Ever wondered which approach would work best for your business- the direct nature of emails or the indirect nature of social media marketing? Let’s be honest, social media has not surpassed the benefits of email marketing by a long shot. Emails continue to have some inherent advantages over social media that businesses can’t ignore.
To say that joining the social media bandwagon would be a waste of time is not true. It has its own benefits but when pitched against email marketing, the latter is effective to a great extent in getting sales done.
Today, every marketer seems to be focusing on social media marketing. They are spending less time growing their emailing list and spending more time updating Facebook and Twitter pages, monitoring mentions and replying to wall posts. Not focusing on email marketing can be an expensive mistake that can cost sales. The key to success lies in balancing both and reaping maximum benefits of each marketing strategy.
- Facebook boasts of more than 1 billion active users on a monthly basis whereas Twitter boasts 255 million
- According to Radicati, in 2013, the total number of worldwide email accounts was 3.9 billion which is projected to reach 4.9 billion by 2017
In a nutshell, there are three times more email accounts than there are Twitter and Facebook accounts combined. According to marketing experts, organic reach on Facebook is merely 6-7% whereas open rates for email marketing messages are in the range of 20-30%. If you take these statistics into consideration, you will be surprised to know that your business message is five times more likely to be seen through emails rather than Facebook. So, which one should be the priority?
Is Email Marketing Difficult than Social Media Marketing?
Many marketers are of view that getting people to give you permission to email them is difficult compared to persuading them to like your Facebook page or become a Twitter follower. However, this isn’t true. Many customers prefer to get an email regarding the latest news about products, services or discounts rather than checking social media pages on a daily basis for updates.
What about ROI and Conversion Rate?
Irrespective of the growing popularity of social media channels, email marketing drives more conversions than any other marketing channel (including search and social). But there is no denying that while emails gets more conversions, social media plays a vital role in keeping prospects and existing customers engaged and informed on a day-to-day basis. Social media helps in establishing a direct connect whereas email marketing makes use of that connect to convert prospects into customers.
What will work best for your business?
The bottom line is- businesses don’t have to choose between email and social media marketing. The need is to recognize and utilize the value and benefits of both marketing strategies because both bring a lot to the table. While there are various benefits of adding SMM to your marketing toolbox, tossing out email marketing can prove costly for any business so, balance both for maximum benefits.
