Electronic Direct Marketing and Social Media are on a collision course like no other. In fact they’ve already started to merge big-time. You’re a net-savvy user of blogs and forums. You’re using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, you’ve got your custom RSS feed cranking out the relevant day-to-day news articles, and you’re subscribed to a bunch of industry newsletters. Sometimes it’s a newsletter, sometimes it’s video, sometimes it’s just a quick link. The fact is, it’s all social media, and it’s all EDM. All at once.

The problem, of course is that this scenario – while a brilliant opportunity for low-cost, targeted marketing – it’s a tricky business standing out from the other fifteen newsletters or alerts that your clients are receiving that morning. The fact is that handled incorrectly – social media marketing can be its own worst enemy – some Bloggerati are already commenting on how this is occurring wholesale.

It’s overwhelming to say the least! Just today I saw a blog that had no less than 18 options for sharing, tweaking, twittering or commenting in different ways. Frankly, it was an epiphany. We’ve reach a critical mass with everything trying to be EDM, Social Media and RSS feed all at once. How can you stand out when there’s total overload on options to maximise the impact of Web 2.0 ?

Well, it’s not as hard as it seems. Sticking out means tapping into the rich media possibilities of video & flash content. One simple, clear, dynamic message will have greater impact than the standard HTML format multi-message newsletter or feed. That’s why we created an interactive, peer-to-peer Flash application (we call it Cardluv). It’s customisable for brands to use for Christmas Cards, coupons (75% of respondents to an AdNews survey said they would use email coupons on or offline), or whatever promotional needs you can muster.

For a cost-effective marketing solution that saves time and paper – look no further – the flexibility means it incorporates all the benefits of video and rich, dynamic content into a simple opt-in delivery system. It’s a totally unique application that puts you ahead of the pack. For a free demo check out www.cardluv.com.

Ask us how this can cut costs on your Christmas Cards mail-out this year! Cardluv is an exclusive service developed by the StudioEmotion team. Watch this space over the next few weeks for more tips on tracking & monetising your social media strategy.