Social media and email 'must be used in tandem'

Marketers hoping to engage their customers through effective customer communication have been told to blend email marketing and social media.

Writing for the Fresh Business Thinking website, Mark Schmulen, general manager of social media at Constant Contact, noted that this is not simply a case of linking to a Facebook Page or Twitter feed from newsletters.

He explained that organizations need to use their email correspondence to spark a conversation before asking subscribers to comment and share experiences on social media platforms.

From here, Mr Schmulen explains, businesses can develop potential communications.

"In other words, you light the fire in your email and fan the flames to full intensity with social media," the communications expert wrote.

Until they are being used in tandem with one another to engage customers, it is not enough for companies to simply have an email list, Facebook Page and a Twitter presence, he noted.

In fact, a recent study conducted by Forrester Research found that despite its global reach in its current form Facebook is not an effective medium for driving sales.