Is building an email list still the way forward?

I would have to say yes, absolutely. Reason being, once you build your list up into the thousands, you can send an email and get instant traffic to whatever it is that you're needing traffic for.

I would say it's also very useful to build a social following.

The best thing you can do is build your list and then in your follow up sequence get people to join your fan page or whatever social media platform you are wanting to get followers.

Give them something of awesome value to get them on your email list and there's a really good chance that they'll look into following you on social media. Just have 1 of your follow up emails be something like, hey, if you join my fanpage, you can get even more awesome content that's not available anywhere else.

Hope that helps!

100 percent yes! You have control over your users unlike for example on social media where if that closes you close, or in facebooks case if they keep reducing the reach you will also keep losing your customers.

Be sure to grow that list as big and as quickly as you can

There's Sign Up tab on fb pages, so you can do both for growing your list also likes/followers. Split test which one can give better results.

Premium Way is alway best -- But There are many free way for list building....
Now Social media like Fb page or follower also 1 kind of list. But Viral list.. maybe that will be work for you or not,...

Another thing to note. Facebook engagement to users is like 4%! I am getting about 30% opens from newsletter and 13% clicks which is obviously lots better.

Gary

The answer is Both.

Well the answer is Yes for both of them,
because when you have a strong list in your field.

You can direct them to your social media
plus, you have a strong traffic that
are targeted for your business.

Yes definitely, you can run lead generation advertisement on social media networks and google.

Never put all of your eggs in one basket.

Depends on what you are doing. If you are a consumer based product (clothing etc) then focus on social. B2b focus on marketing channels that can scale WITH an informative dual path marketing system.

A list should be an asset to a business, as opposed to a standalone business.

For me, yes.

You can build a social presence too, it is up to you what to choose, my recommendation? Both.

Coincidentally, Ive just created a post regarding a similar topic.
I believe the answer is yes, a very definitive yes, email lists are still a very powerful method to get new clients and leads, and we shouldn't give up on it, we need to find new and innovative ways to use them.
I do believe that most marketers out there are using emails with the same old spammy techniques of five years ago (although in my last post I say that those techniques can still bring some results if they are used properly), we need to make email marketing evolve, im convinced that with new techniques and approaches, a good email list can have a lot of results.

The best marketing was never email. The best way was being so amazing (having such a valuable presence) that all consumers eventually look you up. But since nobody wants to do that, they do the next best thing which is much easier...and that is to bombard and spam the crap out of people constantly begging them for a sale.

Let me ask you this:
- Is the WarriorForum trying to collect your email? Did they beg you to come here? Did they send you constant emails telling you to "join now or forever lose a big discount on an amazing product/service?"
- Did Google beg you to use their search engine and email service?
- Did Facebook spam you or beg you to use their social media platform?
- Did Whole Foods waste their time trying to convince you they are the absolute best grocery store ever?

So sure...keep using the email list but keep your eye on the main prize...the MAIN task. Which is being so amazing that people beat a path to your door. I'm at a place where I don't have to do any of this "email marketing", and oh is it so much more fun. Instead of wasting time trying to constantly "market" myself, I'm having endless fun producing products and services. I'm dealing with customers and fans instead of potential buyers and strangers.

Both are great ways to communicate with your customers,
Based on my own experience, I think people currently are into social media cuz the first time I launched one of my courses which was 2 years ago, I had more engagment on social media than email marketing.

List building is an evergreen marketing method.

Some individuals and companies may do it differently but it's the backbone of their internet marketing success when done right.

Definitely. Having a list makes it much easier to craft content you know your target audience wants and you already have warm leads for people that want your products.

yes and yes, with a bullet.

putting the social media to the side for a sec....

talking to your email lead is like talking to him/her in a private room

instead of yelling at them across a crowded room.

-Ike Paz

Building an email list is a very valuable tool. You can always recommend other products and services as well as build positive rapport with your customers.

How do social networks connect with their users? Via email.

Email still remains to be the keychain and non-negotiable way to reach people. I've used Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, etc on and off; but I can't miss a day without checking my email.

Thanks for looking into this topic.

As for email deliveries I am using MailChimp. I have a decent amount of subscribers. Now I dont know if this is much of a problem or not but when these readers optd in for my email I never asked for a first name as a prerequisite for the signup.

Do you think this might be a mistake later on? Its a lot more personal once you have the subscribers first name tied in with the email

Yes! Email marketing can provide higher returns with the right strategies.

There are a lot of benefits to email marketing. For me, the primary benefit is personalization. You can personalize your emails to segmented lists. If you have an organic list (meaning it was not purchased), then you are also sure that the people getting your emails are those that actually want them.

Email marketing IMO, is also more professional than just marketing through social media. Yes, social media can help you market your product and grow your list by posting backlinks to your page. You can also put a sign up section on your FB page, so you can use email and social media hand in hand to grow your client base.

Just my two cents. Hope this helps you make a decision.

Cheers,
Desiree

Money is in the list. If you have a list you have your audience for life time. You can get connected any time by sending promotion to your inbox. People don't believe or skip social media posts but they give importancy when they see something on theire inbox.

I am just starting out in Online Marketing and making a online business profile, if it wasn't the first thing I learned, it was among one of the first things mentioned by my mentor.
An E-mail list is one of the most important things for your online presence and business.
It is the best way to reach out to a huge group of people, without 'bothering' them, because it won't be spam, it will be a personalized subjected e-mail to people who actually choose to sign up for your list.
A large e-mailing list = large outreach, and a huge success rate for selling, or getting information out to a group of like minded individuals.
Create a large e-mailing list of thousands, keep it active, and you have your base or something of value to fall back on, whenever you need help reaching out or promoting your product.

Building an email list should happen naturally if you are actually doing marketing right. You do not want to promote directly to the offer, so you create a lead-magnet and a landing page. Once they opt-in they receive your follow ups. That is a list right there.

For many businesses, yes. But you have to have the tolerance to operate in high volume, and you have to be building a list of your target market. There is no one marketing tool that is right for every business, but this one has been effective for many businesses I have worked with.

Email is more personal than social media campaigns. They get your message in their inbox. With social media, it's easy for people to actually miss what you posted. Email is more targeted.

Yes, it is. You can send your subscribers updates and promotions from your business via email. Your subscribers can be your most loyal customers and buy your products. People dont really care who they follow on social media vs who they subscribe to via email.

100 percent yes! You can control over your users unlike for example on social media where if that closes you close, or in facebooks case if they keep reducing the reach you will also keep losing your customers.

Yes, it is the premier way to build a list. The fact that it is so easy to make an email list, it is also easy for your email list to grow. Also, while ranking in search engines and getting organic traffic, email starts to work right away.

Email is always quick cash. It means it produces money right away if you have quality list.

Yeah, because there’s no need to spend more time and effort doing emails by setting up a collection of automated email campaigns designed to help you make more sales. You may also email new subscribers and offer incentives to your shop and emailing visitors to visit your shop

Ok, so it's been a while I am receiving some emails from some GURUUUS claiming similar rhetoric as yours. "Email is dying..", "Emails are going dead" blab bla.

And guess what? They are revealing this information through an EMAIL. WOW!

What an irony.

To all the poor gurus selling their dollar-making systems by putting a foot on emails - please change your communicating medium first.

We sometimes tend to overthink and compare strategies that can both lead us to success. Having the list of assets and clients that you can count on will save you from worrying too much of not being engaged and pages that can make your business more reachable.

Yes but you also need to create a relationship with that list and write in a entertaining way.

Yes, building an email list is still the way forward, it is stable with your business while that list of clients will be the same target to your innovative technique which is your own social media. Both methods will be surely a great help but it is still depending on what kind of business you have on hand.

When we hear the word email list, there are some questions that arise in our mind, many people who prefer the email marketing. Yes, usually the email list is still the way forward. This marketing strategy is an old technology compared to others social media and the others users. But it is the most formal and personalized way to communicate with people until now.

Yep, still the way to go...IF you focus on quality over quantity.. There are thousands of posts in this forum on how to grow and manage your list, just search.. Good luck!

I see no one has mentioned texting yet. Last summer I was a softball coach. At the beginning of the season, I sent emails to all the parents asking for a reply. Not a single parent for two weeks replied to my emails. I had to call them on the phone to tell them to check their email for all the game and practice details. After that, I connected all the parents in a text message group on my phone. Within five minutes of sending any message throughout the entire season, I would have a response back by almost every parent. If you really want to get a message across to your email list, you might want to start accumulating phone numbers for sending text messages. If what you offer them is important enough so they're willing to give you their phone number and receive text messages from you, you will have a whole new "open rate" to enjoy. In fact, try sending a text message to your list saying, "Hey, just sent an email to you about [whatever]" and see if your email open rates go up too. Bet so.