Last time I wrote about e-mail it was 6 Tips for Successful Nightclub Weekly Event E-mail Newsletters – but I didn’t mention anything about integrating social marketing into email. That’s because it required it own blog.

Let’s look at the 4 commandments of integrating the two channels:

You’re Talking to Two Different Audiences

Nightclubs that cut and paste content and offers on social platforms and email campaigns dilute the value of opting in to each experience. If you send me the same offer on Facebook as you do on e-mail, one will be ignored. Therefore, be sure to alter tone and value based on the conversation. It’s worth the extra time and effort.

Facebook, for nightclubs, should be a more casual and fun conversation platform, while e-mail is a bit more buttoned up. Generally, the audiences reflect and drive that notion. And the same is true when providing offers and overall value to customers and prospects. Find your voice and speak the tone of each platform.

Do Share Content and Value

Including a “forward to a friend” button in an e-mail doesn’t mean you’ve launched a viral campaign. Nor will your e-mail campaign automatically become social if you add a “share” button or Facebook and Twitter logo to the e-mail. Yes, that may buy you some time from your boss who just realized his nightclub needs to have a social strategy. Dig deeper. I have seen too many e-mails that have huge share/add, Twitter/Facebook buttons (with no context added to them) and thus, distract from the real purpose of the e-mail.

Sharing is powerful; it can exponentially grow your message reach and facilitate engagement. But if your e-mail stinks, why would someone share it? Test placement and wording, and remember to give a reason for why someone should share the message or become a fan of your brand if they already get your e-mails.

Unsubscribe Might Mean Subscribe Me

During or after someone unsubscribes from your e-mail, test offer the person the option to become a fan on Facebook or follow you on Twitter. This doesn’t violate CAN-SPAM as long as it doesn’t intrude on the actual unsubscribe process or add an extra step. Some people may just be sick of your e-mails but want to stay dialed in with your other marketing efforts.

Do Build Lists Strategically

Social networks are underutilized for driving opt-ins of e-mail programs. Reminding your fans and followers that you offer great value via e-mail (assuming it isn’t the exact same content as provided via social) is a no-brainer yet rarely done. More practiced is using your e-mails to build the databases of social (and to a certain extent, that really is what you are building on Twitter and Facebook). When done correctly, the impact can be significant.

I could only imagine if a nightclub used the success and momentum of its e-mail program to grow its Facebook page, the page would grow to the largest in existence for the area. You do it through testing and making clear that a great community was already in place.

Imagine if your email said “50 Fans of Bad Manor Nightclub Will Receive Free No Cover for a Year”. Now you’re talking about a fan frenzy!

That is the key in making a conversion; a click from your e-mail to a Facebook page isn’t a score. Getting a subscriber to engage or become a fan is, though it isn’t as easy as most think. Facebook is now making it easier for marketers.

Let me know your thoughts on this or any experiences.

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