In June, Facebook revealed the Lead Ad that will simplify the sign up process by automatically populating contact information, like your email, from Facebook profiles. However, these ads aren’t available to all advertisers yet. For brands chomping at the bit, here are some alternative methods and best practices for successful email acquisition on social.Use Existing Ad TypesTypically, Facebook leads the way in advertising enhancements, but when it comes to email acquisition, Twitter revolutionized the space with their Lead Generation Card back in May 2013. Similar to the new Facebook Lead Ad, a person’s contact information is pre-populated into the card. The person can then easily submit their information with just one click. The emails are then saved in Twitter Ads to be exported, or it can be set up so that all incoming leads are automatically updated into your CRM system.However, in a recent test, Socialtyze found that the cost per email from Facebook Link Ads was 17x less expensive than Twitter Lead Generation Cards. When a person clicked on the Link Ad, they were driven to a lead form where they would input their information. With Facebook already being a more cost efficient platform, one can expect the new auto-populated Lead Ads to be a real game-changer for email acquisition.Leverage Data for Smarter CampaignsFacebook and Twitter Custom Audience ad targeting capabilities allow you to upload your current email list of subscribers and target people who are similar to those who already subscribe. This Lookalike targeting yields better results than Interest based targeting alone.Additionally, utilize tools that can provide you with insights about your current email subscribers and use those insights to run a smarter acquisition campaign. Facebook Audience Insights allows you to see the demographic make-up of your current email subscribers, what Pages they like, their locations and language preference, Facebook usage and off-site purchase activity. By knowing who your current subscribers are and what they like, you can write tailored copy and use affinity-based targeting to acquire new emails at a lower cost.Apps and SweepstakesIf you want a more engaging and creative way to acquire emails, you can always create an app that will collect a person’s email before they can play or run a sweepstakes to incentivize people to submit their emails.

We partnered with Southern Living to create an identity quiz that would measure “How Southern Are You?” However, before someone could even play, they had to authorize the application, thus giving permission to share their email. As a result, 400,000 emails were collected. With the growing popularity of identity quizzes, this not only is an effective way to gather emails, but it also created an opportunity to reward consumers with an engaging social experience.Additionally, hosting a Pinterest sweepstakes is a great incentive for people to sign up. Using a microsite, people could fill out a form with their Pinterest name and email address for a chance to win complimentary gift cards. This proved to be a huge driver for collecting emails, as half of all entrants opted in to receive emails from the brand.Although some might view Social as a new player for CRM, it has actually been offering unique and effective methods for years. Now that you have all the means in front of you, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be actively using your social sites as part of your CRM strategy.Want more tips and tricks for how to dominate social this year with Data, Creative and Amplification? Download our 2016 Social Media Survival Guide.