Email Outperforms Facebook and Twitter 3:1

If your inbox was stuffed with more email from retailers this holiday season, there’s a good reason why.

Email is outperforming Facebook and Twitter in terms of sales per advertising dollar spent, according to the Direct Marketing Association.  This trend might affect how you plan your 2013 year-end campaigns.

We don’t have comparable fundraising data to share, but the hard data provided by retailers is probably a good indicator of nonprofit ROI as well. DMA reports:

  • Email provided $39.40 in sales per dollar of advertising this year
  • Followed by $22.38 through Web search,
  • $19.71 from Internet display ads and
  • $12.90 from social networks

While online sales will grow again this year, sales via social media channels is down by 26% according to IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark. The number of Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers making purchases after clicking through from social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube declined by at least 26 percent this year from 2011.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/email-delivers-better-shopping-results-than-facebook-or-twitter-2012-12#ixzz2GHp7dPI8

mandy