People Are Talking

Social media can help you improve your email content

by Kelly Flint,  Constant Contact Regional Development Director, Los Angeles

There's a lot of talk these days about the value that social media has when it comes to your email marketing campaign. We've previously discussed how sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter can help you broaden the reach of your content and increase the number of people on your mailing list. But, to quote the late-night pitchmen: "Wait, there's more!"

Social media networks can also be great places to gather content for your email newsletters and can be used as a sounding board when weighing what subjects should be covered in an upcoming issue. As an added bonus, you can even turn your social media contacts' questions and comments into newsletter content.

Get Immediate Feedback

I like to imagine that I have my own baked goods business -- I call it Kelly's Brownies -- and that I often have too many content ideas for my monthly newsletter (a good problem to have). How am I supposed to decide between running an article on "Brownies for Dogs" and recipes for no-fail brownies? Both have merit, but because I don't have room to include all that content, I post a message for my Twitter followers or Facebook fans to get their thoughts on which of the two articles they want to read.

If you have a similar situation, you can try this too. Post a question on your business or organization's Facebook fan page or on your Twitter feed: "Which of these articles would you be more interested in reading?" You can use a poll format, if you want to make it easier. Use the response generated to make the final decision on which article to use. You may even get a few other ideas along the way for future articles.

Turning Questions into Content

Social media networks can be a sounding board for your customers' questions and concerns. For instance, we here at Constant Contact are always monitoring Twitter to see what people are saying or need help with (we're at http://www.twitter.com/constantcontact). Your own customers might be saying or asking similar things about your business or organization.

Obviously, when a customer asks you a question through one of the social media sites, you should answer him directly as soon as possible. But the "conversation" doesn't have to end there. Use the question and your answer as a newsletter topic to share with the rest of your customers. Chances are good the answer will be relevant to more than just the customer who asked the question.

The question itself can also be used as a lure for new subscribers. Repost it to your social networks and direct people to your newsletter for the answer.

It's just that simple: A single question from a social media fan becomes content for your newsletter and a way to find new subscribers.

Let the Music Play

If you're in the entertainment industry, you probably know all about the value of MySpace. For example, the site makes it easy to share music with fans and provides useful data back to band members. Both of these things can be used for your newsletter.

Bands can use the "Most Played" song statistic as a source of content. You can add an article about the song, a copy of the lyrics, or a link to place where people can listen for themselves. It's easy content that can be effective in expanding your fan base.

Coming Soon

Finally, like trailers for an upcoming movie, social networks can be used to hype and preview your upcoming email marketing newsletter. Take this fictional post that could be used on both Facebook and Twitter a few days before a scheduled newsletter is slated to mail:

Coming Thursday: Our email newsletter features a recipe for caramel brownies. Not on our list? Sign up at [include your url here].

A preview's purpose is two-fold: It gets your current subscribers looking forward to that next email and it gives non-subscribers a taste of what's to come and a reason to get on your mailing list. A similar follow-up the night before sending the issue can further entice last minute signups.

Other ideas

There are countless ways to bring the content from your social media activity into your newsletter; this is just a sampling. Looking for more? Why not ask people in your network for permission to include their interesting Twitter comments in a "Top Tweets" section of your next newsletter? You can also ask people to share pictures of themselves using your product, visiting your store, volunteering for your cause, or attending one of your events.

Yes, social media sites can be fun for staying in touch with friends and customers. However, when used in the right context, they can also be highly valuable for building your mailing lists, customer relationships and, as we've discussed here, generating content.

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