Social Media Marketing vs. Email Marketing – Is It One or the Other?

This comparison is tough. I don’t want to be biased because we all have our preferences. But is choosing one of these platforms a good idea? Let’s discuss.

On one side, you see that email can bring you $42 on each dollar spent. But compares to the outreach of social media, it looks tiny. For example, only Facebook has 2.8 billion monthly active users as of early 2021.

So a person who has seen a staggering ROI will tell you to put all your efforts into email marketing. And someone who just loves LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook would suggest you go hard on social media.

I’m going to give you my honest, unbiased opinion. It would be up to you to decide which platform suits you better.

Let’s compare these two big marketing channels.

​

Social Media Marketing Vs. Email Marketing

Email marketing is not dead.

And social media is ever-growing.

I had to clarify these two things before I move further because anyone who says these channels are worthless is lying.

You can use both these platforms to grow your business. The main difference is with email marketing: you own your list. But you do not own your followers on social media.

Although the no. of social media followers can be way higher than an email list, it is more complicated. For example, social media algorithms can be a barrier. This might mean that your audience don’t see your posts.

Imagine if you lost all your followers if your favorite social media shuts down one day? If you worked on another social media in that time or grew an email list, you might survive.

Let’s look at the comparison, social media marketing vs. email marketing in more detail.

Differences

The first difference lies in how people can reach you. On social media, people can find you as you have a public profile. People can also accidentally reach your page after a search. But also keep in mind that social media has too much crowd. This may force you to start running  ads, although it’s not the option for someone who has a tight budget.

The scenario is different in the email. You just have to write an email and send it to the right group of people. As you have taken users’ emails by their consent, they are already engaged.

On email, you can send text according to your needs. Because there’s is no algorithm, you don’t have to worry about things like paid ads. Tracking your performance is easier. One of the doubts you might have is your email not reaching users’ inboxes. For that, use a trusted email provider. Email is also great for customer retention.​

Similarities

You need to combine these two for an effective marketing strategy. They both have their differences. But if you combine social media’s ability to reach new people and email’s ability to keeping them hooked, you’d be better off.

Both these channels should be used for engaging customers.

Social Media Strategies for Email Marketers

Some marketers like email too much. If you are one of them, start using these tips to grow on social media:

Invite your email subscribers to social media.

Do you have a big email list? How about inviting them to one of your favorite social media like Twitter or Facebook? Give them the chance to follow you wherever they prefer.

Run a contest.

You can drive more followers to your social media using contests. Hold a contest like choosing the best product or giving a product suggestion. Include a link in the email that asks users to submit their answers on your social media. That way, they will get exposure to your presence on social media platforms.

Final Words on Social Media Marketing Vs. Email Marketing

The bottom line is that both these channels are important. Ignoring one might lead to some serious lost business.

Leverage both social media and email marketing. You might want to focus more on one than the other according to your needs.

Social media can help you get a good amount of followers.

With an email list, you can nurture leads and convert them slowly.

So after this long article, I can’t say that one is better than the other. You have to use both of them. Try them and see the results. You’ll eventually find one that brings more results for you.

What is your opinion on email vs social media? Please let me know in the comments below.