It’s a little risky to take on social media these days, but here I go. Stay with me. Let me begin by saying that social media has its place, and you should use it if it makes sense for your business. But, when you are putting together your marketing budget, you should not put social media ahead of e-mail. Here’s why:
- More People Use E-Mail
Did you know that e-mail has nearly three times as many user accounts as Facebook and Twitter combined? That’s a whopping 2.9 billion users! Now, consider this: Facebook and Twitter combined make up just 0.2% of the number of e-mails sent each day – not including spam. By the same token, every web search made on every search engine every day equals just 1/100th of daily e-mail traffic. Process that for a minute.
Your prospects are more likely to see an e-mail over a post on social media or by doing an Internet search. And, an e-mail has the advantage of quickly arriving in the prospect’s in box, ready to be read and forwarded on to anyone else the prospect thinks may be interested, increasing your exposure and contacts.
Despite these convincing arguments in favor of e-mail, many marketers are still chasing the latest baubles and magic bullet, remaining clueless to the marketing powerhouse they already have at their fingertips. Smart marketers know e-mail is an essential and functional component of their marketing and sales systems.
- E-Mail Remains A Personal Medium
We all know that when it comes to effective marketing, you gotta keep it personal. E-mail is much more effective at this than Facebook. In general, business people don’t go to Facebook for private conversations. But, business people do open their Gmail and Outlook accounts to use their e-mail to communicate. E-mail is the first, best, and most powerful social channel that is very effective at keeping it personal.
- E-Mail Is The Medium Of Choice For Business
Of course Facebook, Twitter, and especially LinkedIn are all used to communicate certain business related messages. But, when it comes to building trust and communicating with business partners and prospects, e-mail is the business medium of choice.
- E-Mail Gets More Attention Than Any Other Medium
The bottom line is that you get more time with your prospects with e-mail. Why? Because when you use e-mail to make contact, you enter their mailbox. They are very likely to see it. And if it is worth reading, then you’ve achieved a very important marketing objective. It’s the first step toward building a business relationship that, in the B2B world, could last for decades.
- E-Mail Is A Deal Generator
E-mail primes prospects for the sale. What I mean is that we expect to buy things after getting an e-mail. We are more in a buying frame of mind. Unlike social media, where you go to chat and check up on friends, e-mail is a powerful environment for selling. You’re sending out messages, nurturing their interest, and catching them when they are ready to buy. E-mail is the most powerful medium in online marketing.
To learn more about how to use e-mail to grow your business, contact dstein@producersdigital.com
Digital Media Insider 