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At one time, email advertising was a one-size-fits-all mass communication tool for reaching large numbers of existing customers at the same time. Today, it can do far more. Our digital marketing tools segment audiences, personalize email offers, and automatically deliver unique messages. Even in an age of social media giants like Instagram, almost 63% of customers prefer to receive brand communications via email.
Before a business gains these benefits, they need email addresses, which is why anyone looking to optimize their marketing efforts needs to combine email marketing and Instagram. The social media platform hosts millions of engaged followers who follow beloved brands and seek out product reviews. More crucially, these potential customers are typically happy to share their email with businesses that prove their value. Thankfully, Instagram has several tools and features to let them do just that.
Email marketing is the technique of sending commercial emails to current or potential customers in the hopes of encouraging them to take a specific action. The emails themselves can serve any purpose — they might promote products, offer links to blog posts, engage readers with newsletters, or otherwise direct customers along the buyer’s journey.
It may seem quaint, but in 2022, email marketing is an essential channel for brands of any size. Why? Because it turns out that:
Just to be clear, you shouldn’t get rid of your social media initiatives. Quite the contrary — with the right marketing tools, social media platforms like Instagram can generate the email contacts you need to drive these efforts.
For all of email marketing’s power, the digital inbox is not where people spend most of their time online. Instagram, on the other hand, is unmatched in terms of brand engagement. A staggering 90% of Instagram followers use the platform to keep track of their favorite companies, while 70% of Instagram shoppers use the service to research new products. And now that Instagram is the second most-used social media platform in America, brands have a major opportunity to build connections with potential customers.
Even more importantly, Instagram has a vibrant young audience. Generation Z is one of Instagram’s biggest markets and a driver of the platform’s eCommerce shopping initiatives. Gen Z users also tend to engage with content about exciting new products — both from brands and third-party influencers.
When building a combined email marketing Instagram campaign, your goal is to tap into this audience and give them reasons to subscribe to your email services. If you can pull it off, your business will be in a position to reach and retain potential customers across two of the best-performing marketing channels.
One of the key ways to drive subscriber growth is through engaging with your community and elevating their voices. This can be challenging at scale, but there are tools that can help. For example, the Archive App is an effective way for Shopify vendors to permanently store and sort Instagram content in the interest of building a following. Doing it all manually might be feasible, but it requires substantial effort and time — including weekend hours. Get started with a free plan today and reclaim your marketing team’s time.
While we’re focusing largely on converting Instagram followers into email subscribers, nothing should stop you from doing the reverse. In fact, it might be easier — customers on your email lists tend to be loyal, as most have already purchased a product. The next step is leveraging social media email marketing techniques to make subscribers aware of other ways they can follow or engage with your business:
Pro Tip: Utilize the engaging nature of Instagram to encourage followers to join your email list by promoting a competition, incorporating user-generated content, incorporating choice calls-to-action, and taking advantage of Instagram Stories.
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If you have customers who already engage with your posts on Instagram, many will be interested in following a regular newsletter. These emails can summarize recent events, tease new products, and provide a behind-the-scenes look into daily operations.
If you’re looking for newsletter subscribers among Instagram followers, the solution is quite simple — promote it! Highlight one of your newsletter topics in posts or Instagram Stories and provide a registration link for more details. Adding a link to your brand profile can further extend the newsletter’s visibility. Finally, advertising the newsletter in the Instagram Shop can be beneficial for customers on the lookout for upcoming deals.
With so many customers using Instagram to shop for products, an exclusive deal will convince many followers to provide an email address. For example, an eCommerce brand can offer a limited-time discount code only available to newsletter subscribers. Once the customer has registered, marketers can also send personalized emails with targeted promotions that build a strong sense of brand connection.
If you have a loyalty or reward points program, Instagram is a perfect channel to promote it. Create posts and Stories that highlight plan benefits — such as additional discounts on specific products or bonus points for new members. These programs are an excellent way to increase sales and cultivate customer retention when promoted effectively.
One way to quickly get followers’ attention is to launch a contest on Instagram. There is no shortage of examples you can use for inspiration, from rewarding likes to hosting a caption competition. However, when it comes to finding email subscribers, your best bet is usually a giveaway. Simply create a post or Story highlighting the prize and directing followers to an email registration link.
User-generated content (UGC) is exceptionally popular on social media platforms, particularly Instagram, because new customers tend to find UGC more trustworthy than branded content. Businesses can develop entire brand communities by sharing and reposting customer photographs, videos, and even music.
On Instagram, it’s easy to run a UGC event like any other contest while creating opportunities to obtain email addresses. For example, using a hashtag to promote the event will connect followers to other UGC posts, including your own branded content with an email registration link.
Social media is a primary contact medium for many customers, including those looking for customer support options. Some businesses will maintain specialized support accounts or rely on community managers to respond to follower complaints. Wherever possible, these accounts should direct followers to a central support email that can handle the issue — if you address the issue promptly, they’ll be more likely to respond positively to promotional emails from your brand!
Once your Instagram profile has 10,000 followers, you’ll unlock access to clickable story links that direct followers to your website. Each link can be customized in various ways, from picking a landing page to placing stickers for visual flair. If you know what kinds of stories and stickers appeal to your audience, these features are a great way to drive organic traffic to an email registration page.
Instagram users may like following brands, but they love engaging with influencers. Instagram posts and stories represent the two most popular marketing channels for influencers. If you can forge a partnership with the right influencer, they can be a lead magnet that extends your reach to an audience of millions.
These partnerships can take many forms — influencers can create posts about your products, host branded contests, or talk about exclusive features. Just be sure to research influencers before they become associated with your brand and be transparent about any sponsorship agreements you both establish.
One common thread that unites all of these examples is the humble call-to-action (CTA). A single clearly-defined text link or graphic in each promotion can focus users’ attention and guide them to an email registration landing page. Even a simple “Subscribe Now” sticker can be effective. It doesn’t matter whether they’re signing up for a newsletter or watching an influencer promotion — make sure the CTA is impossible to miss.
Email marketing and Instagram posts couldn’t be more different, but there are many ways to engage customers across each channel. The key is building your strategy around the community — if you can understand how your audience uses Instagram or what they need from email, you will gain both followers and subscribers in ample supply.
This is where Archive comes into play — we build digital marketing infrastructure for eCommerce brands by tapping into tagged posts across Instagram. We also tackle a range of community marketing topics in our blog, helping advertisers find their footing in a rapidly changing space. To find out more about Archive, visit our About page.
If you’d like to learn more about how Archive App can help you improve your Instagram marketing strategy, download the app today — we have a free plan available for you!
Newsletters, exclusive offers, and personalized product recommendations are all effective ways of engaging subscribers through email marketing.
The most direct approach is to offer followers something of value. A brand newsletter with additional content or behind-the-scenes stories is one great example, while promoting exclusive discounts to email subscribers is another. Leveraging user-generated content or influencer partnerships can also draw attention to email registration links.
You can start promoting your Instagram within the email registration form by prominently displaying links to your social media accounts. Also, don’t forget to include social media buttons and a call to action in each email for subscribers who don’t follow you yet.
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