Instagram content has the potential to reach up to 849.3 million active users! Meanwhile, an incredible 4 billion people use emails every day.
By combining Instagram with email marketing, you can get the best of both worlds. You’ll enjoy all the unique benefits each platform can offer while finding new opportunities to build your impact and grow your audience.
Why does this matter? Well, you don’t own your audience on Instagram. If Meta decided to shut down their platforms overnight (which we know is pretty unlikely!), you’d lose access to your entire audience.
That’s why its essential to diversify your marketing efforts and grow your audience on owned channels, like email marketing. It’s all about covering your bases and building an engaged audience on and off social media.
Where should you begin? Plann has the answers you’re searching for! Here are our top seven ideas to help you combine Instagram and email marketing for the best results.
1. Start with cross promotion
Cross promotion is the best, most efficient way to link your Instagram and email marketing strategies! This approach means you can leverage success on one platform and easily broaden your audience.
Instagram is a great place to recruit email subscribers! Develop a clever hook that gets people interested in signing up for updates. Then direct them to a subscription box on your website via your link in bio landing page (or even a link sticker on Instagram stories). Simple!
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For users who find your website before they find you on the ‘gram, you can promote your Instagram account with your emails using the same techniques. All you have to do is add a smart, compelling call-to-action to follow your brand on Instagram.
2. Launch a user-generated campaign
User-generated content is powerful! It saves you time and stress while boosting audience participation. Plus, UGC can easily be used and repurposed across both your Instagram and email marketing campaigns.
Use your email newsletters as a space to call out for fresh user-generated content. Give your newsletter subscribers the exclusive opportunity to share their content for the chance to be featured on your Instagram feed.
If you’d rather focus on building your email list, start your search on Instagram. Ask your followers to share their content under a branded hashtag, and let them know that your top content picks will earn a place in an upcoming email campaign.
3. Run an exclusive offer
Exclusive offers can make a huge impact when it comes to attracting audience interest! When you offer something fresh and appealing, you can get more people interested in your brand and the channels you use to communicate.
On Instagram, offer your followers something they won’t want to miss. Try a discount code or a free gift from your brand! How can people be eligible to receive what you’re offering? By signing up and becoming an email subscriber.
You can use email marketing to direct traffic back to your Instagram page in the same way. Provide a similar exclusive offer, but this time, ask your subscribers to join your Instagram community if they want to be eligible for a reward.
Incentivizing action is the best way to boost email subscribers and Instagram followers!
4. Host a competition
Competitions and giveaways are a great way to grow your reach and expand your community. They can also help you link Instagram success with a strong email marketing list that will help your brand continue to thrive.
Use Instagram to start promoting a fun competition or giveaway offer. Give our followers a chance to win a product or service offering from you. Make subscribing to your email list a prerequisite for entry.
Simultaneously, you can use competitions as a way to steer customers toward your Instagram account. Send out an email to your current subscribers, and let them know they could be in with a chance to win if they follow and engage with you on Instagram.
5. Gather audience input
Both Instagram and your email marketing channels can offer great opportunities for gathering audience input and analyzing your target market. This can provide you with the information you need to succeed.
Use Instagram stories to communicate directly with your audience! Polls and question stickers can help you start a conversation that provides important market insights. You can even invite your followers to email you with additional questions and requests!
In your email newsletters, you can speak to every recipient on a personal level, asking for feedback to help you make good brand decisions. If you often host Instagram polls or Q&A sessions, direct your subscribers to your Instagram page to share extra input.
6. Start a celebration
Not every piece of marketing communications should focus on sales, at least not directly. Sometimes, it’s okay to share content that simply celebrates your latest achievements and drives engagement.
When you reach a milestone follower count on Instagram, share the news! Reach out to your email list as part of your celebration, and invite your email subscribers to join you on Instagram if they’re not there already.
Likewise, hitting a subscriber goal is an important achievement! Celebrate by sharing a post or story about it on Instagram, and let your followers know how they can sign up to become email subscribers too.
7. Try Instagram advertising
Instagram advertising can be incredibly effective in generating leads for your business and optimizing both traffic and conversion rates. But what if we told you your Instagram ads could link directly to your email list?
Use Instagram ads to retarget the people on your email list and encourage sales with specific product promotions. You can do this by importing subscriber emails to set up a custom Instagram audience. Your ads will target accounts that link to the email address you input.
If you’re looking for a way to bring more attention to your newsletter, you can use paid advertising for this too. Simply create an Instagram ad that directs users to an email signup page, and allow this to be your campaign objective.
Start Plann’ing for success
The best way to set your marketing strategy up for success is by planning ahead. We recommend using a tailored social media scheduling tool, where you can take control of your marketing and manage multiple platforms with ease.
Sound amazing? Sign up for a FREE 7-day trial of Plann Pro today!
