There are so-called traditional marketing channels and then the new media marketing channels and, for whatever, reason the two are so distinctly different, they cannot be combined and integrated. Read that two more times and see if it makes sense. It’s all marketing the same product, but it sure doesn’t seem that way. The goal is to maximize impressions to maximize conversions to maximize sales to maximize, well, revenue, of course! The notion of ‘social’ marketing is, at its nuts and bolts, turning promotion into conversation, promotional material fans want to share. They may share it because it amuses them, because they understand it and know someone whom values it, or any number of things. The point is, if you’re not making all communications social and integrated, you’re not maximizing reach.
What this means is converting your Facebook fans to Twitter followers to email subscribers AND vice-versa! So many fans are only talking with you on social channels and, therefore, you’re missing out on the valuable targeting and segmenting and tracking opportunities offered by getting them on your email list. The other side, and one that is more ignored, is that you also have a big list of email subscribers who could be amplifying your message through their social networks, both on Facebook and in life!
In short, the insight here is to give your email subscribers simple instructions, a call to action, a transparent look at and reason for joining your social network; in turn, fans will be empowered to engage with you on the public networks of social media and you have new touch points and a new source of potential message amplification and construction of a super fan! Also, make your EMAILS social. What is the equivalent of a Facebook share or Twitter re-tweet over email? that ‘forward’ button of course! We obsess over the soft sharing metrics inherent in social media, but that does not seem to extend to that ‘forward’ button on an email. This is about as targeted and authentic social sharing/promotion you can get. But, just like asking fans to ‘like’ a Facebook post increases ‘likes,’ asking/suggesting to fans to forward your message/offer along (and giving them a reason/value why) and making it as clear and simple as possible for why/how to forward that offer/message along can be incredibly powerful and get you one more conversion, fan, subscriber at a time, if not more. Empower your fans to spread your message and market for you. Email is still king, and its penetration for the foreseeable future will always outdo its social media counterpart, but the viral potential of email is often ignored for its vast potential value; its potential to be social and shareable.
To find and create conversions, we’re on the constant prowl for impressions, impressions and more impressions; even if a minuscule % of fans seeing, let alone engaging with, your content will ever actually consider, let alone buy, a ticket to a game or piece of merchandise. But that doesn’t mean these impressions need to be value-less! New media is creating potentially valuable, measurable assets, thousands and thousands of impressions per piece of content at a time. Don’t let that potential revenue source go unused.
Clich here to see more of the No Biz Like Sports Biz series of posts
Posted by Neil Horowitz
Digital and Social Media Sports 