Since the advent of email, marketers have been using it as a tool to connect with their customers, but they have relied on it more and more in recent years. In fact, last year email marketing budgets increased by 19%, a trend that is expected to continue over the course of this year. However, in order to make the most of these campaigns, you must extend your efforts beyond the inbox and across your other digital marketing platforms.

Emails get buried in your customers’ mailboxes, or worse deleted, sometimes in a matter of hours. Though they will remember that they saw an offer from your company that they were interested in, they may not spend the time digging through their inboxes in order to find them. Spreading your promotions across all of your digital marketing platforms gives your customers multiple opportunities to see your offers and increases the chances that they will take advantage of your specials.

On Your Website

While eblasts are used to promote special offers, they also allow you to direct traffic to specific pages on your website. In email marketing campaigns, include just enough information for your customers to understand what you are offering while quickly scanning through their inboxes. Then create a page on your site with more detailed information on these offers and link off to this page from your eblast. This strategy is now standard practice among digital marketers. It also helps marketers know what offers are resonating based on the click-through rate.

To truly make the most of your promotions, you must take the support on your website to the next level, meaning that your customers must be able to take alternate routes to this landing page, rather than having exclusive access to it from your emails. Create a CTA (call to action) for your special on your homepage. This allows both newsletter recipients and customers who may not subscribe to your email access to your offers. This tactic also makes it easier for individuals to refer a friend when they see an offer.

Across Social Media

Both social media and email marketing are effective tools for spreading the word about your special offers, but they can also be used to cross promote each other. Combine these two strategies to use each to their fullest potential. A day or two prior to sending an eblast, post on your social media that you will be sending details about a special offer to your subscribers and encouraging your followers to sign up for your emails.

In your eblast design, include a call-out with your social icons to drive your subscribers to your social platforms. Bring it full circle by posting the special itself on your social media several days after you send your blast, starting with, “In case you missed our eblast…” This 360° approach maximizes the reach of your promotions.

Rethinking Eblast Exclusivity

We understand that you’d like to maintain a level of exclusivity for customers who sign up for your newsletter, but creating email only promotions is a double edged sword, as they can easily be lost or deleted. Instead consider sending two blasts, opening the promotion up to your customers who’ve opted to receive your eblast first, letting them know that they have exclusive access to this deal for a short period then resending the blast a week or two later and supporting it with social media posts and call outs on your site as discussed above.

Working with a full service digital marketing agency ensures that your promotions are consistent across all relevant platforms, creating cohesive campaigns and maximizing your reach. If you’re going it alone, plan your promotions a month out, creating a calendar detailing when you’ll create your landing page, send your eblast, add a call to action to your homepage, and drip out reminders on your social media platforms. Whichever route you decide to take, ensuring that each piece is working together is the key to email marketing success.