About Social Media Today
You don’t have to go far to hear all the reasons the “experts” will tell you why your company needs to invest heavily in social media marketing. With the total reach of social media being so vast, it seems like a marketer’s dream. The challenge for B2B social media marketers is where is the ROI? However in reality, for total return on investment for B2B companies, nothing beats email.
Don’t get me wrong, social media has a strong place in B2B marketing; I am just saying that it should not be at the expense of email marketing. That is because, all things being equal, social media marketing does not even compare to the ROI for B2B companies. 
The following are five reasons why email still outperforms all other mediums:
- Everyone has it
Depending on who your target audience is, they may not even be on social media. If you are selling to a CEO of a manufacturing company, the chances are they are not even on twitter or Facebook. While not everyone is on social media, in today’s business world there is no operating without an email account. - Email is built for business
Even if you do find an executive or someone else from your target audience on Facebook, most of the time these individuals like to keep their personal life separate from their work life. Translation: while on Facebook, they are not wanting or looking for work related information. They are sharing pictures of family and communicating with friends. On the other hand, pretty much every executive I know starts their day with a cup of coffee and checks their email. Email is built for business. - Don’t wait for them to come to you
Depending on what type of product you sell, your target audience may not even know they have a problem or that a potential solution is out there. If you try to hold your breath and wait for them to come to you, you may be in need of medical attention. Instead, you need to help educate them on what the problem is and then help them understand on how you can help them. - Business Executive Don’t Buy Through Social Media
The B2B buying process is too complex to conduct through social media. Admittedly yes, while many times the buying process starts with a Google search, all the best strategies drive them to an email conversion not a Facebook “like” or Twitter “follow”. That is because in order to effectively continue the business conversation there is no comparison to email. - Numbers that actually mean something
There is no denying that in today’s day and age everything comes down to ROI. That means unless you can show how much revenue was driven from a specific campaign or medium, it will be hard to justify the expense. While Twitter and Facebook can glean huge numbers through social reach, it is hard to convert that into actual revenue. Email, on the other hand, through tools like marketing automation, can complete the loop for you. In addition, it email through effective use of marketing automation software, can show you just where your prospects are in their buying process and even allowing you to adjust your message and they progress through that process.
Bottom Line
Don’t get Zuckerpunched into believing that no matter what you sell or to whom you sell you have to invest heavily in Facebook and other social media platforms. Just as when Facebook went public, you may find yourself being kicked in the pants with nothing to show for it. Instead, look where your target audience spends their time and spend accordingly.
