Social media emerges as direct marketing channel

Strongmail Systems has announced new survey data that points to the emergence of social media as a direct marketing channel.

The company's data also revealed significant planned investment in e-mail marketing and social media programmes in the second half of 2009.

Strongmail also announced a framework to help direct marketers effectively leverage the two channels beyond the common 'sharing' tools offered by other providers.

According to the survey, there is still a widespread land-grab for ownership of social media within the various facets of marketing, with 29 per cent of respondents stating that responsibility is owned by multiple departments.

However, social media appears to be emerging as a direct channel, with 36 per cent of survey respondents stating that the direct marketing department owns social media.

Surprisingly, only nine per cent of the respondents report that social media is owned by public relations departments, suggesting that marketing teams value social media more for its demand generation potential than awareness building.

Interestingly, five per cent have a dedicated social-media department.

The survey also revealed that social media is a hot initiative with e-mail marketers, with 66 per cent planning to integrate the two channels in 2009, and 48 per cent who have already formulated a strategy for achieving this initiative.

Funding is also strong for both channels.

Of marketers planning to increase budgets in 2009, 83 per cent will increase spend in e-mail marketing, followed by social media at 62 per cent.

The increased focus and investment in social media underscores the importance of applying resources properly; however, there is still widespread confusion regarding how a social-media strategy for e-mail marketing should be implemented.

55 per cent of respondents report that one of their biggest challenges with integrating social media and e-mail marketing is determining metrics by which to measure success.

At 48 per cent, establishing business goals for the programme is a close second.

Based on these findings, it is clear that social media has grown to the stage where it needs an owner and a purpose within marketing.

Strongmail believes that the intrinsic interconnection between social media and e-mail make it an ideal direct channel.

E-mail continues to drive engagement in social networks by alerting members of new content and updates, and the ability to communicate relevant messages within social networks is critical to a business' success in the medium.

In order to help direct marketers integrate social media into their e-mail marketing programmes, Strongmail has developed a social-media framework that consists of three core capabilities.

Social Share enables direct marketers to increase list growth and acquire new, highly valuable targets by allowing e-mail recipients to share branded e-mail content across popular social networks, blogs and e-mail.

Marketers can leverage Social Share to provide targeted offers to their e-mail list that ignite a natural sharing response, inspiring others to opt-in for additional special offers.

Social Direct is a natural extension of email marketing.

It puts the marketer in control to send targeted and personalised messages to vibrant and fast-growing social communities.

Direct marketers can leverage new e-mail technologies to communicate directly to social networks on Facebook via messages, status updates or wall posts.

Social Programs enables direct marketers to create powerful direct-response programs that leverage social media as the next generation of forward-to-a-friend.

Social Programs integrates e-mail, the web and social networks to create true viral marketing programs in which consumers spend their own 'Social Capital' to drive a brand, helping marketers finally deliver on the vision of viral marketing.

Strongmail also offers a suite of strategic and creative services designed to complement these capabilities and help e-mail marketers maximise the effectiveness of the social-media channel, including rewarding advocates for evangelising brands and programmes, as well as identifying, targeting and leveraging those recipients most active within their social networks.

The results and recommendations above are based on data from more than 500 marketers who responded to an online survey from 21 May to 1 June 2009.

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