Old is gold.

That’s what they say about concepts, methods or strategies that are tried-and-tested successfully over time. Yet, if that were entirely true, we would never need to innovate further, right?

If ships could complete transatlantic journeys, what would the need for airplanes be? If postal mail worked fine, why would people opt to communicate via emails? Then again, if emails worked fine, we wouldn’t need instant messaging on social media platforms, would we?

The point is, just because new inventions offer novel benefits doesn’t mean that the old styles aren’t effective anymore.

While airplanes offer quicker transportation and instant messaging boasts real-time communication, ships and emails still form the backbone of the commercial and corporate world today. In fact, Lading Logistics reports that cargo ships are used to carry out 90% of global trade even today.

In the end, the most effective approach boils down to what the end-goal or outcome.

For example, if you’re importing 100 mobile phones, a small cargo airplane works. However, if you place an order for 10,000 phones, you’re going to be paying through the roof (through the sky?) if you opt for air transport. That’s where cargo ships are your best friend.

So, what’s the case when it comes to lead generation? Is the good ol’ email marketing still effective or has social media rendered it obsolete?

Let’s dive in and explore!
 

Social Media Vs Email Marketing

If you ask any marketer, they’ll tell you that both channels – email marketing and social media – are important. However, which one to go for depends on your business goals.

After all, social media and email marketing offer varying benefits when it comes to lead generation. The question is, what will work better for your brand and its offerings?

If your goal is to get eyeballs and raise brand awareness, you’re going to do better with social media. On the other hand, if you’re looking to increase sales and build relationships with a specific target audience, email marketing can garner better conversions.

In terms of lead nurturing and sales conversion, email marketing hits the right spots as it brings in personalized interactions and customized content.

In terms of boosting popularity, social media plays a vital role, thanks to its massive user base and accessibility.

The challenge here is that lead generation isn’t solely based on sales. Yes, the end goal is to achieve higher lead conversions but it’s also important to ensure your brand has a strong presence and reputation in the market, right?

Another thing to consider before we explore these marketing channels is that they both play a vital role in our lives. In fact, emails and social media apps are the first and last thing people check in their daily routine. Have a look, the numbers don’t lie!
 

What Do The Numbers Say?

Statistics and reports give us a clearer picture of what’s happening in the industry through quantifiable evidence. Here are some numbers that show the trends in email marketing and social media.
 

User Statistics

 

• According to a report by Kepios, as of July 2024, 5.45 billion people or 67.1% of the total global population uses the internet.

• Ahead of this, 5.17 billion people or 63.7% of the total global population are social media users.

• Email users are believed to be 4.48 billion people or 55.1% of the global population.

 

Viewership Statistics

 

• The numbers show that social media does better than emails. However, also consider that users spend around 7 seconds looking at posts on LinkedIn, which is the highest average amount of time spent per post across all social media platforms.

• In comparison, it was found that marketing emails got an average of 9 seconds of viewership in 2022, dropping from 13.4 seconds in 2018. Out of this, only 29% of emails got over 9 seconds, while 30% got under 2 seconds and 41% got between 2 seconds and 8 seconds.

 

ROI Statistics

 

• When we talk about revenue, using email for lead generation offers a 36x to 42x ROI (return on investment), meaning for every dollar spent, it generates between $36 and $42 in return on average. In 2023, around 52% of marketers said email campaigns doubled their ROI.

• In comparison, social media has an ROI of 29% (for the top-performing Facebook and Instagram) and varies based on the usage of paid ads.

 

Preference Statistics

 

• Now, if you were to take the word of marketers, 89% of them say email marketing is the primary choice for lead generation, while 81% B2B marketers said email newsletters were the most used format.

• Furthermore, for new products and feature announcements, emails offer the highest click rates, with 42% of companies calling emails crucial to the process.

• People spend an average of 2.5 hours per day on social media platforms, which is why 68% of marketers said it helps their lead generation process. Moreover, 62% of B2B marketers believe that LinkedIn offers the best results, leading to 95% of them using the platform.

• While 23% have plans to increase their social media budget over the next three years, only 26% of businesses found the lead quality from social media to be satisfactory.

As the numbers show us, email marketing is still a popular choice among B2B marketers. That doesn’t mean that social media isn’t as effective. Most marketing experts choose to maintain a balance between the two.

With each offering varied benefits, it’s important for marketers to find the right balance between the two. To do that, you must know what each channel brings to the marketing table!
 

Benefits Of Using Social Media For Lead Generation

The ultimate goal of lead generation is to gather a potential customer’s or lead’s contact information, boost brand awareness and direct them to a landing page pitching a product or service.

Social media lead generation helps marketers identify, attract and capture potential leads by conducting activities across social media platforms. This is done by creating engaging or informative content through photos, videos, reels, polls, forums and other media.

Basically, marketers need to attract their prospects’ attention and that too within seconds, which can be challenging. Yet, social media marketing offers various benefits, such as:
 

• Larger Audience Reach:

  As you saw above, social media is all the rage across the globe with a massive user base. This allows marketers to reach a larger pool of people. Additionally, social media platforms offer the choice of paid ads that can showcase specific content to a specific demographic or location. Further, it can help businesses reach a particular group of people beyond the intended target audience.

 

• Cost-Effectiveness:

  Outside of paid ads, businesses can use such platforms for free. Even in the case of buying advertising, this form can be cheaper than traditional advertising channels. The high engagement rates allow marketers to reach a wider audience without having to shell out extravagantly.

 

• Analytics:

  It’s all digital and quantifiable. Thanks to various tools that help in measuring which types of ads perform better, what kind of content is working and which channels are best suited for a particular product or service, social media marketing offers deeper insights. This helps marketers understand their target audience’s behavior and improve outreach as required.

 

• Media Variety:

  In comparison to email marketing, social media offers marketers a host of options when it comes to media types. They can post images of products, statistics, information, testimonials and more, which can also offer more interactivity through videos or reels. Social media marketing activities also allow interested people to post comments, cross-post on other channels and share the content with their friends or colleagues, improving brand awareness.

While social media works wonders for brand awareness, don’t think email lags far behind. In that aspect, 85.7% of Ecommerce marketers turn to email marketing to boost brand awareness!

That’s not all though....
 

Benefits Of Using Email For Lead Generation

We already saw that most marketers prefer email marketing as their go-to-strategy for lead generation. A major part of this is down to the numerous benefits it brings, including:
 

• Personalization:

  Email marketing software enables marketers to create highly personalized content for prospects and leads. This includes using their first and/or last name in emails, offering tailored recommendations or upselling with custom promotional offers. Furthermore, an email list can be segmented based on user behavior, preferences and demographics, ensuring that only the most relevant content is included.

 

• Enhanced Lead Nurturing:

  Unlike social media, emailing lists mean that potential leads have chosen to communicate with your brand. This allows you to connect with them directly, allowing you to optimize your personalized communication strategies better. This can be coupled with automated emails that push emails at the right time using the right content. This lets you push emails at regular intervals and continue to guide your leads through the sales funnel without you having to make efforts manually.

 

• Measured Results:

  Email marketing software comes with the option of measuring the performance of emails. This covers aspects such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, viewing time, list growth rates, unsubscribe rates, sharing/forwarding rates and more. Additionally, email marketers can conduct A/B testing to measure which email campaigns are performing the best and even how to improve them.

 

• High ROI:

  As mentioned above, email marketing shows a return on investment of around 3,600% to 4,200% per dollar invested. This is because marketers already possess a database consisting of interested parties or customers who will more likely convert with personalized lead nurturing over emails. Furthermore, email marketing itself is a cost-effective solution compared to other channels, which helps reduce the costs related to customer acquisition.

While social media isn’t going anywhere, email marketing offers some advantages that social media cannot replicate. However, to boost the success of your email-based lead generation and marketing efforts, there are some key points you must not miss out on.

Scroll on!
 

What Are The Best Practices To Achieve Success Using Email For Lead Generation

It’s quite evident that email marketing is still one of the most fruitful methods of generating leads. However, to maximize value derived from this method, marketers must ensure they follow best practices:
 

• Marketers should segment their lists based on lead behavior, demographics, locations, interests and other aspects to enable better content personalization. This includes regular sanitization of lists by removing emails that witness high bounce, unopened or inactive email addresses.

• Marketers should ensure that their emails are optimized for mobile viewing, considering a vast number of people check their emails first thing in the morning on their smartphones or mobile devices.

• People don’t spend much time on an email they find boring or lacking engaging content. Hence, it’s vital to create content that is informative, educational, entertaining or highly personalized. This could be in the form of an email that aligns with their interest and directs them to a blog post, exclusive offers, guides or a relevant product.

• Email campaigns should not be used solely for mass outbound communication. It’s important to leverage data analytics to measure the performance of campaigns and conduct A/B testing to improve further email communication. This will help in driving further customization and personalization, increasing the open and click-through rates.

Keep these points in mind and see your email marketing soar!
 

To Sum Up

Did you know that 53% of marketers spend at least half their marketing budgets on lead generation? That’s a lot of money!

While it's no secret that social media platforms are dictating how the world communicates, email marketing isn’t far behind when it comes to lead generation. In fact, marketers prefer using email marketing for lead generation as it provides numerous benefits that enable them to enhance their communications, scale outreach and enjoy higher lead generation success rates.

Rest assured, social media has not rendered email obsolete in lead generation!

Are you looking to boost your B2B Email Marketing strategies? Contact TechDogs today and learn how you can improve email campaigns for successful B2B lead generation!