Use Social Media to Grow Your E-mail List and Increase Sales...Here's How:

Want another good reason to participate in social media? How about growing your e-mail list by thousands of new, relevant and enthusiastic opt-ins. Integrating social media and e-mail is all the rage, as 46% of marketers plan to do so this year, up from 13% last year, according to a recent study by ExactTarget, the Email Marketer's Club and the Center for Media Design at Ball State University.

Once you develop a relationship with folks interested in what you have to say on social media sites, it is easier to get them to sign up for your e-mail, which will enable them to transact with your brand.

According to several surveys I've seen in DMNews, Facebook fans and Twitter followers, it seems, buy more from e-mail offers than others. Now that's a compelling reason to get involved with social networks!

So how can you grow your list? There are many ways, but here's one I like:

First launch a social media campaign through your existing e-mail list, with a link that allows recipients to post your engaging offer to their Facebook page and retweet it on Twitter. Anything relevant and free generally works. Free drinks at your hotel, free upgrades, free food on Tuesday nights, free travel widgets...anything appealing.

To take advantage of the offer, Facebook/Twitter respondents will then create a mini profile on your site in order to have their personalized promotion code delivered through e-mail. By using a triggered e-mail to deliver the code, you'll be able to collect e-mail addresses and permission for ongoing e-mail communications from your new Facebook fans and Twitter followers.

In retail examples I've seen, opt-ins run extremely high from social media campaigns. One marketer, Papa John's Pizza, reported 130,000 new Facebook fans, using this approach...converting a whopping 75% of them to their e-mail list!

So marketers, use social networks to attract thousands of engaged fans and followers...then close the loop by getting them to subscribe to your e-mail offers. Another good way to monetize your social media efforts!