Social media success and e-mail marketing

Online presence without a proper foundation is like a bridge without strong holding pillars. Social media can only be result-oriented and outcome-focused when and only when the strategy is right.

There’s a pecking order when it comes to structuring a complete online presence for your business. Being conversant with platforms like Facebook, Google+ Twitter or Pinterest doesn’t mean your content strategy, SEO and e-mail marketing are fuelled enough to last the journey.

In order to get the expected return on social media investment  and not to drain all of your efforts, there must be a combined effects between your social media reasons and expectations, proper content to increase your voice and of course e-mail strategy to exchange through.

The most valuable asset and joy of a healthy online presence is an engaged e-mail list and people that are enthusiastic to hear from you.  Between 500 and 1000 or more responsive e-mail followers trumps 25,000 Twitter followers every day when it comes to actually promoting the things that make you money.

If you want to achieve sustainable online presence that is outcome-focused, you have to focus on building a list of e-mail subscribers that want to hear from you and social media will become an instrument set to help you do more of that.

In order to get more fans and not miss out on any leads without a proper social media strategy, start with email marketing and here’s how you can do that:

Your E-mail success guidelines

A very important element of e-mail marketing is an eBook that is of value. This means that it must carry some motivation that will convince people to submit their e-mail addresses. One of the most important elements in your e-mail marketing arsenal is a value-filled eBook that motivates people to willingly give you their e-mail address. Because it’s only when they do that you can be partly sure they will read and not junk.  You must firstly come up with a plan to develop or resolve valuable, educational content into the form of an eBook, with a complementary value laden title, and make that the foundation of your lead capture program.

You will agree with me that number matters at this juncture. You need to promote and high point your eBook through blogging, guest posting and any participation you have on Facebook and Twitter for the principal determination of building links, circulation and subscribers attracted to the topic of your eBook and blog content.

These subscribers won’t all be hot prospects, but they will produce the drive you need through their sharing, linking and otherwise supporting your continued marketing efforts.

In addition to your free eBook you’ll want to plan on consistent communication through the use of a weekly newsletter that offers additional and ongoing value. You need to build a following first and then you can start to thin your focus to transformation.

 Here is a 10-step e-mail lead release plan

1.        Decide on an e-mail service provider (ESP) such as Constant Contact, GetResponse, AWeber, MailChimp or Infusionsoft.

2.        Use your ESP’s form building tools and place a lead capture form on every page of your website. (Don’t ask for more than name and e-mail at this point.)

3.        Create an e-mail subscription landing page—a page that describes and promotes your eBook and lists all the benefits of why a viewer might give you their e-mail address.

4.        Create a series of e-mails, delivered through your ESPs autoresponder function that provides additional information on downloading the eBook as well as related topics that they may find on your blog and in your newsletter.

5.        Consider using a pop-up form such as Pippity for WordPress that can be programmed to bring focus to your offer in smart ways.

6.        Many ESPs have “tell a friend” function that allows readers to easily email your offer to friends—use it!

7.        Some ESPs—Aweber specifically—have a feature that make it very easy for people leaving comments to your blog to add their name to your e-mail list. Finding ways to integrate your e-mail capture into other actions is essential.

8.       Work your networks online and offline and start telling people about your free eBook and newsletter.

9.        Ask any strategic partners or close associates to trade plugs in their newsletter for the same in yours.

10.     Promote your free eBook in social networks on a regular basis.

Enthusiasm and drive are a great gift but sometimes not very friendly. When building your e-mail marketing strategy, don’t divert until you get your e-mail marketing list and follow-up built. If you are able to do this, there is that assurance that your efforts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn will yield fruitful results.