Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz said there is no place like home, I’ll say there is nothing like an email campaign. Sure in the wonderful world of social marketingyou can tweet, post or otherwise get your message out on the web in real-time, but can it actually replace your online newsletters? I think not.
To illustrate my point I have 3 pretty darn good reasons why you should keep up email campaigns:
1) Social Media is limited in reach. Wait, before you start a big argument about how social media is reaching millions of people and everyone you know is on Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn or Google Plus, and so on, let me explain. You may have 100 friends on Facebook, but when you post your status online, not all 200 friends will see it on their news feeds. In fact, only 16% do on average. Just 16 people, and which 16 people get to see it is not up to you, but up to an algorithm within Facebook’s software. When you send out your email to the 100 people on your email list, however, as long you have a clean list, you can bet 100 people will get the message.
2) Your list is YOUR list. It’s the people who specifically requested to hear about you and your business and your updates and your news. When they click thru and read your articles, you know they are interested. They are more engaged in you and your business, and more likely to buy from you or recommend you to others.
3) Email Newsletters allow you to establish and build your brand. When you send out your articles you have a chance to establish yourself as a “thought leader” (buzzword alert!) or otherwise described as an expert in your industry. Your writing, the tone, the content, the images, they all work together to give your readers a feel for who you and your business are and why they need to stay in your circle. A quick social media blurb just doesn’t command the same respect.
So before you cancel that Constant Contact subscription or shove that email list to the bottom of your virtual shelves, think twice. Newsletters, both online and off, have been essential tools for marketing, branding, and lead generation for many, many years. And a few sparkly and exciting social media sites can’t change that.
