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Email vs. Social Media: What’s the Best Way to Communicate with Your Customers?

by
Megan Thorp
December 22, 2020

With more than 4.3 billion internet users worldwide, almost 80% of these users have social media accounts, equating to approximately 5.5 social media accounts per user. That’s massive! However, not all traditional digital marketing channels have been replaced with social media, for instance, email marketing. Let’s have a comparative look at both SMM and email marketing regarding usage by age demographics.

Social media marketing (SMM) is thriving, but so is email marketing. In light of ever-changing digital marketing trends, marketers are worried about which channels are most promising for their business. So let’s explore data driving the biggest results for businesses.

Which Medium Has Better Reach & Engagement?

Surprisingly over the years, social media engagement rates have declined (down to 0.58%). Social media channels are now prioritizing content that is backed with cash. Meaning, to keep your targeted audience connected to your posts and social pages, you have to invest money into your content. Even though 3.2 billion people use social media, your organic content’s potential reach is minimal. In fact, your posts only reach around 6.4% of your total followers on Facebook. On the contrary, email reaches approximately 85% of your mailing list, assuming your contacts are validated.

On average, email marketing has an almost 23% open rate across all sectors, giving your message a five times greater chance of visibility compared to Facebook content.

Which Medium Has Better Sales Conversions & ROI?

According to email marketing experts, 44% of users check their emails daily for a discount from the brands they follow. Out of these discount-checking-users, 60% used that email to complete an online purchase. In contrast, only 4% of users rely on Facebook for information on their favorite brands’ promotional offers. And for paid social media ads, only 12.5% of users convert on call to action buttons (CTA). Does this mean brands and businesses should give up on social media? Absolutely not.

Creating a Winning Multi-Channel Strategy

Eliminating SMM to focus entirely on email marketing is not an effective long term strategy. Although the previously mentioned performance results signal more support for email marketing, social media is an effective medium for growing relationships with existing and new customers, in addition to developing a brand’s digital presence. Through a multi-channel marketing approach, businesses can stay in front of users throughout the day. Whether you are focused on brand awareness, lead generation, or retargeting existing users, Winnow Pro Digital Marketing has the AI-powered insights to drive your digital marketing strategy. Visit our Contact Us page to schedule a free consultation today and learn how we can help revamp your marketing strategy in two weeks or less.

Sources:

Advertisemint. Email vs. Social Media Marketing. Understanding how they intersect. February 21, 2020.

Campaign Monitor. Which is Better: Email Marketing vs Social Media.

OptinMonster. Email Marketing vs. Social Media: Is there a clear winner? December 19, 2019.

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