In today’s modern, digital world, it is crucial to capture your audience’s attention and build good relationships with them.
This is where email marketing and social media marketing (SMM) come in handy.
Both of these are very powerful tools which make it difficult for us to choose the right one for us.
But fear not! This article will serve as your guide in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of both contenders here, as well as help you pick the right one to achieve your marketing goals.
Before diving in deeper, there is one thing we all must understand and that is our audience.
WHO ARE WE TRYING TO REACH?
It is extremely important to identify our customers. Are they tech-savvy individuals who scroll through Instagram on a daily basis, or are they busy professionals who simply rely on their inboxes for updates?
Knowing your audience’s demographics, their interest, and online habits can be helpful for you.
The next most important step is to have a basic understanding of what email marketing and social media marketing actually are.
§ EMAIL MARKETING
Email marketing involves sending targeted messages directly to a list of subscribers who themselves have opted-in to receive your emails. It is more like a personalized note that is delivered straight to your audience’s digital doorstep, which is their inbox.
§ SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
On the other hand, as the name tells us, social media marketing leverages the power of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and connects with a broader audience as compared to email marketing.
It works by sparking conversations, building communities, and creating a buzz around your brand.
Now that we know that both of these marketing methods are entirely different from one another, similarly, their reach and engagement are also different. Let’s get to know more about it in detail.
REACH AND ENGAGEMENT: EMAIL MARKETING VS SMM
EMAIL MARKETING:
Beginning with email marketing, it has a more targeted nature. Unlike social media, you send personalized content directly to a list of subscribers who have shown interest in your brand.
This targeted approach allows you to segment your audience, meaning dividing your email list into separate groups based on their demographics, interests, or their purchase history. Segmentation also ensures that your emails are relevant and engaging.
Once your email list has been segmented, it will eventually lead to higher open rates. Another plus point is that people who are on your email list have themself opted-in to receive your emails, this means there is a higher chance of them opening your email as compared to any generic social media post.
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING:
Social media on the contrary has a wider reach. It has billions of users worldwide and enables you to connect with a vast audience. However, things are not as easy and simple as they look.
The number of people who see your posts without paying (Organic Reach), has been declining now. This is where social media management (SMM) tools like Buffer and Hootsuite step in to help you!
These platforms can help you schedule your posts, track and analyze engagement, and even run targeted ads so that your message reaches the right audience.
However, this is not all! It is not only about how many people the message can reach, it is also about fostering engagement.
You want your audience to not just see your message but also respond by commenting, answering questions, etc and for that, you need to plan your strategies accordingly.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN CONTENT?
EMAIL MARKETING:
Keep in mind that emails focus on delivering targeted content. Here are some popular types of email content:
- Newsletter: it is like your personal news update channel. Its purpose is to keep your audience informed about all the company news, industry trends or any informative articles related to your field.
- Promotions: it is just what you think it is! Promotions are those emails that contain any special deals or discounts, which can boost your sales.
- Abandoned Cart Reminders: at least once or twice, you all must have received this email. These emails are to give a gentle reminder to our customers about the products they have left behind in their cart.
- Welcome Emails: it is the first email new subscribers receive from the company or brand they have subscribed to. Welcome emails introduce the brand, and sometimes also offer special incentives to keep the customers engaged.
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING:
On the contrary, social media is suited for the fast-paced world. Here is how it differs from email marketing:
- Images: as it is said, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’. Living in a fast-paced world of social media, good-quality images are the key to grabbing people’s attention.
- Videos: similarly, people are also impressed by videos. A good video that showcases your brand or tells people your brand story is also an effective way to keep the audience engaged.
- Live Streams: these live sessions like Q/A sessions, product launches, etc are the best for real-time engagement with the audience to build a stronger connection with them.
- User-Generated Content (UGC): this is something that can immediately grab attention of literally anyone scrolling through social media! You encourage people to use your product and then make their own content with it.
Click here to find out more about UGC.
In short, social media focuses on visually appealing and engaging content whereas emails are more targeted and personalized.
HOW CAN YOU TRACK YOUR AUDIENCE’S RESPONSE?
EMAIL MARKETING:
Delivering emails is not the only task to accomplish. It is more about understanding how your audience interacts with it. Here are some important email marketing metrics to track:
- Open Rates: in the simplest words, open rate refers to the number of people who have opened your email. A higher number indicates success whereas if it is low then you need to improve your email structure.
- Click-Through Rate (CTRs): similar to the open rate which tells us the number of people who opened your email, click-through rates tell us the number of people who click on the link in your email. A higher number tells us that the email content is engaging while a lower number tells us the opposite.
- Conversion Rate: after people open the link they are supposed to sign up or complete a desired action, the conversion rate tells us the number of people who have done it after opening the link.
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Moreover, Email Analytics Tools are like a secret weapon for you. They can help you track the exact number of people who have done each step. This way you get to know if your audience is finding your content interesting or do you need to improve.
To find some of the best email analytics tools, click here.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
While social media seems like a popularity contest, let me tell you it is more than that. Here are some social media metrics you need to keep an eye on:
- Followers: it is not important to just keep increasing the number of followers, but what is important is that you attract followers who are genuinely interested in your brand.
- Likes, Shares, and Comments: these metrics indicate engagement. The more people engage in your content, the more people enjoy it.
- Brand Mentions: it means how many people talk about your brand online. The higher the number of brand mentions, especially if it is on a positive note, the more your brand becomes famous!
Additionally, you also have multiple Social Media Analytics Tools for tracking these metrics and measuring your return on investment (ROI). These tools make it easier by providing valuable insights into your audience’s demographics, content performance, and even campaign effectiveness.
This data then helps you to improve your social media strategies and maximize engagement to achieve your goals.
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Find more about social media analytics tools from here.
CAN EMAIL MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING BE COMBINED?
We all can agree that email marketing and social media marketing are very powerful tools on their own, but using them together is a winning strategy. Here is why:
- Reaching a Wider Audience:
Since social media has a vast reach, you can make use of it to spread the word to a wider audience and spark interest. Email marketing will then enter as the nurturing expert and will convert those intrigued individuals into loyal subscribers.
- Building a Community:
As social media allows us to engage with customers in real-time, and understand their interests, therefore, you can compose your email content accordingly. This two-way communication fosters a sense of connection and community around your brand.
- Creating Hype:
You can broadcast any exciting news regarding your brand, any promotions, or exclusive content teasers on social media platforms. Doing this you will get to know who is interested in your content and who is not.
Then, you directly email those details directly to the interested people.
Here’s an example for a better understanding of how you can combine them:
- You can use a social media video to introduce a new product
- Include a call to action (CTA) in your video description to encourage viewers to subscribe to your email list for exclusive deals and discounts.
- Once your audience has subscribed, you can then send them targeted emails with more details about the product, and personalized recommendations based on their social media activity.
IS SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING BETTER THAN EMAIL MARKETING?
So far we have learned about email marketing and social media marketing and the different areas they both excel in. Let’s have a quick recap:
| FEATURES | EMAIL MARKETING | SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING |
| STRENGTHS: | – Targeted communication, – Permission-based – High conversion rates – Detailed analytics | – Broad reach – Brand awareness – Community building – Real-time engagement |
| WEAKNESSES: | – Limited organic reach – Relies on email lists – It can be perceived as spam | – Organic reach decline – Algorithm dependence – Limited control over content spread – Can be time consuming |
| IDEAL USES: | – Nurturing leads – Exclusive content promotion – Driving sales – Building customer relationships | Lead generation Conversation sparking Website traffic driving Brand visibility increase |
Thus, we cannot declare any one of them as the winner. Both of them are the best depending on your specific marketing goals and targeted audience.
SOME SMM TOOLS SUGGESTIONS
Social Media Management (SMM) Tools are your trusty sidekicks when it comes to managing multiple platforms and staying consistent. Here are some popular SMM tools:
- BUFFER
Buffer has a user-friendly interface and is the ideal choice for beginners or those new to social media management tools.
Strengths:
- It excels at content scheduling, you can plan your social media posts across various platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
- It also provides basic analytics to track your post’s performance.
Weaknesses:
- As compared to its competitors, Buffer offers a basic set of features.
- It has a limited free plan meaning that it has limitations on the number of accounts you can connect and the number of posts you can schedule.
- HOOTSUITE
Hootsuite goes beyond just scheduling, it has much more features to offer including team collaboration, in-depth analytics, etc.
Strengths:
- It consists of powerful features for the management of complex social media campaigns.
- Secondly, it allows you to track your brand reputation, collaboration feature for managing multiple users, and in-depth reports about your social media campaigns.
Weaknesses:
- Because of the features it contains, it can be a bit overwhelming for beginners.
- It is expensive making it difficult for smaller businesses or individuals to afford it.
- SPROUT SOCIAL
Sprout Social provides powerful tools for managing comments and messages across platforms while also offering social listening features to identify brand advocates and influencers.
Strengths:
- It focuses on social media engagement therefore it is ideal for fostering conversations and building communities.
- Provides analytics to track engagement metrics and also measure ROI.
Weaknesses:
- It can be expensive for small businesses who are just starting out with social media engagement.
- Although it integrates with major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, it might not cover some of the newer platforms such as TikTok or Pinterest.
- LATER
Later excels at scheduling and publishing visually appealing content.
Strengths:
- It is designed for visual content management and is ideal for Instagram and Pinterest marketing.
- Enables you to schedule posts for later.
- It offers features for managing user-generates content (UGC) and collaborating with influencers.
Weaknesses:
- Later is a great tool for Instagram and Pinterest though it might not be as good for other social media platforms.
- It does not have a lot of fancy editing features that you might need.
- Though it offers a free plan but to try better features you will require a paid subscription.
HOW CAN YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT SMM TOOL?
Always remember that the best SMM tool for you is the one that is according to your specific needs and budget. Always consider:
- The number of social media profiles that you have to manage
- The features that you need like scheduling, analytics, etc
- Your team size and collaboration needs
Not to forget, SMM tools are valuable assets, however, they’re not magic wands. Therefore, while using these tools you also need to put in extra effort to achieve the desired goal!
