66% of B2C Marketers Rank Email Above Social Media for Acquisition

Consumers may have gone ga-ga over social media but it does not mean that advertisers can afford to turn their backs completely on customer engagement methods that have stood the test of time.

In this particular case I’m referring to e-mail and, judging from a couple of new reports, even in the age of Facebook and Twitter the majority of UK advertisers still prefer e-mail to social media and, what’s more important, they continue to find it effective.

The first publication, which contains the findings of a survey conducted by SkyIQ and reported by eMarketer. According to the study, e-mail ranked third among the most popular channels used by B2C marketers in September 2011, on 66%. This placed it ahead of social media, which scored 45%. Online, website and search engine optimisation topped the list with 76%, followed by print advertising on 71%.

But just as ignoring well-tried methods would be irresponsible marketing behaviour, so would a disregard for the constantly changing digital landscape and the potential of new channels.

According to the Email Marketing Buyers’ Guide 2012 by Econsultancy, e-mail remains on a growth trajectory at present but its success in the future will depend on it becoming a component of an integrated marketing campaign.

According to Econsultancy, social media should be an integral part of such comprehensive initiatives. In case marketers need some figures to convince them, Econsultancy notes that click-through rates can jump by as much as 115% if social elements such as sharing buttons are incorporated into e-mail.