Member Avatar for MktgRob

A Forrester Research report shows that the number of social networking users has doubled since 2007, becoming more popular than instant messaging among adults. But, the report also shows that even with the growth in popularity of social networking, e-mail, online video viewing and online shopping are still more widely used than social networking. Here are the numbers:

Millions of adults using
E-mail 165.4
Send/rcv photos by e-mail 90.5
Research Products for Purchase 83.1
Purchase products 72.2
Watch internet/streaming video 58.8
Visit social networking sites 55.6

Of course, the study separates blogging from social networking but if the two were combined the group would be third overall.

For people who may by putting more emphasis on social networking than e-mail marketing, will you slow down your shift away from e-mail?

I would add a link to the report but as Forrester is charging $499 for the report (I read the statistics on Mashable).

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This thread frames a question that still matters: social platforms evolve, but marketers shouldn't treat growth as a binary finish line. 's point about companies abandoning e‑mail and 's privacy concern both highlight a single practical conclusion — channels should be assigned clear, measurable roles rather than being asked to replace one another.

Use a simple, actionable framework: map each stage of the buyer journey to the channel best suited for it, then measure outcomes (not impressions). Social is strongest for discovery and creative testing; owned channels (email, SMS, app) are best for conversion, transactions and long‑term value. Prioritize first‑party data capture so platform changes or ad-cost spikes don’t cut the program off at the knees.

Try these immediate steps:

  • Define channel roles for your funnel (awareness → social; nurture → owned channels; purchase/retention → email/SMS/app).

  • Run short, measurable experiments: capture emails from social traffic, run a holdout test to measure incremental lift when email follows a social exposure, and compare cost per acquisition against lifetime value.

  • Improve measurement: standardize UTM tagging, pick a consistent attribution approach (multi‑touch or data‑driven), and report CAC and LTV together so creative wins aren’t mistaken for profitable wins.

  • Protect delivery and relevance: keep lists clean, authenticate sending domains (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), refresh creative frequently, and segment to avoid audience fatigue.

A final caution echoing : overuse erodes effectiveness. Let ROI and measured lift drive budget shifts, keep owned audiences healthy, and treat social and email as complementary tools in a single, testable marketing system.

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Member Avatar for InsightsDigital

It wont slow down or shift me away from email. Why? Well, there are many communication I dont want to publicize to my whole social network. There are other information that is none of my social media friends' business, especially if its "boring" or non-related stuff.

I imagine the numbers will grow - why? Well:
1. younger generations are more technology focused
2. certain social networking sites have an attached stigma - like Myspace or Facebook, though slowly, that stigma has been shifting away as well.

Member Avatar for MktgRob

It wont slow down or shift me away from email. Why? Well, there are many communication I dont want to publicize to my whole social network. There are other information that is none of my social media friends' business, especially if its "boring" or non-related stuff.

I imagine the numbers will grow - why? Well:
1. younger generations are more technology focused
2. certain social networking sites have an attached stigma - like Myspace or Facebook, though slowly, that stigma has been shifting away as well.

All good points. Unfortunately there are some companies that are so intent on diving into social media while leaving e- mail behind.

Member Avatar for crimgirl

when a method has been used over and over agian ,it just lost its charm and effectiveness as well

Member Avatar for crimgirl

It wont slow down or shift me away from email. Why? Well, there are many communication I dont want to publicize to my whole social network. There are other information that is none of my social media friends' business, especially if its "boring" or non-related stuff.

I imagine the numbers will grow - why? Well:
1. younger generations are more technology focused
2. certain social networking sites have an attached stigma - like Myspace or Facebook, though slowly, that stigma has been shifting away as well.

well said and sharp point
thumbs up

Member Avatar for InsightsDigital

Unfortunately, the click through rate for email marketing is very low. Thus for a business, social media marketing may help increase impressions and visibilities. So I can understand on why companies may shift away from email marketing though email marketing achieves certain personalization that social media marketing may not, for example behavioral email marketing.

Member Avatar for MktgRob

I think the issue with e-mail marketing being ineffective or less effective than social media marketing goes back to creativity and compelling content. Social media marketing will lose its cache and only the creative will survive and thrive.

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