With so many digital marketing channels available today, it’s not always easy to decide where to put your time, energy, and money. Should you double down on email? Or is social media the smarter bet?
The truth is, email marketing and social media are very different tools—they serve different purposes and shine in different ways. But if your main focus is business growth, you need to know which one delivers the bigger impact.
The Overall Picture
When we asked a group of marketers which channel performs better:
- 60% said email marketing outperforms social media.
- The remaining 40% argued that the two aren’t directly comparable—they simply play different roles.
In general, here’s the breakdown:
- Email drives more traffic and direct conversions.
- Social media is stronger for engagement and brand visibility.
Let’s unpack both sides.
Where Email Marketing Wins
1. Better Reach
A common misconception is that 2,000 email subscribers equal 2,000 Facebook fans. Not true.
Because of algorithm changes, only a tiny percentage of your Facebook followers will actually see your posts. Studies show:
- On Facebook, just 2–6% of your audience sees each post.
- On Twitter, sometimes it’s less than 2%.
- Meanwhile, the average email open rate is 21.73%.
That means if you have 2,000 people in each channel:
- 435 will open your email
- 120 will see your Facebook post
- 40 will see your tweet
Email clearly delivers more reach—and with strong subject lines, open rates can climb to 40–45%, something social media simply can’t match.
2. Higher Click-Through Rates
When it comes to actual clicks, the gap is even bigger:
- Email: 3.57% CTR
- Facebook: 0.07% engagement rate
- Twitter: 0.03% engagement rate
In fact, many marketers report that email generates 25–100 times more clicks than social.
Derek Halpern ran a simple test:
- He shared a blog post on both Twitter and his email list.
- Twitter: 50 clicks
- Email: 1,200 clicks
Even accounting for list size, email delivered 24x more traffic.
3. Stronger Conversions
66% of online shoppers say they’ve made a purchase directly from an email.
That’s not surprising—email allows for segmentation and personalization, which makes campaigns much more targeted. Whether it’s a tailored product recommendation or a reminder about an abandoned cart, email drives action.
Case in point: one ecommerce brand running both channels side by side found that:
- Email generated 1,192 direct sales + 872 assisted sales.
- Social media generated 173 direct sales + 1,010 assisted sales.
Email brought in 174% more total conversions.
4. Better ROI
At the end of the day, ROI decides where your budget should go.
Studies show:
- Email is 40x more effective at acquiring customers than Facebook and Twitter combined.
- One marketer summed it up perfectly: “Email will almost always have better ROI—it’s less expensive, easy to deploy, and converts well when done right.”
5. Easier to Build and Control
It’s often faster to grow an email list than a social following.
In one test, sending 1,000 visitors to:
- An email sign-up page resulted in 500 new subscribers.
- A Twitter page produced far fewer followers.
The key difference? You own your email list. Algorithms can’t take it away.
ALSO READ: The Art of Automation: How to Set Up Your First Drip Campaign
Where Social Media Shines
Now, that doesn’t mean social media has no role. In fact, it’s crucial for several reasons:
1. Higher Engagement Rates
While fewer people may see your posts, those who do often like, share, and comment—something emails rarely achieve.
Social media drives conversations and community, while email is more transactional.
2. Virality and Long-Term Visibility
Emails are usually opened once and forgotten. Social posts, on the other hand, can:
- Be shared and re-shared to reach thousands (or millions).
- Stay alive for weeks or even months if they catch momentum.
That’s the power of virality—something email simply doesn’t offer.
3. Stronger Branding
Logos, visuals, videos, faces—social media is a branding powerhouse.
People remember what they see and interact with daily in their feeds. Email is excellent for action, but social is better for awareness and recognition.
4. Assisted Conversions
Think of social as a mid-funnel channel.
- It warms up your audience and builds trust.
- Then, when the email lands in their inbox, they’re more likely to convert.
That’s why social often shows higher assisted conversions.
5. Advanced Targeting with Ads
Social platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow for laser-targeted advertising thanks to third-party data.
You can run ads that specifically reach:
- Frequent travelers
- Parents with newborns
- People browsing competitors
This level of targeting is something email alone can’t provide.
How Email and Social Work Together
So which should you choose? The answer is simple: both.
Here’s why:
- Social media assists email. It engages audiences and helps emails convert better.
- Social grows your email list. You can run ads, promote opt-ins, and drive traffic to your website to capture subscribers.
Together, they form a powerful one-two punch:
- Email = reach, traffic, and conversions.
- Social = engagement, branding, and awareness.
Final Takeaway
Instead of asking “Email or social?”, think about how the two complement each other.
- Use email when your goal is conversions, ROI, and ownership of your audience.
- Use social media to build community, strengthen your brand, and funnel people into your list.
The smartest strategy isn’t choosing one—it’s using both, but allocating resources wisely.