Email Marketing in a Social Media World

Email marketing has been a valuable tool for years. Will it continue to perform in a world that is dominated by social media? We believe the answer is a resounding yes! Email newsletters continue to offer unique benefits that you just can’t get through the various social media challenges. Today we look at those benefits to see how businesses can use email in effective and productive ways.

Email vs. Social Media

Of course, there’s really no fight here. A successful marketing campaign will combine various channels to maximize ROI, but there is value in finding the benefits of email when compared directly to social media. Let’s take a look:

• Exclusivity: Social media is social – and that can be a good thing. But not every communication should be left open for public comment. Email provides a venue to have private and exclusive communication with your audience. Good email newsletters create feelings of belonging – use that to your benefit.
• Focused Attention: Social media is a busy world. Making email a quiet sanctuary by comparison. When you posting to social media, you run the risk of getting lost in the crowd. But an email sits in a customer’s inbox until they have the time and desire to read it. You don’t have to compete against a thousand voices at once!
• Direct Reach: Emails go directly from your business to your customers. When using social media, there’s a third party between you and your audience. Factoring social media algorithms into your marketing efforts limits your reach, slows down the process, and puts your fate in the hands of someone else.

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying you should avoid social media. But I am saying that abandoning email marketing for a purely social campaign is a mistake. Now that we’ve looked at the ways email is unique, let’s look at how to capitalize on that uniqueness for your benefit.

Email Strengths

Email marketing is more exclusive, more focused, and more direct than social media. So, how do we as marketers use that to our advantage? We foster the exclusivity, capitalize on call to action opportunities, and personalize for the recipient.

• Foster Exclusivity: Make your recipients feel like they’re getting something special – not just another email you blasted out to ten thousand people. To accomplish this, consider personalization (name, interests, products, etc.) and offering real value (sales, discounts, education, etc.).
• Call-to-Action: When customers are ready your email, you have their full attention. So, spend some time perfecting your calls-to-action to make the most out of that undivided attention.
• Personalize: You’re reaching directly into customer’s inboxes – don’t be generic. Make them feel special with personalization of their name, their interests, and the products they have viewed.

The days of sending the same email to every subscriber at the same time are long gone. Today’s email marketing requires us to think beyond the basics and capitalize on the unique strengths of email as a channel.

Modern Email Marketing

Email marketing continues as an economical channel that delivers a strong ROI – but only if you’re willing to use it in the right ways. At Fusion Group USA, we love tinkering with our marketing so we know what works and what doesn’t. From personalization to full automation, we can help you set up an email campaign that plays to the channel’s strengths – growing your reach, engagement, and bottom line all at the same time. Contact us today to learn more!