According to Statista, in 2018
- Facebook had over 2 billion monthly active users
- YouTube had over 1.5 billion users
- Instagram had over1 billion users
- LinkedIn had 467 million members
- Twitter had 321 million active users
- Pinterest had 250 million monthly active users
- Snapchat had 186 million daily active users
With all of these people creating and sharing content, photos and videos, it’s challenging to get your messages seen by your ideal audience. And engagement is even harder. But there is a tool that’s makes it easier to communicate and engage with this audience: newsletters.
There are advantages to using newsletters and social media. However, newsletters are more valuable than social media in terms of content, reach, engagement and control.
Content
Everyone is an “expert” and curate the content of others on social media. With your newsletter, you are the expert and editor who create original and relevant content.
Control
You have no control over your social media networks. You can’t change the look, design or function; you can only update your status. The sites determines who sees your message which is determined by the level of engagement on that particular update.
On the other hand, you can design your newsletter to match your brand and colors and design it according to your needs. More importantly, you can send information directly to people who want to hear from you.
Despite what’s written in their terms and conditions, social networks own your content and followers. Yes, you can download all information on your account but they can use it any way they want. You own the content and followers of your newsletters.
Reach
Think of your social media posts as yelling into a cave, hoping to get a response from somebody, anybody. Any response is a bonus. Newsletters, on the other hand, are direct messages to your ideal audience with responses coming directly to you.
Engagement
Questions and visuals get the most engagement on social media. You can also use these tools in your newsletter. You will get a response from both tools. However, you can generate sells from your newsletter.
Cost
In order for your target audience to see your message on social media, you have to pay for ads. With newsletters, you can get your message to your readers for free. Remember, you control the content and the list.
As you can see, newsletters are more valuable than social media in terms of content, reach, engagement and control.
With both newsletters and social media,
- You need to publish content consistently
- You need a content creation strategy
- You have to engage with your audience
As a result of the above efforts, you’ll gain the following benefits:
- Build and maintain relationships
- Save money on ads
- Get more traffic to your site
- Gain more brand awareness
- Position yourself as an expert
What About You?
Is social media or newsletter more valuable for you? Share your experience in the comment box below.