Hey there. This is the third post in a five post series titled ‘Top Five Email Marketing Myths’. We’re counting down and today’s myth is…
“Social networks are more important than email”
Honestly I’ve not been fast to jump on the ‘social media marketing’ bandwagon. In fact, I still use my Facebook account for personal use only and I’ve even gone so far as to cancel my account at one point.
Why? Because sometimes I just can’t shut up!
When I get sites like Facebook, Twitter, MSN and, if we go wayyy back, ICQ (remember that chat program with the ‘uh-oh!’ notifications?) I can spend hours upon hours upon hours chatting aimlessly away.
And facebook – oh boy! You can spend hours just browsing through pictures, reading statuses, starting conversations or chatting with your friends.
Yes this IS relationship building. What is usually ISN’T is the most productive use of the limited time we all have available in a day. You can only say ‘but you can’t measure ROI on relationships’ before you go broke, right?
So, yes, I’m still on facebook (I have a fanpage here <-- Like Me! 
). And, yes, I do enjoy being social. And, yes, I think social media has it’s place but it’s no where near in the same category as having a highly responsive, targeted email list.
Let’s do up a little comparison chart, shall we?
| Email Marketing | Facebook, Twitter and the Like... | |
|---|---|---|
| Does your message get delivered in a private manner, personalized to the recepient? | YES | NO |
| Can you track your clicks, opens and sales? | YES | NO |
| Can you get instant feedback from your market? | NO | YES |
| Are users generally open to marketing messages via this format? | YES | NO |
| Are you limited in the amount you can write in one message? | YES | NO |
A note on some of the points in that list (and some not on the list):
Messages Delivered - When you use email marketing and you use a good program like Aweber to deliver your emails you are pretty-much guaranteed that your targeted people will lay eyes on it. Even if they delete your email without opening they saw who it was from and you got branding exposure. With social media sites such as facebook and twitter you never know who is actually reading your messages.
Trackable – I know the social media experts out there will be screaming out “IT’S NOT ABOUT RETURN ON INVESTMENT!!!’ but I disagree. It’s important to know if what you are doing is working and if you have no way to track it you really won’t know if your time is completely wasted or if it’s being invested in the right places. Email allows you to track clicks, opens and even sales – social media does not.
Instant Feedback – One of the things social media does well is giving you feedback from your market in a matter of minutes. Usually email is much slower in this regard and often people just don’t take the time to email back. Tweets and facebook posts are easier to respond to quickly.
Mindset – You’ve really got to consider the mindset of the user in each setting. When you go to your email you expect more ‘professional’ messages, including emails from vendors who sell you stuff. It’s generally quite acceptable to send marketing messages via email and subscribers are open to this as long as you provide value. By contrast, facebook was created for college students to socialize. One social media site that is an exception is LinkedIn as it was established with the intention to be a social network for professionals so the mindset of the network is very different from the site designed to be a place to look for hot chicks.
Restricted – With email you are not limited to a certain number of characters but on many social networks you are.
Social Media is GOOD, Email is GREAT!
I’m not trying to talk you out of using social networking or social media, at all. In fact I highly recommend you include it in your overall marketing plan because it can deliver good results if done without wasting the day away. What I am suggesting is that you think twice about giving social networking priority over email marketing on your list of things to do.
Angela
p.s. If you missed the first two myth’s here they are:
Myth #5 – If I email too much, they’ll unsubscribe.
Myth #4 – Double Opt-Ins Are Bad For Business.
p.p.s. If you’d like to sign up for Email List Mojo here’s a special coupon code you can use to save $20: email
Twitter: christinalemmey
says:
Love this series Angela! And I totally agree with you on the social media argument. Whenever I get on there I get distracted and then before you know it, an hour has gone by (or more!) I really don’t understand how people seem to be logged in day and night, having conversations. How do they get work done?
Congratulations on your 500 blog posts! That is an amazing achievement! I used to blog haphazardly back in the days when I treated my business like a “hobby” and not a real business. As I learned more and more from you, I actually put myself on a schedule to blog a minimum of once a week and I’ve been doing that since the beginning of the year. I’m upping that to twice a week now.
In regards to Social Media, I have mixed feelings. For instance, one of my clients from Australia just posted a blog about a teleseminar series that was going on and because I saw her post I got on the call and it was truly amazing! I’ve never heard of this woman before and if I had not seen her post on Facebook I would not have connected with this woman hosting the teleseminar. In fact, I just became an affiliate for her and plan to promote one of her upcoming events because I really connected with her message.
So I think it is good to post events and information about your business because you never know when someone will be scanning the posts and “click” and “connect”! I don’t spend a lot of time on FB, Twitter or LInked in, but when I have an upcoming event to promote, I do. And it works. For instance, I was promoting your last WordPress e-course on FB when my best friend who I’ve known since I was 5 years old who lives 350 miles away signed up. She’s not on my email list by the way. In summary, post things that are important and don’t let social media be a distraction from your business or your life purpose. ~ Michelle Kulp, the 6-Figure Woman Coach
Twitter: ECOVAca
says:
I Like your post, and “liked it”
Hi Angela,
I’m not sure whether email marketing or Social Media sites are better.
I think Social Media sites have there place for generating exposure of your business to a wider audience. But if you have good relations with your list email is better – but I’m finding I’m willing to spend less time reading emails now. Even if the content from the senders is good (which is usually the exception, rather than norm I find these days).
I also think Mobile Marketing is going to be another great way to communicate your message to people – although SMS messages are limited to about 160 chars like Twitter.
But time will tell which is the main winner
Great post Angela and I’m sure your Email List Mojo course will be as indepth and clearly explained, as all your other courses have been.
All the best,
Dave (UK)