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Is Facebook Killing Off Email Marketing?

Written by - 21 Comments
Categories: Facebook, Facebook Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Marketing

The quest for any digital marketer is to get ideas and content to spread whether that is a video on YouTube, update on Facebook or a blog post.

Before the rise of social media and Facebook one of the most efficient ways to spread your brand message organically on the web was to use email marketing and central to this marketing tactic was capturing emails on your website or your blog.

One of the most efficient ways to capture emails is to give something away for free such as access to “unique content” in return for the privilege of them providing their email address. You keep it simple and ask only for a first name and for an email for receiving a free whitepaper, ebook or even a video Twitter tutorial.

How To Build Your Email List

Social Media Examiner do this well and and this email list building acquisition strategy continues to be very successful for a lot of companies.

How to get more email subscibers for your blog

The rise of Facebook, Twitter and other social networking platforms are challenging the traditional methods of messaging with Facebook announcing a “Modern New Messaging System” and even major brands such as Ben&Jerry announcing that they will will no longer be emailing but “Facebooking”  updates to their Facebook news feed instead.

What Are The Trends?

When it comes to the consumer behavior on the social media networks, the trends are becoming clearer. According to a new research by digital consultancy Beyond,

  • 23% of consumers prefer receiving information from brands via Facebook versus
  • Brand’s website – 21%
  • Company blog – 3%

This movement is encouraged by marketers who on obtaining these numbers and anecdotally sensing the change in consumer sentiment and use of media, promote companies Facebook pages instead of the official site. For example in France, certain brands such as Orangina and Sony sign their TV commercial with a “facebook.com/nameofthepromotion”.

Tip To Obtain More Facebook “Likes”

So building your Facebook “likes” is an addition “to” and for some companies such as Ben&Jerry the replacement “for” the email subscriber list building tactic.

Paul Pierce’s Facebook fan page offers exclusive content in exchange for tapping the like button and guess what?… 124,880 Celtics diehards fanned the athlete’s social networking home. You unlock the access to the exclusive video by “liking” Paul’s Facebook fan page.

Facebook Pages example Paul Pierce like to unlock exclusive content

So Is Email Marketing Dying?

I think Seth Godin sums it up rather well.

“RSS is dead… Blogs are dead… The web is dead. Good. Dead means that they are no longer interesting to the drive-by technorati. Dead means that the curiousity factor has been satisfied, that people have gotten the joke. These people rarely do anything of much value, though. Great music wasn’t created by the first people to grab an electric guitar or a synthesizer. Great snowboarding moves didn’t come from the guy who invented the snowboard… No one thinks Gutenberg was a great author, and some of the best books will be written long after books are truly dead.  Only when an innovation is dead can the real work begin. That’s when people who are seeking leverage get to work, when we can focus on what we’re saying, not how (or where) we’re saying it.The drive-by technorati are well-informed, curious and always probing. They’re also hiding… hiding from the real work of creating work that matters, connections with impact and art that lasts. I love to hear about the next big thing, but I’m far more interested in what you’re doing with the old big thing.”

By all means build your Facebook “like’ list but don’t forget your email marketing.

Have you killed off your email marketing?

More Reading:

Is Facebook Killing Off The Company Website?


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  • Sandra

    Recently, in the coordination of an international police conference, I used email, Twitter, facebook and Linked in. Approximatey half of my traffic came from direct hits from my email campaign. Approximately one third came from LinkedIn and Facebook. This distribution accurately representes the number of contacts I have in each.

  • Graeme J

    So what? If there are less than 30% emails being opened but nearly 100% of teted being opened perhaps emails are a thing of the past – at least not the total answer. Sandra has the answer!

    • http://twitter.com/trashcanjibber Trashcan Jibber ☠

      Email marketing is an art, simply banging in something your selling can push customers away in a big hurry, make them angry even.

    • http://twitter.com/trashcanjibber Trashcan Jibber ☠

      Email marketing is an art, simply banging in something your selling can push customers away in a big hurry, make them angry even.

  • http://twitter.com/kevinmontgomery Kevin Montgomery

    I’ve noticed a huge drop off in email interaction. I have to start with how I interact. I now find myself booking shows via Facebook. It is much more personal. My fans prefer to email me or interact on Facebook and twitter. Basically, for lack of a better word……….email is not “sexy” anymore.
    I do think though that we mustn’t forget that email is an important element of a “marketing” strategy though. It is the key that allows you to find your fans across the various social networks. Very important, but not completely essential now with the rise of Facebook and Twitter.

  • http://twitter.com/LorenMcDonald Loren McDonald

    Like most all things that are considered dead or dying – the truth is usually that things are shifting. Email marketing is a live and well. What is happening, however, is that we are increasingly accessing email on mobile devices. We expect marketing emails to be more personally relevant – to deliver on the marketing promise of “right time, right message.”

    As such, Facebook, Twitter et al are becoming efficient means for sending “broadcast” messages to customers, prospects and fans. But email is still the best channel at sending true one-to-one messages built dynamically with recipient behavior and profile data. These types of email marketing messages and programs are seeing off the charts response rates. For example, many companies are seeing triggered messages generate 25%-40%+ of email revenue from less than 5% of their email volume.

    Email isn’t dying, it is changing – and for the better.

  • http://twitter.com/C_Pappas Christina Pappas

    We have not killed email. In fact, we still find it an extremely relevant form of communication that compliments our other efforts not compete with them. This is not a ‘one or the other’ question, brands need to answer how to engage and communicate with their audience in the format they wish to be communicated in. True, Facebook fans do prefer to get deals, updates and company info via the brands Facebook page, my take me for instance – I like to receive emails and am not likely to check Facebook for event invites or anything to the like. I get most of my news in the Twitter stream and that is where I prefer to network and share interesting reads.

    Don’t kill email. Don’t kill Facebook. Find a blend between the two but only if it makes sense to do so *think audience. And try and avoid shiny ball syndrome.

  • http://www.engagesocialmedia.com Erik Bratt

    I think our communication channels are fracturing and as marketers we need to maintain them all right now. The concern over letting all of your customers go over to Facebok a la Ben & Jerry, is that Facebook then owns that list, not you. Marketers still need to develop direct contact with customers, and not only through a third party.

  • http://twitter.com/mylivingpower Laurie Wallin

    Nope! I’m building it more and more. Mostly because of what you share here and the tips copyblogger shares about writing good headlines. And I love what Godin said: “I love to hear about the next big thing, but I’m far more interested in what you’re doing with the old big thing.” Man after my own heart. Someone says “it’s over” and I instantly want to do it anyway. :) Thanks for sharing another great post.

  • Mildred Webb

    test

  • http://www.convinceandconvert.com jaybaer

    I’m doing a session for Facebook Success Summit all about this topic. Ultimately, email and Facebook work very similarly, and one begets the other. Facebook should be viewed as another way to reach your email list, or your email list should be viewed as another way to reach your Facebook fans. The key is to corral your customers with as many reliable touchpoints as possible. It’s not one vs. the other (or at least it shouldn’t be), it’s both. 

    • http://jeffbullas.com Jeff Bullas

      Thanks Jay for the comment. Yes, at the end of the day its reaching them where they are and comfortable and don’t let them forget you!.

  • http://twitter.com/netnatives Net Natives

    Only a fairly small % of your “likes” actually see your status updates, regardless of how good you are with edgerank…so email still has it’s pro’s in that it is “straight to inbox” unlike pages. Facebook ads are more effective in reaching your own demographic though because of the very fine targetting options.

  • http://www.facebook.com/777productions Deon Fialkov

    I have noticed in my facebook fan-page that if I advertise that people must contact a specific email address regarding a topic – they don’t. Maybe 4% do send an email. The remainder prefers to have the full name(their profile) visible to the other fans, so they comment with details relating to the topic.

  • http://www.facebook.com/777productions Deon Fialkov

    I have noticed in my facebook fan-page that if I advertise that people must contact a specific email address regarding a topic – they don’t. Maybe 4% do send an email. The remainder prefers to have the full name(their profile) visible to the other fans, so they comment with details relating to the topic.

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  • http://twitter.com/grapevinemktg Grapevine Marketing

    I think Facebook is helping to support not only email marketing, but content marketing (esp. blogs and visual content) in general. Facebook is just another tool; and the fact that it is so popular and fast-moving is a benefit but also to it’s detriment; as content doesn’t stick around for more than a few hours (if not minutes) on a user’s feed.

    Email marketing is not dead – and it’s ‘competitors’ (social media platforms) not only support the growth and longevity of email, but email supports their growth and popularity as well.

  • http://twitter.com/trashcanjibber Trashcan Jibber ☠

    Involved with digital marketing I have noticed that the boss let the email marketing go by the wayside yet when you check the people they are a different demographic. They have lost a wing of their customer base that they were herding.

  • http://twitter.com/trashcanjibber Trashcan Jibber ☠

    Involved with digital marketing I have noticed that the boss let the email marketing go by the wayside yet when you check the people they are a different demographic. They have lost a wing of their customer base that they were herding.

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  • http://www.facebook.com/saumitramg Saumitra M Ghotikar

    excellent , short & sweet article. My personal experience is : you get “Known” by facebook , but “Selling” will only happen to them who “Subscribe” to your emails.

    I would rather say , Now email marketing has become mre focussed , leaving the bulk handling to social engines