Just as some people are saying direct mail is getting finished off by email, others are proclaiming email is busy getting killed by social networking sites!
Jeez. One outrageous over-generalization at a time, please.
When you see results dropping in any medium, the best response is not to say the sky is falling, but to look at the details. You'll likely see that there are clear explanations for the softening. That's what the Engagement Marketing Blog did with email, and found it In Transition, Not Fading Away.
Any softening we see in the email marketing world is largely because so many emailers are doing it poorly. Things like:
- Poor permission and opt-in practices.
- Lack of relevance.
- Overmailing.
- Lack of differentiation.
- Lack of personality.
- Poor design.
If email is dying, it's suicide.
Where it's being done well, it's thriving. Same with direct mail.
