Email marketing is still at the heart of most marketing communication plans. In addition, most brands have gone social as the popularity of social media grows year over year, with customers increasingly using different social media channels daily. Not to mention, dekstops and laptops are giving way to mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones.
B2B marketers need to create distinct strategies for email, social media, mobile, and all other channels. With today’s prospects and customers becoming increasingly more tech-savvy and engaging through multiple channels simultaneously, marketers can no longer afford to focus on one strategy. Marketers looking to connect with their prospects effectively need to integrated marketing plans that combine their email, mobile, and social strategies.
Here are some ideas on how to get started…
- Always offer links to the company’s social media pages when sending out an email. For instance, many prospects, even when preferring to receive emails that initiate communication, may prefer follow-up through social media, when on the move.
- It is a good idea, depending on how receptive the prospect is to receive frequent emails, to send emails regarding the latest updates on the social media page, such as the availability of a new video or the latest tweet. Business analytic researchers have time and time again found direct correlation between sending email and driving social engagement through mobile.
- Since most emails are now read through mobile devices, long and rich-media emails have gone out of fashion. It is a good idea to keep the text of the email short, and provide links for additional information, images, and videos that available at the social media page.
In the past, social media and mobile marketing were terms commonly associated with B2C marketing. This, however, is no longer the case. B2B social spending increased 9.6% last year and the amount is growing. Nearly two out of three small and medium business owners now use mobile devices for their business purposes, making an integrated marketing approach imperative.
How have you integrated your mobile, email, and social strategies?
