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View Full Version : Social Media vs. Newsletter. If you had to choose just one, which?



Harold Mansfield
03-12-2014, 11:30 AM
I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who was caught in marketing limbo over Social Media vs. a Newsletter.

If you are a one or very few men show, you don't have a marketing department. You are the marketing department. So you have to choose what you have time for and can do well over the long haul vs what is going to give you the best return.

I've started newsletter programs in the past and abandoned them, mainly because I don't really want to write a newsletter. Therefore, I run out of things to talk about.

On the other hand, I think if you sell a product that a newsletter is essential. Amazon doesn't get me every time, but there are times when something I wanted went on special that I purchased within a week of the newsletter telling me about it.

Amazon is a good example of a company that I don't mind getting the newsletter, but I don't follow them on social media. And I shop Amazon religiously. Like it was Sears and Roebuck back in the day.

The decision really shouldn't be one or the other. In a perfect world, everyone would have time to do both.

But if you had to choose ether building a large audience of targeted social media followers, or a huge mailing list, which would you choose?

KristineS
03-12-2014, 01:31 PM
Wow, that's a tough one. We used to do an e-mail newsletter that got a very good response, and it was very useful for promoting blog posts and specials. It eventually was discontinued simply for lack of time more than anything. We now do quite a bit with social media and have had success on various platforms. For us, right now, I think I'd go with social media over a newsletter, simply because we've been getting a lot of positive engagement which other people can read and participate in. That's a big plus.

I do agree though, in an ideal world we'd do both. I don't see that happening anytime soon, however.

DiamondMike
03-12-2014, 02:36 PM
I enjoy doing both, but if I had to choose one, I would take the newsletter. I send out a newsletter once a month; it allows me to reach into my existing customers. I always offer a deal with a call to action and always get at least one sale from it.

Patrysha
03-12-2014, 05:06 PM
If having to choose I'd go for newsletter for sure. Personally, I like trying to use social media to entice people onto my list because that's where the relationships are cemented and the sales are made. I do get customers who find me through social media, but my sales tend to come through referrals and my list.

As a side note, it's not just about a huge list, but having a responsive list.

LeadMaster
03-14-2014, 03:57 PM
Newsletter because your email will at least make it to your entire list whereas with social media your post is not promised to be seen by every follower. We do a quarterly newsletter that doesn't take much time to compose but still lets us connect with our list.

Harold Mansfield
03-14-2014, 04:10 PM
Newsletter because your email will at least make it to your entire list...
Still no grantee of it being seen. You can only grantee that it has been sent or posted. Same as social media.

I'm not against newsletters, I'm just making the point.

IMO social media has a better reach, the opportunity for immediate interaction, and a better chance of being shared or syndicated.

SkyyCreaTech
03-20-2014, 07:59 AM
Both are meant for different purposes hoever if we have to chose one amongst these two, news letter would be better due to the fact that you have control over it and you are sure that the people will receive it. Social media on the other hand no sure promise of visibility of your message.

JohnF
03-26-2014, 07:28 PM
Newsletter, because you have fewer fakes and disengaged followers signing up, and when they do it doesn't actually hurt your ability to reach your core audience. Social media needs to fix that issue, and it won't for a while.

v.conway222
05-30-2014, 09:46 AM
The question you pose is an interesting one, both of them are essential, but have to be done write to be "successful". Newsletters are more risky in terms of loosing subscribers I feel. When sending them out, take care to revisit your own personal feelings when receiving a newsletter - examine the frequency and content to try and determine what you think is best for you and your business. You should be sending your emails out to a select group of people, who you know are interested in you and your business. Social media is a much bigger platform, that can help you to access a much wider audience.

99social
10-22-2015, 11:36 PM
Social media - but, I may be a bit biased. I have seen what amazing results social media can produce both in sales and customer relationships.

vangogh
10-25-2015, 10:58 AM
I realize this is an old conversation, but it's an interesting one. I'd go newsletter for a few reasons. Social media traffic usually isn't looking to buy something and you become reliant on the social platform. If Facebook or Twitter or whoever change the rules you have no choice but to deal with those new rules. Those rules won't be changed to benefit you, they'll be changed to benefit the platform. The web is littered with stories about a platform changing and people losing customers because of it.

A newsletter is something you deliver to people who've expressed interest in hearing from you. These people are much more likely to be willing to buy from you. A newsletter is also a means for you to send message to people who have expressed interest. Say you have a new product or you decide to have a sale on an existing product. If you post to social media you're hoping people will notice your offer when you post it. With a newsletter it's more likely they'll be aware of the offer.

None of this is to imply that social media is bad and you should avoid it. Social is where the people are and you can reach more people through social sites. I'd rather have the smaller group that's expressed interest though than the larger group that hasn't. I think a better way to use social sites is to understand they have a greater reach and to look for ways to reach more people and bring them back to your site. The truth is this isn't an either or question and you ideally want to have a presence on social sites that leads people back to your site where you can then convince them to sign up for your newsletter.

Palani Kumar
10-26-2015, 05:58 AM
To be frank it's quite a challenge to pick one over the other, but to me Social Media is slightly better. Practically Social Media does more than just sales, it builds followers, reputation and more (and is visible for the world to see). An effective Social Media presence will also aid in website SEO. And finally you can spend a few dollars to promote your post to great number of targeted audience, something you can hardly bargain about with newsletters.