It seems like social media marketing receives a lot of attention today.
I guess that makes sense. Social media is kind of the new kid in town when it comes to marketing.
And as the Eagles sang:
Everybody’s talkin’ ‘bout the new kid in town
We’re still discovering a lot about social media. There are companies that are using social media to build audiences that buy things.
But email remains important.
People Use Email Daily
When it comes to mobile devices, 72% of people check their email daily.
In comparison, 64% of people check social media daily on their smartphones.
Those numbers are pretty close, but it’s still a bit surprising to see that email is the king when it comes to Internet users. And that continues to be the case even as more people use smartphones and tablets instead of computers.
Another study found that 226.6 million US Internet users will check email monthly this year while 173.2 million will logon to social networks.
Email ROI Is Easier To Track
Marketers love email marketing.
One of the reasons is that email ROI is a bit easier to track than the ROI for other online marketing channels.
When it comes to online marketing, email was the big winner when it came to proving ROI. For B2Bs, 66% could prove ROI with email. 44% could prove ROI in the B2C world. PPC was tops for B2Cs, but email was a close second.
That compares with only 17% (B2B) and 27% (B2C) for social media ROI measurement.
There is evidence that social media leads to sales, but it’s harder to track right now. Social media is typically an early interaction with potential customers. And when they’re on social media they’re not necessarily in the buying mood.
Email is Most Effective For Customer Retention
When it comes to retaining customers, email was found to be the most effective channel. 56% of respondents in a study said that email was the best for retention with social media coming in second at 37%.
Both channels are used for communicating directly with customers. But perhaps people are more likely to check an email in their inbox than they are to see an update shared by a company on social media.
Even Young People Prefer Email
Here is an interesting finding about young people.
When we hear about social media it’s often relating to how young people are hooked on it. They’re always checking Facebook and SnapChat for the latest updates.
But it turns out that when it comes to young people and retailers, email is the preferred channel for communication.
47% of Millennials would like retailers to contact them via email versus only 6% that prefer social media. When it came to researching products, Millennials also preferred to use search (45%) and email (18%) over social media (14%).
Don’t Give Up On Social Media
This is all not to say that social media isn’t a viable channel. It just has to be used in the right way.
In one recent study, the main reasons for social media engagement (why people connect with a brand on social media) is for brand awareness and news. Social is about building a community and getting to know each other.
Social is about the early stages of a relationship and that can be difficult to attribute back to the initial interaction.
For example, let’s say you ask your friend over for dinner. The text you send asking them over would probably get credit for the “conversion”.
But if you go back you could perhaps attribute the “conversion” to your first introduction to each other at a mutual friends party. After all, if you had never met you wouldn’t be having dinner.
Next Steps
The first step for you is to look at your email program. If you’ve been neglecting it in favor of other channels it might be time to go back and rearrange your investment dollars.
Businesses are using email because people are using email more than ever and it’s one of the best channels for getting return on your investment.
If you’re a retailer you can use this checklist to analyze your email program.
Email and social media both have a place in your marketing efforts. Both deserve investment, but if you’re looking strictly at the numbers then email might be the winner in the marketing effectiveness debate.
