There are nearly 3 times as many email accounts as there are Facebook and Twitter accounts combined, which is so valuable to companies who want to keep customers up to date with business news. However, since the social media marketing dynamite has exploded and customers are increasingly updated on the go via social networks, the question of whether the e-mail newsletter is still relevant, comes into play.
I’m not going to say that we no longer need it because email seems to be the hub of all our online activity, but the circumstances have changed and email marketers must act accordingly.
44% of emails are now accessed through a mobile device so consumers are checking their inboxes on the move and are increasingly attracted to bite size information. This means that engaging customers through email and offering relevant and exciting updates is crucial.
So how can you achieve this? Integration.
By integrating email newsletters into a wider social media marketing strategy you are viewing email and social channels as one community, which will improve the content, audience and sharing elements of an email newsletter.
Content
By including customer feedback from social networks you get the chance to address issues in a more personal way. Gathering information from Facebook and Twitter will ensure that this is accurate.
Audience
Ultimately you are creating the newsletter for your customers and your customers only. Use Facebook and Twitter to ask if they want to sign up and what type of information they are interested in.
Strong
This is where you will see if the previous points have been successful. Include social media links in your emails that customers can use to instantly share information with their networks.
A concern for marketers is that only 11.84% of newsletters use responsive design techniques to optimise their layouts for mobile devices. As we established earlier, 44% of emails are accessed via a mobile device so this is another area that needs developing.
If you begin to integrate it into a social marketing strategy there is a strong place for email newsletters in your business. However, with up to date information and news available on Facebook and Twitter, the traditional monthly update is challenged.
