With all the recent buzz on Social Media (SM) channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) one might think that this has sparked a major transition from traditional digital communication (email) to the newer SM platforms. Not true!
McKinsey reports that email is a significantly more effective medium to acquire customers than the social media options – “nearly 40 times that of Facebook and Twitter combined”. [“Why marketers should keep sending you e-mails” – January 2014]
Obviously this is not to say that you should be spamming your customers email accounts. And, there is a trend to an evolving greater popularity of the Social Media platforms for communication – at the expense of email. Investments in these new communication channels are an essential component for your current Digital Marketing Strategy. However, you should not just shift your marketing budget away from email to other platforms. Your optimized Inbound Marketing Strategy will be a judicious combination of the various options based on a) your current customer profile / demographics and b) the profile / demographics of your growth-target customers.
Approximately 70% of US email users ages 24 to 40 say they typically read their personal email throughout the day. Mobile plays an undeniable role in enabling consumers to check email from anywhere and at any time of the day. Similarly, Mobile also enables a more fervent use of Social Media platforms throughout the day as well. Hence, your optimized strategy should be leveraging a mix of communication platforms that is specific to your current business needs and future business growth objectives.