Lesson Four: Integrate social media with other marketing channels Social media works best when integrated with other channels. It opens the door for one-to-one connections with customers and prospects. When you invite people to contact you via the channel of their choice, they will. And, they spend more when they do. One test invited people to cross channels. The marketing message was consistent. The channels of choice were Twitter, Facebook, a blog, a website, and email. The control was customers who weren't participating in social media. We monitored the social media participants who were established customers. Over a three-month period, the customers who were active on social-media platforms but didn't cross over to the traditional marketing channels spent 34% more than the control. Customers who used a combination of social-media and traditional channels spent 52% more than the control. Takeaway: Encourage people to cross channels and recognize them when they do. They are your most valuable customers. Debra Ellis is a speaker, consultant, and author of the integrated marketing guide Social Media 4 Direct Marketers . She is the founder of Wilson & Ellis Consulting ( www.wilsonellisconsulting.com ) and can be reached via [email_address] .