Reach
The concept of reach is completely different between Social Media and Email. In social media we usually talk about “Potential Reach” to refer to the number of followers. That’s just the number of Page Likes (Fans) but your content only reaches a small fraction of that. Granted, email is only opened by a fraction of subscribers, but here’s the difference, the actual message will reach its destination, s/he then has the option to not read it.
Penetration
There are more than 3.2 billion email accounts today and by 2016 that number will reach 4.3 billion. 95% of online consumers use email and, 91% check their email at least once a day. Email is a business minded medium. It’s where people receive important and necessary information on a daily basis in order to preform their jobs correctly. With this in mind, its a no brainer that people are going to check their inboxes all day long. So why not throw your name into the mix? Your message is guaranteed to be delivered, unlike social sites where only a portion of your followers see your posts. Even if they chose not to read it, you succeeded by familiarizing them with your name.
Engagement
“Email” and “engagement” don’t exactly go hand in hand. However, you should consider that your audience can forward your email to friends, click on your links to view more information, access their personal accounts, update subscriptions, visit and read your blogs, post to your Facebook page and follow you on Twitter – all from one email you send out. Email marketing works more efficiently because you are sending out targeted messages to the right audience, which can be based on their preferences, location, local market conditions and other influences. Make sure you aren’t sending these from a no-reply address because that defeats the whole purpose.
Integration
The beauty of all this is that email and social media are intertwined. There are numerous benefits that come from sharing your social sites through your email marketing. One is connecting with your audience. Each social network allows you to connect with your contacts in a slightly different way. Another is to grow your email list. As more and more people receive your emails, the more chance you have of gaining new subscribers. This will also help extend the potential reach of your emails. As people share your emails, your brand gets more exposure and more potential for opens, clicks and conversions.
Mobile Access
Considering that email is the top activity on smartphones — ahead of browsing and even Facebook — you have a huge opportunity to reach people with your email marketing messages via the devices they are using most often. Litmus observed that 66% of Gmail messages are opened on mobile devices. When it’s obvious that over half of your consumers are using these devices, Email becomes the perfect marketing tool to grab their attention with. In order for this to be the most effective, make sure your content is mobile friendly!
Make it your own
Emails are a blank canvases. You have the opportunity to engage your clients by making personalizes suggestions that will benefit them moving forward. Every promotion, news update, reminder, etc. can be personalized based on their preferences, location, local market conditions and more. To top it off, take advantage of the opportunity to create a signature look and tone of voice to your messages. This consistency will help your customers begin to develop an idea of the brand image you’re trying to create.
