Posted by Mike Sachoff

More marketers plan to integrate their email campaigns with social media in 2009, according to new a survey from Ball State University, the Email Marketer’s Club and ExactTarget.

In 2008, 13 percent of email marketers surveyed attempted to grow their email programs through the use of social sharing links included in email messages. This number is set to explode in 2009 with 46 percent of marketers planning to use social sharing capabilities in the coming year, representing a 367 percent increase of email marketers planning to integrate with social media.

The survey offered several tips for those who are considering integrating social media within their email marketing programs.

1. Currently, there are very few established best practices, so trying new things is the key to learning what works and what doesn’t.

2. Consumers are sensitive to “marketing speak”; therefore, stay away from traditional marketing lingo and focus on relevance and authenticity.

3. Social networks represent a distinct audience and mindset. As a result, organizations should think about this medium differently than traditional marketing channels. Develop unique strategies specifically for social networks, keeping in mind that users engage in each network differently.

4. Consider broadening your definition of success. Traditional direct marketing metrics are not necessarily a good measure of success in social media.

Integrating social media into your broader marketing program should be an ongoing effort. Marketers looking to expand their email programs through social media in the months ahead should keep this top of mind. While some marketers will undoubtedly see success by simply enabling subscribers to use social sharing tools, the larger opportunity is to start leveraging existing email subscribers to help build out online communities.

About the Author: Mike is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.