Q&A: Engage and Convert: The Email and Social Media Power Play

[Nick_S]

Social media is a powerful tool; however, it is just one piece of the marketing puzzle. Using social media as the only channel in your strategy limits your ability to drive better outcomes. Incorporating email marketing is essential for amplifying your reach, engagement, and results.

We're taking the most popular questions from our latest webinar and expanding upon them so you can best learn how to leverage email marketing and social media together to take your marketing to the next level.

What are some ways to integrate email and social media together?

Check out our article on integrating email marketing with social media for tips and insights.

Can I create a QR code that sends prospective contacts to a sign-up form attached to my Constant Contact account?

Yes, this article will walk you through how to create a QR code that connects to your sign-up form.

Are there any permissions/copyright issues with sharing a review or testimonial? Do you need permission from the person who wrote the review?

Reviews are considered user-generated content, and they actually belong to the platform on which they’re submitted. So Google “owns” the Google reviews. That said, there is nothing prohibiting a business from promoting their reviews.

What’s the best layout for a Business-to-Business (B2B) email newsletter? Also, what converts users most to sign up?

This really depends on what you're putting in your email and your end goal. For a typical newsletter with multiple topics, there are about 3 different layouts you could test with. An inverted pyramid layout is less likely for a typical newsletter. There's also a Z pattern and an F pattern. All can work well in different scenarios. We covered this in a recent webinar on design.

How can we find out what time of day most people see our social posts?

Facebook once offered the ability to see when your fans are online.  But when they made changes to their analytics tools, they got rid of it.  Pages that have not switched to the new experience can still access this report by going to the Audience report under Insights in Meta Business Suite. For users that have switched over, they can look at the content report to see which post received the highest reach based on post time.

How secure is our customers’ contact information on Constant Contact? Does Constant Contact sell our customers’ emails and contact information to third parties, etc.?

Yes, the information is secure in Constant Contact. We will never sell the emails and contact information stored in your account. For more information on the security of your data, check out this article.

How do I connect my Constant Contact account with my social media accounts, such as Facebook or Instagram.

If you're looking to sync your Constant Contact account with other social media platforms, check out this article.

How can I engage with more social media users? I have a large email list, but do not have a large social media following.

A good place to start is with your email list! Make sure you're asking your email subscribers to follow you on social media. You can also add the social share block to your email to encourage your subscribers to share the email on social media.

What can you recommend for a yacht chartering vacation company?

All of the same ideas discussed in the webinar apply here, as well. Seek out the customers who are already raving about you in reviews or recommending you to their friends and family and ask for a testimonial. Video testimonials can be a great approach, as you can later repurpose them into various formats.

Additionally, share captivating photos and detailed insights about your yacht vacations. Highlight what to expect on a yacht trip, explore exciting destinations, and more. This will help paint a vivid picture for potential customers.

What can you recommend for an accounting firm?

All of the same ideas discussed in the webinar apply here, as well. Education can certainly play a role. Remind people of tax deadlines, how to take advantage of tax savings, etc. Sharing customer stories will help build trust with prospective clients even more.

I work for an entertainment-focused non-profit. We know that entertainment and the arts provide value to people's lives, but how do I pitch this on social media when we don't have a direct "problem" to solve?

The "problem" is really about that value you're providing. Depending on the particulars of your organization, it can be about learning about new cultures and creative endeavors. Spotlight the creative people associated with your organization or reflect on previous events or projects and how they went. 

Besides converting social media followers, how else can you grow your email subscribers when it comes to a healthcare organization and not violating HIPAA?

HIPAA really just means you shouldn't disclose protected health information about your patients including identifiable details, demographics, test results, or medical histories. But when it comes to growing your list, let them know the value they can get from your email campaigns which can be around maintaining healthy living, the importance of preventative care, etc.

Any advice for doing social media for a real estate lending company? Is it worth it to try Facebook or just stick to LinkedIn?

I've seen many in this area participate effectively on both channels. Share information to help your audience. Tips for first-time home buyers, how to navigate the lending process, etc.

What are some content ideas for a building inspections company for Facebook?

You can share tips for things that you look for in a building inspection, how to find a trusted inspector, and behind the scenes about your processes.

Are sharing Instagram Reels an effective approach to increase email subscribers, or stick with posts and stories?

Yes, Reels can be very effective for this. On Instagram, it could be a story with a swipe or link; your sign-up could be tagged in visual content as well. Variety is important here, too.

Do people need to opt-in for emails? Is it unethical if they don't?

Yes, absolutely! There are different rules and regulations depending on where you're located and what is acceptable might be different. At the very least, they would need to have done business with you to gain implied permission. The best results for your strategy will come when they explicitly say yes to receiving your emails. Purchased lists, for example, are against Constant Contact’s Terms & Conditions.

Should you offer a perk for a testimonial?

You can, but you need to be careful with this. You can technically pay for testimonials, but you do need to provide a disclosure. While the FTC does allow businesses to pay for testimonials and reviews, most review websites do not, some of them strictly forbid incentivizing this.

I work for a manufacturing company, and 90% of our "leads" are distributors who buy our products for the end customer. Any recommendations for a way to get our message directly to the consumers to grow our DTC?

I would start with a solid Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy targeting prospective customers and the search terms they would use to find your products. Build up content on your website, usually through a blog that provides value to that audience and connects the information with those keywords. Utilize social media to make that connection and share content that connects with your end consumer and then start to convert them into email subscribers.

Now that Google provides an AI-generated summary at the top of search results, it increases the risk that our websites will no longer be clicked on. How can we compete?

The first thing to know is that Google's AI search results are experimental. That means no one knows for certain yet how they'll fully impact the organic SEO landscape, especially because Google isn't in a "finalized" spot with this tool. Everyone who gains traffic from folks who are looking for answers on Google felt the hit in traffic when they rolled this out, so you're not alone in your concerns.

Google's latest algorithm updates also prioritize cohesive expertise across the site, uniqueness of content, and indications that the content was created by a human (basically, content that is largely AI-generated may suffer in organic results). The most important thing you can do is ensure that you are providing unique, credible, and expert content on your site that is closely related to your core offerings or services.

We'll see over the next months while how searchers use the AI results, or whether they employ ways to turn them off (or just tune them out).

What are the best social media platforms for my company?

This depends on your business or organization and who you're targeting. You could start with the major platforms in most cases; Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. But the real key here is to find out where your audience is spending their time on social media.

How do you convince an organization that it would be important (and potentially lucrative) to set up social media accounts and start sending out email newsletters if they’ve never done it before?

This comes down to really needing a way for people to learn about you and what you do. Email alone has the highest return on investment at $36 per dollar spent and social media is really how people engage with you and your brand and learn about you. This article may be helpful as you start to think about the case you'll make.

I am having trouble connecting my Constant Contact account to my Facebook page even though it is registered as a business. What can I do?

Please contact our phone support team for assistance.

If I own two businesses, can I share one social media account and its followers between them?

No, you'll want each business to live separately so people can choose which business they are interested in.

I am a digital marketer with many clients. Is the advice we learned today from the webinar also applicable to accountants or general contractors?

Absolutely, the ideas and tips shared today can be used in any industry. They really stand the test of time.

Prospective customers like to buy from people they trust and follow on social media. As a business, is it better to post as the person behind the organization for some things and as the business itself for other things?

To grow your business, you'll want to ensure you're using a business page. Many platforms prohibit setting up a business under an individual profile. However, yes, from your business profile, you can start to incorporate yourself into it through stories and even videos; let them get to know you.

I work in a small office and almost never use personally created video content. Do you have any ideas on how to get started? We're in the sporting dog supplement market.

People love sharing stories about their dogs! Ask people to share videos of their dogs, and you might also start gathering testimonials and success stories about your supplements and how they've helped.

From your perspective, it's important to just dive in and start. You don't need fancy equipment or fully scripted content. You can record from your phone. Keep it authentic, but approach it with a plan and a clear idea of what you want to achieve with the video. You'll become more comfortable with practice.

If I post on my Facebook business page, will the post get sent to everyone that is my personal Facebook friend, or in my phone contacts? I am not sure who can currently see my posts.

On a Facebook business page, only your followers (those who have liked or followed your business page) will typically see the content. If they share it, then their followers will see the content as well.

What's a good percentage of original content vs. shared content to publish weekly?

I would suggest aiming for about 80% original content and 20% shared content. However, it's crucial to ensure that the quality of the shared content is valuable to your audience. If you're collaborating with another organization or brand for an event or similar project, it can be beneficial to share more of that relevant content as well.

Do you offer one-on-one sessions to learn about the product and build a marketing strategy?

We offer our Marketing Advisor service, where you can work one-on-one with an expert to get help for your marketing, for an additional fee. We also have our general product support line and “Ask a Trainer” sessions every Monday to Friday from 11AM to 4PM EST.

I work in the music industry. I find it difficult to get people to attend shows. When I write to concert venues to book gigs my response rate is only around 5%! Is it because I use my AOL email address?

If your overall reply rate from emails is 5%, that's really very good! The average click rate for all industries is only 2.03% and for the music/arts, it's only 1.32%. So an end result where they reply at 5% is very good! Earlier this year, Google and Yahoo updated their email authentication requirements. The short version is that you should authenticate your email address with your own domain, which will make you appear more trustworthy to email clients.

In terms of content for email and social, make sure you're sharing your story and what's going on behind the scenes. When you're working on a new project or album, start to tease that in your content. Give them a sneak peak of a song and what it sounds like or the story behind some of your songs. Keep them updated on where you're playing too!

What advice would you give to a small credit union?

Share the success stories of your members! Share tips for managing finances, budgeting, etc. Share updates on what your credit union does in/for the local community.

For real estate agents, do you recommend we use our personal social media accounts instead of a business page/profile? Or a combination of both?

Both! Depending on your preference for sharing, remember that people do business with people they like, know, and trust (thank you, Zig Zigler). I follow the 80/20 rule: 80% personal and value-based information, such as local news, interests, and helpful advice, and 20% real estate-related content, like market updates and listing statuses. I often recommend creating content on your business page and then sharing it to your personal profile.

How can we, as a quiet luxury landscaping firm, effectively connect with and engage a high-end, luxury audience through our social media strategy, specifically on Instagram?

Before and after photos or videos can be powerful here! Show them the progress on your projects and make them crave the end results in your visuals.