There’s a debate going on within the marketing industry. The debate is between defenders of time tested email marketing and those defending the newer online strategy, social media. The question asked is: Which is actually better – email marketing or social media marketing?
The Analysis
Every modern marketer wants to know how to make the most out of the resources he has. There are many free and low cost options available. In many cases, using email marketing and social media marketing varies. Whether marketers utilize email, social media or both actually depends on the kind of industry they’re serving, as well as where the customer is at during his journey of purchasing.
One of the easiest ways to determine the channels that’ll work best for your business is to identify the pros and cons of each strategy. Generally with email marketing, it’s easy to do more with fewer resources. For example, if you only have 200 subscribers, you can still work on generating leads. That is its major advantage. On the other hand, one disadvantage is that you have to produce engaging content for such emails.
Social media marketing allows a company to easily obtain credibility towards their audience. People love to go online and look at certain brands currently active on social media. This is a way for the company to tell customers they are heard and they can easily get a response in real time. Social media focuses on conversations and social aspects of being online.
It really comes down to the objective of your company. For marketers of social media marketing, the goals might involve engagement, participation, education, producing advocates as well as connecting in a community. On the other hand, with email marketing you may be searching for subscriptions, gaining permissions, clicks-to-conversions as well as building customer anticipation. It’s very important to determine whether or not a specific platform meets the specific goals of the company.
The Future of Online Marketing
The strategy for the future is something that does not just focus on one aspect of marketing; rather, it is something that combines different channels. Current technology already makes it possible to see social feeds within emails, not to mention the fusion of mobile and email technologies. Soon we’ll be able to see the benefits of technology working together.
Weighing Your Options
Here’s a recap of both email marketing and social media marketing points to consider:
Email Marketing
- It’s possible to create more email accounts than social media accounts. This means that it’s possible to reach more people through email.
- With email marketing, you can expect higher click through rates. Thus, you can anticipate a better conversion rate than through social media.
- When individuals decide to subscribe or opt in to an email list, the message is already clear that they are asking for you to sell to them.
Social Media Marketing
- Indirect marketing completed through entertainment and education.
- It’s possible for content to be shared on different social media sites.
- It’s possible to run laser targeted ads and retargeting ads on Facebook, making it the best ad platform even for small businesses. Advertisements may be tightly targeted in order to get views from individuals who have already shown interest in the product and services that you offer.
What’s The Best Choice To Make?
Social media as well as email marketing offer tremendous benefits and can work synergistically together. It really comes down to what is your goal for your business. If you need help deciding what is best or need help to implement these strategies please contact us at Grafique so we can help you reach your goals.