Improve email & social with engagement marketing

Kimberley Fowler, Content Coordinator #mktgacademy @mktgacademy

Agenda

  Engagement marketing

 Content strategy

  Email

 Case study – Schlegel Villages

  Social media (just a little)

 Case study – Schlegel Villages

Source: Six Simple Ideas for Small Business Marketing by Gail Goodman

Marketing goals and objectives

① Set marketing goals and objectives

② Run campaigns on channels that matter

③ Get measurable results

Take it slow…  Deal with your objectives one at a

time and for each one ask:  What action would people take

that would fulfill this objective?  Can I measure it?

Content allows you to engage with your customers

Push & pull content

Pull content…

  Share information

 Discussions

  Event invites

  Fundraising

 Offer something: discounts, promotions, coupons, downloads, invites, secrets, hints, tips, checklists

What do you write about?   What you know and they don’t

  What you have access to and they don’t

  Answer questions

  Share insights

  Spark discussion

  Tell a story

  Inspire

  Share ideas and images

Find inspiration…   Look to others in your industry

  Talk to your customers

 Ask your employees and coworkers

 What does your audience care about? Connect these issues with your business

  Look at newspapers, magazines and relevant, current online articles

Self content curation

Content tips

  Less is more

 On social channels being original is not as important as being relevant or interesting

  Repurpose and reuse your website and blog content on your social channels

 Note the voice you use when you’re writing – avoid “I”; instead use “we” or “you”

  Have a theme – ensure your theme is timely

Email + social: use both Create content that inspires people to do

something.

Email + social: use both Create content that inspires people to do

something.

Email + social: use both Create content that inspires people to do

something.

Email marketing

Source: David Bain http://www.searchenginepeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/SEP1.png

Email marketing

  Look at emails and newsletters from other businesses   What do you like?

  What don’t you like?

Emails - will you open it now, later or never? Your decision is based on these questions:

 Who is it from?

 What’s the subject?

 When do you receive the email?

Subject line is important

Email subject lines Use the 2-2-2 principle

  2 seconds: you have two seconds to catch their attention

  2 words: make the first two words count – that’s all your audience will read before making a decision to read further or move on

  Today: subject line should answer the question “why does this email or message matter today?”

When to send an email

  Monthly is most common

  Don’t over email – or people will opt out

  Ask when people are most likely to take the action you want

Source: http://www.searchenginepeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/SEP4.jpg

Email tips   Look great, look like you, represent your brand

  Text links get more clicks than buttons

  Place your logo left or center in the email

  Include company name in the text

  Key action must be above the scroll line

  People are indecisive – don’t give them too many choices

 Make all images clickable

Keep mobile users in mind

Ask for feedback

Create an email template

Create a checklist

Case Study: Schlegel Villages

Case Study: Schlegel Villages

Social Media

Photo courtesy of http://blog.socialmaximizer.com/

Social engagement

Choose the right platform

Choose the right platform

Be visual

How often should you post?

  3-5 times a week is plenty

  Use automated tools to help (Hootsuite)

Get measurable results

 Monitor how your email and social campaigns are doing

  Some email programs like Constant Contact will allow you to do this

  You can get some data from social on the social platform (ie. Facebook) or through Hootsuite

  You may need to rely on Google Analytics

Case Study: Schlegel Villages

Case Study: Schlegel Villages

Summary

  Engagement marketing is about making meaningful connections with consumers

  Provide a “wow” experience

  Use the content strategies we’ve discussed to improve engagement through your email and social campaigns

 Consumers who get that “wow” experience will engage with you and endorse you to their friends and family – which will bring you new leads

Recommended Resources 1.  Constant Contact www.constantcontact.com

2.  Delicious www.delicious.com

3.  Hootsuite University www.learn.hootsuite.com

4.  Comfort Life Marketing Academy www.ourkidsmedia.com/marketing

Questions?

Kimberley Fowler, Content Coordinator kim@ourkidsmedia.com

@mktgacademy