DJ Waldow, we want to build up our email marketing program—how can we do that using social media?

DJ WALDOW:  The easiest way to build up your email database is to get your social fans to opt-in to your email newsletter. If you have a strong following on various social networks, the simplest way to get people to opt into your newsletter is to just simply ask them.  I know that sounds very, very obvious but I honestly don’t have a lot of examples of companies even doing that—let alone doing it well!

GLEN:  So, seriously, we just need . . . to ask?

DJ WALDOW:  Yes.  If you have a strong following on Facebook, it can be as simple as posting on your wall: “Hey, did you know that we also have a newsletter? Sign up here now!”  Wherever your social media community lives—Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn—ask them to subscribe to your newsletter.

Of course, standard marketing rules apply:  you’ll want a benefit-driven call-to-action.  I have found that focusing on “exclusive offers” (i.e. “Don’t miss out!  Sign up for our e-newsletter now!”) works well for social media because these customers know they cannot possibly see everything in their Twitter stream and they don’t like to miss out on anything important.  You may want to offer an incentive like a discount, free service, etc. to nudge them into subscribing. You can also use content downloads to drive subscriptions.

GLEN:  Ok, so now assume that we have a strong email marketing campaign—how can we integrate social into our emails?

DJ WALDOW:  There are actually two primary ways you can integrate social into emails: social sharing and social connecting.

GLEN:  What’s the difference between social sharing and social connecting?

DJ WALDOW:  Social sharing is when you utilize sharing buttons and encourage customers to engage their friends and family.  It can be as simple as an email following their purchase:  “Thank you for purchasing XYZ, tell three friends about it and everyone who purchases using your link gets an X% off discount!”

Social connecting, however, is when you use your email to try and gather social followers/fans. You could send out an email that says, “Hey did you know we are also on Facebook and Twitter, follow us here” or “Here are the fifteen reasons you should follow us” and gain social followers that way.

Give them a reason to follow you on those various channels and integrate that within part of your regular newsletter.  Everyone has the social media buttons splashed on everything, but we’re all sort of numb to them now. You have to use a benefit-driven call-to-action:  “Follow us on Facebook for exclusive savings for followers only!”

GLEN:  Cool.  Could we potentially combine those two?

DJ WALDOW:  Yes, you can — and you should!  Combine social sharing and social connecting by offering contests with click-thrus (when an audience member clicks-thru to your website, landing page or any other digital homebase), comments, sharing, etc.  This serves two purposes:  you can track and identify key influencers this way and it also builds up your social community.

GLEN:  Any final tips for using social media data in email?

DJ WALDOW:  Think of it this way:  the inbox is a much more personal and intimate place than social channels.  The problem with social media is that there is no way you can capture everything and there’s no way you can see everything.  So if you want to give your content a better chance of being seen you really need to also be focusing on email marketing not just social media marketing.

GLEN:  Makes perfect sense to us . . .thanks, DJ!

Win DJ Waldow’s Book! 

Been there, done that?  Or got some great ideas for #SocialPlus Email?  Tell Us! And win a free copy of “The Rebel’s Guide to Email Marketing”!

Simply comment below and share you experiences or ideas.  DJ will choose several winners to receive a free copy of his new book.

Hint: We’ll announce the winner on Twitter and in the comment section so be sure to follow us on Twitter and subscribe to the comment feed.

About the Author

Glen Kosaka

Glen Kosaka is the CEO and Founder of Rignite. He’s the guiding force behind Rignite’s mission to help businesses grow through social media.

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