This past week, May 9 – 16, has been National Small Business Week and today I finally had some time to read a new study by Cox Business, the 2014 Cox Business Barometer. They surveyed 601 U.S. small businesses in April 2014 and released the study in time for National Small Business week.

One of the stats that jumped out at me was that email trumps social marketing for customer engagement.

Many in the social marketing space tend to think that social media is the be all and end all for creating engagement. But truly, when you think about it, where do you get the most response? 

When I want people to take action whether it’s taking a poll, reading a blog post, or registering for a program, a direct email always gets the best response.

Social media gets your small business visibility, creates awareness and allows you to connect on a casual basis, but the real, intimate engagement often comes after a customer or prospect receives an email from you.  [Read more…]