In a recent post from MailChimp, they report the results of a study that demonstrates how social content in an email newsletter increases engagement. Their conclusion: sending email containing social content helps you keep subscribers engaged longer – with an average click rates going up over time. So, given these results, what is the best type of social content to use and why?
In our previous blog post titled “Quiet the Noise, Part 2” we started to outline some of the best social content to use. In this post, we go into some greater detail:
- Use video to show customer testimonials – Customer testimonials are considered highly relevant, and video tends to get the most amount of clicks. Put the two together and you will get a highly engaged audience. Plus, the star of the video will be likely to share it with all of their friends and colleagues.
- Leverage active LinkedIN conversations and questions – If you see a comment on LinkedIN that has a lot of traction and activity, use that question in your email newsletter and blog, and bring that conversation to your site
- Facebook comments – If you have a consumer site and there are great comments about your organization or your brand, leverage them Post the comments on your blog, and make it a part of your weekly email newsletter. People like to purchase products and services that are used and recommended by others.
- Facebook conversations – Copy the primary post, the number of likes and the responses into an email newsletter. This will make this conversation visible outside of Facebook to all of your email subscribers. This triggers engagement in the conversation and prompts more discussion. People want to be involved in conversations, not necessarily lead them.
- Create content that has reasons to be shared – Thinking about your content and its value to others is an important starting point. When you choose your content ask yourself: Would you share this with a friend?
Real Examples with Real Results
Here are two examples of using social content to produce better marketing results:
- A tour company had one of their operators take video of the travelers during a trip. These videos were posted on YouTube and Facebook. Subsequently these videos were shared by the travellers who wanted their friends to see them. The sharing that was driven by these videos, increased brand impressions and new bookings.
- An Intel reseller partner created and posted a customer testimonial video. This video was then shared by Intel and their customers resulting in more interactions that eventually lead to new sales opportunities.
Conclusion
Choosing social content to use in your newsletter is important. Using these simple techniques you can begin to develop a strong content marketing program that brings your social and email marketing efforts together