5 Ideas on Growing Your Email Database Using Social Media

While both fall under the marketing umbrella, it’s not uncommon for email marketing and social media to be managed by different individuals within an organization. Sure, the social media manager will send an occasional tweet directing followers to subscribe to the company’s newsletter. And, yes, the email marketing manager always includes social links in the footer of email communications. But, for the most part, these individuals will keep the entities separate.

By strategizing how to best integrate social media and email marketing, marketing teams can improve the overall effectiveness of their programs. Remember, for email marketers, social media can be an effective method for growing the email database.

“Converting fans and followers to email subscribers is just smart,” says Nichole Kelly, President of Social Media Explorer|SME Digital. “The path to conversion I’ve seen frequently is that the lead comes through a social media network, but tends to actually convert through another marketing channel like email or organic search down the road.

“If you find a way to organically collect email addresses in exchange for social media content, you can actually help drive the sales process with timely and relevant messaging,” Kelly says.

Here are a few ideas a social media manager can implement to capture followers’ email addresses and complement your email marketing strategy:

Ask ‘Em to Subscribe

It’s OK to occasionally ask your social media followers to sign up for your email list; simply provide them with a link to your newsletter sign up page. But remember, asking too often can begin to sound like pleading. Keep these types of posts to a minimum, allowing the content you post to convince followers of your newsletter’s worth.

Tease Your Upcoming Issue

Are you releasing the latest issue of your newsletter next week? Entice new signups by teasing it on social media! Posting a photo of the cover of the newsletter is one way to grab followers’ attention; mentioning content featured in the newsletter that was a hot topic on your social profiles is another.

Share Content Snippets

Have you ever started reading an article on a news outlet only to be halted two paragraphs down by a pop-up saying the content is member exclusive? You can take a similar approach to acquiring followers’ emails by sharing a snippet from one of your newsletter articles. Tell your followers if they want to read the rest, they need to sign up for your newsletter.

Utilize Hashtags

Hashtags have proven a useful tool for finding interesting people and topics to follow on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and other social media platforms. Now, hashtags are even used on Facebook. You can take advantage of hashtags to grow your email database by including relevant hashtags in your posts promoting your newsletter.

Offer Freebies for Signing Up

Email-only specials and promotions, such as discounts, exclusive sales, merchandise or free samples, are compelling ways to persuade followers to provide their email addresses. And because they’re interested in your company enough to follow you on social media, there’s a good chance they’re qualified enough to be considered quality leads and subscribers.

Interested in learning ways to grow your email database outside of social media? Download “20 Great Ways to Grow Your Email List” today!