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I recently read a number of articles and blog posts advocating that social media is the wave of the future.  Which I found intriguing especially given the viral nature and how I have seen successful campaigns spread like wildfire.  However, their next assertion that email is dying as a means for marketers to communicate and promote seems a bit off base.  Interesting commentary considering that email has really just reached a point of widespread adoption and when surveyed, most marketers are increasing their email budgets to replace former more expensive methods.  I was so glad to see Mashable highlight a study of Gen Y illustrating almost the exact opposite.  Email is not only here to stay, but is a critical part of their days.

Having been a marketer in a corporate, startup, and small business environment-the story remains the same!  What results can I get for the spend that I incur....in other words ROI.  Marketing, whether selling directly or not, is accountable to ensure that revenue targets are achieved with a high amount of return on every investment.

Take for example direct mail, sending one direct mail piece often can cost as much as $1.50 once the printing and postage are included.  Compare that to email marketing, and even on the high end of pricing, your efforts will be 90% cheaper than that ONE direct mail piece or even better, it can reach 50-80 MORE recipients.  Now the point is not to discount one marketing method over another, but the key is results and marketers need to be flexible enough to blend their efforts to match their goals.

One of the key lessons I have learned over the years, having been immersed in adding email marketing, blogging and social media efforts to my marketing mix, is the power of delivering your message across many channels.  The concept is simple really, reach wider audiences~achieve higher results.  In my own marketing efforts, I view email, social media, direct mail, all as items in my toolbox.  I may use multiple tools to get the job done or I may choose one.  Either way, I am going to circle back and track the results on my efforts and tie it in with leads generated, revenue earned, or exposure gained.  Results are the key to toolbox and making sure that your tool fits the result you want to get is the way you will win.

Are you looking at every tool in your toolbox to ensure that you can achieve those results?  Are you effectively combining those tools?

Carissa Newton | Marketing