Email promoted over “fashionable” social media Published September 12, 2011 Despite social media having an “allure”, B2B businesses have been urged not to neglect email marketing. Social media has been seen to be the more fashionable younger brother of email, marketing expert Kath Pay has claimed, but that should not be enough to sway businesses to changing their entire campaigns. Writing for econsultancy.com, Pay argued that social media does indeed have a “fashionable status” at the moment, but for certain companies – most notably those in business-to-business operations – email is still the best tool for marketing. Pay argued that in jumping on the social media bandwagon, many firms are not conducting the proper research and end up rushing into a decision. The result, she claims, is poorly executed campaigns that look scruffy and disorganised. Instead, businesses should look at more established channels, targeting people via their inboxes as opposed to their social media accounts, Pay argues. Adding, Pay told Bloomberg Businessweek: “All too often marketers are seduced by the allure of social media’s fashionable status and despite being proven, email marketing is no longer seen as new and sexy, as a result of which it is often neglected. “However, each tool plays a key role in the mix. Our objective is to ensure email is used efficiently as part of an integrated marketing strategy so that organisations can maximise the ROI of their online marketing efforts and avoid leaving money on the table.”