How to Combine SFMC and Social Media for Multi-Channel Email Marketing Success in 2025

So, you’re a digital marketer navigating the increasingly complex world of customer engagement in 2025. The days of single-channel strategies are long gone. Your audience is everywhere—scrolling Instagram in one tab, opening emails in the next, and ignoring anything that doesn’t feel tailor-made for them.

• You’ve mastered email campaigns in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC).
• You’ve got solid traction on social.
• But something’s missing—they’re not working together.

You’re juggling channels when what you really need is orchestration. A symphony, not a solo act. And in a cookieless, AI-first world, integrating email and social isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the secret sauce for real results.

This is where SFMC becomes your control center, allowing you to create email journeys that not only feel personal but sync seamlessly with your social media strategy.

In this guide, we’ll break down:

• What is SFMC?
• The evolving role of social media in the buyer journey 
• How to integrate SFMC with social media platforms 
• Final thoughts and best practices for successful integration 
• Wrapping up 

If you want to learn more about SFMC email marketing automation in lead nurturing, here is a handy ebook that will help you excel.

By the end, you’ll be equipped to lead the kind of multi-channel marketing that doesn’t just follow your audience—it meets them at every moment that matters.

Let’s connect the dots—and the channels.

What is SFMC?

Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) is an enterprise marketing automation platform that unifies customer data, AI-driven insights, and cross-channel execution.

Here are some of the key modules for 2025.

What role does SFMC play in it?

1. Customer Lifecycle Engine – From acquisition (social ads) to retention (personalized win-back campaigns).
2. Data Orchestration Hub – Unifies 1st-party data from CRM, social platforms, and IoT devices.
3. AI Personalization Powerhouse – Predictive content, send-time optimization, and micro-segmentation.

Now, let’s have a look at the evolution of social media marketing in the buyer’s journey.

The evolving role of social media in the buyer journey

From engagement to conversion, social media plays a crucial role in the buyer’s journey. There has been a sudden shift in 2025 social commerce,

too. Here are some astounding stats.

• TikTok/Instagram Shops: 44% of Gen Z discover brands via social commerce (eMarketer).
• LinkedIn B2B Sales: A typical B2B buyer is already 57% through the purchase process before reaching out to sales. (CEB News)
• YouTube Tutorials: Companies with interactive product demos report 2x higher conversion rates than those with static demos.

And how can we forget mentioning AI-driven social commerce that is reshaping audience behavior?

Here are the top trends that are currently circulating.

1. Chatbot Influencers
2. Predictive Social Listening
3. Micro-Influencer Networks

Now let’s take a look at the integration process of SFMC with multiple social media platforms one by one.

How to integrate SFMC with social media platforms

Here are quick and easy ways to integrate social media platforms with SFMC for multi-channel email marketing success in 2025.

1. Facebook and Instagram Integration

Step 1: Sync customer segments to custom audiences

It will be easier to retarget email subscribers with tailored social ads.

Here is the implementation process.

• In the SFMC Advertising Studio, export segments (e.g., “Abandoned Cart Users”) as CSV.
• Upload to Facebook Ads Manager as Custom Audiences.
• Create Lookalike Audiences to expand reach.

Pro tip: Use hashed email addresses for privacy compliance.

Step 2: Dynamic Product Ads (DPAs)

You can convert browsers into buyers with ease.

Here is the workflow to implement DPAs.

• Sync the SFMC product catalog with Facebook’s Commerce Manager.
• Trigger DPAs based on product views in emails and abandoned carts tracked via SFMC.

Step 3: Lead gen forms to SFMC

You can use tools like Zapier or Native Facebook Lead Ads Connector

Here are the steps you must follow.

• Connect Facebook Lead Ads to SFMC via API.
• Auto-enroll leads in a Welcome Journey (email + SMS).

1. LinkedIn Integration

Step 1: B2B retargeting with matched audiences

You can target decision-makers who engaged with emails.

Simply follow the steps below to integrate.

• Export SFMC segments (e.g., “Opened Pricing Email”) as CSV.
• Upload to LinkedIn Campaign Manager as Matched Audiences.
• Serve Sponsored Content like whitepapers or webinar invites.

Step 2: Professional content journeys

You can set up triggers for LinkedIn engagement (e.g., content download, profile view).

And SFMC will help you to –

• Send follow-up emails: “Liked our LinkedIn post on AI? Here’s the full guide.”
• Enroll in a nurture sequence with case studies.

Step 3: Multi-channel attribution

The setup process is simple.

• Install LinkedIn Insight Tag on your site.
• Use SFMC Datorama to track social-sourced leads for email conversion rates and email engagement for LinkedIn content shares.

1. TikTok and X ( previously Twitter) Integration

Step 1: Lead capture via TikTok Spark ads

You can convert viral viewers into email subscribers.

Here is the workflow you must follow.

• Run Spark Ads with lead gen forms (e.g., “Get the Trend Report”).
• Sync leads to SFMC via TikTok Lead Generation API.
• Trigger a 3-email series mirroring TikTok’s short-form style.

Step 2: AMP for email + social-style content

Here are easy steps to do it.

• Use SFMC Content Builder to design emails with vertical video thumbnails (TikTok-style) and hashtag-driven CTAs ( like “#GameChangerOffer inside”).
• Embed AMP components for in-email polls (mirroring X/Twitter engagement).

Step 3: Social listening to trend-based campaigns

You can use tools like Einstein Social Insights (SFMC) and Brandwatch for social listening.

Here is the workflow to help you out.

• Detect trending topics (e.g., #SustainabilityGoals).
• Trigger SFMC email blasts with relevant content.

1. YouTube Integration

Step 1: Video engagement to email nurture

You can convert video viewers into leads.

Here are the steps you must follow.

1. Track YouTube video views via Google Analytics 4.
2. Export engaged viewers to SFMC as a segment.
3. Send follow-up emails like, “Loved our YouTube demo? Get a free trial + expert setup.”

Step 2: YouTube + SFMC content synergy

• Embed YouTube videos in emails using HTML5 video players.
• Add time-stamped CTAs. For example, “Skip to 2:15 to see ROI proof!”

Final thoughts and best practices for successful integration

Here are some of the best practices suggested by experts that will ensure a smooth and seamless SFMC and social media integration.

1. Start with a channel audit. Identify overlapping audiences, inactive touchpoints, and integration gaps.
2. Align messaging across teams. Marketing, sales, and social teams should work from unified personas and journeys.
3. Leverage AI and automation. You can use Einstein AI to predict cross-channel behavior. And you can also automate dynamic content that aligns across email and social platforms.
4. Do not overdo it. You must balance frequency to avoid over-saturating your audience. You can also use journey exit criteria and suppression lists wisely.

Wrapping up

That brings us to the business end of this article, where it’s fair to conclude that combining SFMC with social media will give rise to new and advanced opportunities for your email marketing success.

The fusion of Salesforce Marketing Cloud and social media transforms disjointed campaigns into unified revenue engines. By aligning data, technology, and storytelling, brands can:

• Turn social buzz into loyal email subscribers.
• Retarget with surgical precision across channels.
• Drive measurable ROI through personalized journeys.

So, what will be your next move? Will you merge SFMC with social media channels? Or will you stick with the old, traditional ways of leveraging both these tools individually?

In case you make up your mind, here are some quick steps.

1. Audit – Map your current email-social integration gaps.
2. Pilot – Launch one campaign (e.g., Instagram → email cart recovery).
3. Optimize – Use SFMC analytics to refine your approach.

So, are you ready to unlock multi-channel growth?

Start your pilot today—your competitors already are.

Best tip – Use SFMC’s Journey Builder to automate these workflows, ensuring no lead falls through the cracks.

The ball is in your court now.