A December article by eMarketer cites two recent studies to show the continuing dominance of email (as opposed to Twitter, Facebook, etc.) as the most popular method used by individuals to share information via the web.
The following study findings are of particular interest:
1) email (as opposed to Twitter, Facebook, etc.) is still the most popular method used by individuals to share content with friends.
2) content shared via email leads to more page views than any other method
3) most significantly, content shared via email is far more likely to lead to a purchase, subscription, etc. – 36.8%, as opposed to just 3.2% for Facebook and 0.4% for Twitter.
There are positives for social media as a means for sharing content – links shared through Twitter, for example, have the highest click-through rate of any sharing method.
That said, it is clear that direct marketers should be aware that the the overwhelming majority of the actual business generated by social sharing of content comes not from the new wave of social media vehicles, but rather from our old friend, email.
Source: “Users still sharing by email”
January 21st, 2010 by Shepherd Smith
Tags: b2b email, email, emarketing, facebook, Lead Generation, online marketing, social media, social networks, twitter
I’ve recently been conducting a honest level of research on direct online marketing for a brand-new review that i am working away at and merely felt like stating that you site is fairly strong. Thank you for the informative information you have come up with.
Great post, Shepherd and thank you for sharing some of the numbers. This points us right into the all-time statement of know where your customers are, how they interact, and their purchasing power. Using a combination of email, websites and blogs, and social networking is a great way to cover your direct sales and point of contacts along with building your brand visibility and engagement strategy (and let’s not forget print!).
I would like to make a suggestion on this post. Perhaps adding a “share and enjoy” button to allow readers to email the article?
- Justin G. Roy