Last week at the Politics Online Conference, I sat on a panel where the question of e-mail versus social media was posed. Is social media replacing e-mail? Are members who join through social media more or less valuable than members collected via e-mail?
For the most part, our panel agreed that social media provided opportunities to complement e-communications with members. While social media isn’t necessarily an e-mail replacement, it does allow associations the ability to communicate with members through other channels. Successful campaigns will abide by the theory that e-mail is no longer the only means of communicating with members.
Members are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, MySpace and a host of other social networks. These networks also offer the opportunity to connect with potential members. How may times have you found out about an event or read an article after seeing someone else post it on Facebook or Twitter?
While social networks offer new ways to connect with members and potential members, e-mail still offers metrics, formatting control and a direct channel to members. Members have come to expect more relevant content, and e-mail communications are no exceptions. Targeted e-mails and a social media communications strategy provide associations with more opportunities to talk with their members than ever before.
