Many marketers who get into email marketing, start thinking should I start doing social media? Whereas who is doing social media, think should I do email marketing; this confusion is commonly seen with the digital marketers. There is always a confusing situation for marketers which channel should I prioritize: social media or email.
Are you stuck with the same question, or do you want an exact comparison for Email Marketing vs. Social Media Marketing?
Well! As my title already gives you a glimpse that I would be talking everything about both the terms. So, I would suggest sticking to this blog till the end to find out the difference between email marketing and social media marketing. Here, you will get the information regarding their pros, their cons, which one is superior, and much more.
In the end, you will get to know either pick one or both.
Highlights of Contents
Email Marketing vs. Social Media: Whom To Stick?
If you ask me about the debate over email marketing versus social marketing, what is your choice? The discussion is never going to end; it is all about how you are using it and when you are using it.
They both are completely different tools and serve completely different purposes. Here I am differentiating both the terms with points: privacy, one-on-one relationship, segmentation, conversion.
Privacy:
The email has some unique qualities that social media does not have, such as privacy and intimacy. So when someone subscribes to your email list, they are inviting you into their inbox. Whereas with social media, privacy is at risk.
You can make your social account private, your post private, comment section restricted, but you are limiting the public reach by creating your account private. Your reach will decrease; thus, your purpose of promoting your brand will fail.
One-on-one relationship:
Email shows a unique one-on-one relationship. You can start communication only when your subscriber has opted for it.
But communication over social media can be public, like commenting on the post, which is visible to almost everyone; in that comment, anyone can reply, which means it is no more one-on-one communication. However, you can also have a private chat too over social media if you invite people to talk to you on the chatbox.
Segmentation:
The third thing is segmentation; with the email, you can identify people based on their interests. But with social media identifying the interest and segmenting people is a bit difficult.
Conversion:
Another thing that makes email very different from social media is conversion.
For example, you post a donation link on Facebook; a hundred people have clicked on it saying yes, I want to donate, but only a few of them will complete that donation in reality. Similarly, when you send the donation using email, then in the count of hundred people approx 35-40 will donate and complete the transaction.
Further, the debate over SMM vs. email marketing will not end up by describing these 4 points. There are other points too that can help you in deciding which platform is best for you.
So, let’s have a better understanding of both the channels one-by-one. It will help you in preparing a stronger digital marketing strategy.
Email Marketing Is Much Better Option For Conversion Than Social Media!!
Social Media Marketing & Email Marketing: Have Glimpse Of Their Pros & Cons
Email Marketing Pros
86% of marketing professionals favor using email when communicating for business purposes.
1. Wider Reach To Potential Customer
When your concern is to reach potential customers, email marketing makes it possible. Email marketing helps you get genuine customers; thus, there is a maximum chance to convert the reach to lead. Besides, you have a better opportunity to personalize the email as per your subscriber needs. The practice of email will help you in achieving the goal much faster.
2. Maximum Click Rate
If your business is new and wishes to make it a big brand in a shorter period, then email marketing is the right choice.
Want to know why?
Suppose you share a post in a group of 50 people, and similarly, you send a mail to the 50 subscribers; who do you think will get the maximum click?
Obviously, an email will get more engagement because if you are using a catchy subject, then the click-through rate is high; but in the social sharing scenario, you might have the reach, but the chance of getting the comment or click on the link is less.
3. Higher Chances of Conversion
If you are a newbie in a business, email is an incredible option to increase the conversion rate; thinking how? Just send a personalized email to the prospect; it will do what you expect from the visitor. Design an email according to the action taken by your prospect over the website. It will help you in converting the visitor to the lead.
You can tailor your messaging and have it be received and accepted a lot more effectively.
4. Cost-effective & Economical Option
While talking about the economical option over the web to promote the brand, email marketing is top.
Reach your customer cost-effectively using any free email service provider such as:
- Gmail
- Outlook
- ProtonMail
- AOL
- Zoho Mail
- iCloud Mail
- Yahoo! Mail
- GMX
Thus it is the best option for those who have limited bandwidth and money in their pocket.
5. Boost ROI
Whether you are the owner of big companies or a small one, you want to increase your ROI, right?
Usually, the average ROI is $42 for every $1 marketer spends on email marketing. If you personalize the email’s subject, it can generate 50% higher open rates. Further, if you are sending three abandoned cart emails then you can receive 69% more orders than sending a single email. Besides, you are embedding Videos to your email, the click rates increase by 300%. (Source: Oberlo)
Email Marketing Cons
1. Slow Process
It takes time to build an email list. You cannot send an email to a random one; if you do so, you are just wasting your time besides your account getting suspended or blocked.
If your account is being reported as spam more often, then the email service provider will block your account. So, to avoid such mistakes, marketers have to devote time to prepare a list of the right audience. The reason why your promotional activities may get delayed until you find genuine and reasonable subscribers.
2. Higher Spam Rates
One of the most significant setbacks of email marketing is getting their mail marked as spam. The risk keeps increasing as the number of emails sent more frequently.
Social Media Marketing Helps In Brand Awareness In Much Better Way Than Email Marketing!!
Social Media Marketing Pros
1. Increased Brand Awareness
Social media is a far way better option to improve brand visibility. Since social media is not limited to Facebook, its scope is to other platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, which means you have broad bandwidth to promote your business.
Start creating your business account on these platforms; it helps you interact with more audiences, sponsors, and business partners. In this way, you create a more customer base, but it is directly dependent on implementing the right marketing strategy.
2. More Inbound Traffic
If you are not marketing your business on social media, your reach gets limited; you will rank with the same keywords you were ranking in the past.
Besides, your inbound traffic will go around loyal customers’ circles only. It will be difficult to reach outside people that means your customer base will not improve. Your social media profile opens the gate for a new customer; here, you can not only put a website link even with sharing posts, but new customers also get added to your customer base more often. Marketing on social media is a key to bring different categories of people, different gender, if people from all over the world.
3. Boost Search Engine Rankings
There is a proven result that social media plays a vital role in improving the ranking of websites. Since you are getting a wider opportunity to connect with a wider community, that means more and more people will know your business.
These people can help you improve the ranking, as while bringing your business to such platforms, you are also coming in front of influencers. You can convince these influencers to write about business and provide links, this way; you can keep building backlinks. That is how social media can help you in boosting search engine rankings.
Besides, your only job should be posting high-quality content. Once you do this practice regularly, you will start building more social media communities where followers will “like” and “share” your content.
Social Media Marketing Cons
1. Negative Feedback
Different people will reach your business; some can be genuine, some can fake. Similarly, for every post, you will get positive comments and negative comments too.
Sometimes, these negative comments can ruin your brand reputation in the market.
2. Low ROI
Another dark side of social media is low ROI; you have to put effort and money to return on investments constantly.
If you are putting some pieces of information or content regularly, you will notice a fall in followers count.
3. Difficult To Measure
It is more difficult to measure marketing effort over social media than other marketing channels. Someday your post will get better engagement, good likes, and good comments, but you might fail to see such results on another post. It is somewhere unpredictable and complicated to measure the marketing efforts on social media.
Final Words!
While talking about which one is best for us, email marketing vs. social media marketing? The quick answer to this is both. You need to do both, and here’s why:
- These are two completely different tools meant to be used for completely different things.
- Social media is relational; it is about people sharing your message and spreading the word of mouth open on the Internet.
- While email is transactional, it is very private, it is very intimate, it is one-on-one, and it is a way for you to segment-specific supporters.
But for all the online business holders, whether they have just started it or running over a long period, they should look for the opportunity to grow their business.
Rely On Both The Channel Email Marketing & Social Media Marketing For Better Results!!
FAQs
Q1: Is email marketing better than social media?
A1: The more fair answer would be both are equally important. As these are two different tools and their purpose of doing the activities are also different. You should rely on a single tool only; this will affect your business growth. Moreover, you should think about how you can use both the tools appropriately in marketing. Take your time and then develop a proper digital marketing strategy that has a blend of email marketing and social media marketing.
Q2: What is the difference between email and social media?
A2: If we encounter the difference between email and social media, it can directly relate it with a few points, such as:
- Email Marketing is a transaction, whereas social media is rational.
- You will receive the full audience’s attention through email than on social media.
- You can establish a one-on-one relationship more efficiently with email than with social media.
- Social media is hip, flexible, and fun – email doesn’t always have to be.
- Direct marketing and promotional efforts usually do better via email than on social media.
Q3: Does email marketing still work in 2021?
A3: If you have heard email marketing is dead in 2021, then you heard it wrong. Email marketing is still there and working as effectively as it was earlier. As per the Litmus research, it has been found that in the previous year, 2020, it was all about email, and again in 2021 will also rule all over.
Email marketing value will never end; it will stay in the present and the coming years.
