No. The current email marketing vs. social media debate is not a contest with one surviving channel. Social media is powerful for discovery, visibility, and conversation. Email is valuable for permission-based communication, audience nurturing, and measurable action. The strongest marketing strategies use each channel for what it does best and connect them so interest can grow into a lasting relationship.
That conclusion is not based on nostalgia for the inbox. Current data shows that social media reaches an enormous audience while email continues to deliver reliably and produce meaningful returns.
Social media has reach, but the audience is fragmented
Social media is too large to treat as optional for many organizations. DataReportal’s Digital 2026 United States report estimated 254 million active social media user identities in the United States in October 2025, equal to 73% of the population. The report cautions that “user identities” do not necessarily equal unique individuals, but the scale remains clear.
The audience is not concentrated in one place. In its 2025 survey of 5,022 U.S. adults, Pew Research Center found that 84% used YouTube, 71% used Facebook, and 50% used Instagram. TikTok reached 37%, and WhatsApp reached 32%. Platform use also varies substantially by age and other demographics.
For marketers, that means “being on social media” is not a strategy. You must choose platforms based on the people you need to reach, the content you can create well, and the conversations relevant to your goals. Social media can introduce your organization to new people, make expertise more visible, and create opportunities for interaction. However, algorithms, platform policies, and audience habits determine how much of your following actually sees any one post.
Email remains a direct and measurable channel
Email operates differently. A subscriber has given you a direct route to their inbox, and you can communicate without depending entirely on a social feed. You still need permission, relevance, strong deliverability, and useful content, but the relationship is more portable and controllable than a platform following.
The Data & Marketing Association’s 2025 Email Benchmarking Report found a 98% delivery rate, a 35.9% open rate, and a 2.3% unique click rate in the data it analyzed. Open rates require caution because privacy protections, including Apple Mail Privacy Protection, can inflate them. Clicks, conversions, registrations, donations, replies, and downstream website activity often provide stronger evidence of meaningful engagement.
Email also continues to produce business value. In Litmus’ 2025 email return-on-investment research, 35% of surveyed marketing leaders reported receiving $10–$36 for each $1 spent, 30% reported $36–$50, and 5% reported more than $50. Results vary by industry, program maturity, measurement method, and investment, so those figures should be treated as benchmarks rather than promises.
Email and social media serve different jobs
The strategic question is not which channel is universally better. It is which channel is better for the next communication goal.
- Use social media for discovery. Introduce ideas, reach new audiences, join timely conversations, and make people aware of your expertise, programs, or mission.
- Use email for depth. Deliver a fuller explanation, a curated newsletter, an event invitation, a useful resource, or a clear next step.
- Use social media for interaction. Listen, respond, recognize others, and learn which topics generate interest.
- Use email for continuity. Nurture relationships over time through a consistent cadence that is not reset every time a platform changes.
- Use both to reinforce important messages. Adapt the format and context instead of copying the same text everywhere.
For example, an association might use LinkedIn to highlight a speaker and generate early interest, then use segmented email to send members a detailed program description and registration link. After the event, social posts can extend the conversation while email delivers resources and promotes the next relevant opportunity.
Build an email list people want to join
Email works because subscribers have a reason to hear from you. A purchased, stale, or poorly maintained list may create deliverability problems and damage trust. Build your list through useful exchanges: a newsletter, checklist, event registration, webinar, member resource, consultation, or clearly explained updates.
Set accurate expectations at signup. Tell people what they will receive and how often. Keep source and consent records where required, remove invalid addresses, monitor bounces, and make unsubscribing straightforward.
U.S. commercial email must follow the Federal Trade Commission’s CAN-SPAM requirements, including accurate header information, nondeceptive subject lines, a valid postal address, a clear opt-out method, and timely handling of opt-out requests. Other jurisdictions may impose additional or stricter consent and privacy rules, so organizations should review the requirements that apply to their audiences.
Segmentation matters more than list size
A large list does not help if most recipients find the message irrelevant. Segment subscribers using information they have knowingly provided or behavior that reasonably indicates their interests. Depending on the organization, useful segments may include members and nonmembers, current and former clients, donors, event attendees, sponsors, service interests, location, or engagement level.
The principle is especially important for associations. Higher Logic’s 2025–2026 Association Email Benchmark Report reported a 33.54% average open rate and a 2.68% average click rate. It also found that smaller, targeted lists consistently outperformed broad distributions and that automated, personalized messages produced stronger engagement than untargeted one-time sends.
AJA Marketing’s four email marketing strategy tips provide additional guidance on concise content, measurement, targeting, and deliverability.
Create one coordinated content system
Lean teams do not need separate ideas for every channel. Start with one useful subject and adapt it. A longer article can become an email introduction, several social posts, a short video, and a discussion prompt. A strong social conversation may reveal the question for the next newsletter. An email response may point to a topic worth addressing publicly.
Keep the roles distinct. Social content should invite attention or conversation without requiring every reader to leave the platform. Email should reward the subscriber with context, usefulness, and a clear next step. Your website should serve as the stable destination for important resources, registration pages, service information, and evergreen content.
Measure the journey, not isolated channel metrics
Likes and opens are indicators, not business outcomes. Begin with the goal, then select measures that show progress toward it.
For awareness, review:
- Relevant reach
- Profile visits
- Content engagement
- New subscribers
For action, track:
- Clicks
- Registrations
- Inquiries
- Donations
- Purchases
- Downloads
- Appointments
For relationships, consider:
- Replies
- Referrals
- Repeat participation
- Retention
Use tracking links and consistent campaign labels where appropriate. Review results by audience segment and message, not only by channel average. This helps you see whether social media is introducing the right people, whether email is moving them toward action, and where the experience needs improvement.
Use both channels with greater intention
Social media did not murder email marketing. It changed how people discover organizations and how messages travel. Email remains one of the strongest ways to maintain permission-based relationships and invite measurable action. The opportunity is to stop treating the channels as rivals and build a practical system in which they support one another.
If your email and social efforts feel disconnected, AJA Marketing can help you clarify the audience, message, channel roles, and measures that matter.
Our Marketing Consulting approach turns competing ideas into a focused plan your team can sustain.
Book a complimentary Discovery Session to discuss the next step.