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Do you want more followers for your company's social sites?
Have you tried building your social following through your email list?
Customers and email subscribers are already engaged with your brand, so why not encourage these loyal fans to follow you on your social media sites, too?
In this article I'll share three things you can do to turn email subscribers into social fans.
#1: Add Social Links to Confirmation Pages
People who sign up for your emails are likely to become social fans as well. And the best time to ask for that social follow is during the subscription process.
When your visitors choose to receive information from your brand via email, send them to a customized email subscription confirmation page that includes social opt-in buttons or links. Make sure these social icons fit with the design and layout of your subscription confirmation page.
As you can see below, Upworthy has a simple email subscription confirmation page and the bottom half is dedicated to promoting its social sites.
If at all possible, don't make subscribers log into their social accounts in order to follow you from this page. The more steps people have to take, the less likely they are to complete the process. Configure your social sharing icons so all someone has to do is click the icon or link in order to connect with you on each site.
Make sure to include links across your website, in addition to your subscription confirmation page. This makes it easy for people to follow you on social wherever they interact with your brand.
#2: Include Social Links in Welcome Emails
After subscribers opt in to receive your messages, they're still at the highest level of engagement. This is an excellent time to encourage them to follow you on social media. That way you can stay connected with these customers when your relationship hits a lull (when they're not buying).
Spotlight your social media sites in your welcome emails. If you have just one automated email to welcome new subscribers, make sure your value proposition and the links or icons for your social media sites are primary parts of the content and design.
In this welcome email from True Citrus, the top of the second section is dedicated to promoting their Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, blog and YouTube accounts.
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Remember, you don't have to go with a plain ask, such as “Please follow us.” True Citrus mixes up its calls to action for social media with fun variations: “Stay connected,” “Join the community” and “Get in it to pin it.”
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Also, if you have a series of welcome emails, you can ask for social media follows a little differently in each one.
The first can be a bold ask with a creative twist. The second email may take a slightly more subtle approach with the links to all of your social icons in one section of the email instead of each having its own section. If you send a third email in your welcome series, simply include your social media sharing icons in the navigation or above the fold without an ask.
#3: Get Creative With Social Incentives
Social media should be fun. So get creative with a dedicated email to your subscribers, which highlights your social sites with calls to action for readers to follow you or like you on your social networks. For extra engagement, add incentives such as “like us to receive special deals” or “follow us on Twitter for details on our next giveaway” in the text.
Bed, Bath & Beyond gets quirky with its dedicated social sharing emails, asking subscribers in a fun way to “hang” with them. It's also noteworthy that the brand decided to include the social sites' logos twice, first as a part of the design and then at the bottom with a link to clarify.
Brands that focus on one primary social site or want to grow their presence on a new social network may want to feature just one social site in an email.
For example, this email from Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores highlights its Pinterest boards, since that's the optimal venue for displaying crafts and décor. Links to Jo-Ann's other social sites are included, but Pinterest is clearly in the spotlight for this dedicated email.
Dedicated social emails are a bold way to reach out to your subscribers and ask them to engage with you on your social media sites.
Conclusion
There are many things you can do to encourage your website visitors and subscribers to like your social sites and engage with your brand on a regular basis.
While each of these tactics can be successful on its own, you have a better chance to gain as many social subscribers as possible if you use them together. One method may not appeal to one person, whereas the other approach might hit the spot.
Try different things and continually run multiple campaigns to keep your social media sites at the top of your visitors' minds.
What do you think? What do you do to encourage email subscribers to become social fans? Which of your social media follow campaigns have been most effective? Please let us know which methods you've found most successful and share any additional tips in the comments.
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