With all the emphasis on social media marketing (SMM) and its place in the marketing world, there are those who will probably clutch their heads and howl if they are told that social media is not the driving force behind sales. However, a new study from Forrester called “The Purchase Path of Online Buyers in 2012” says just that. Instead of social media, the report found that the most effective tools driving sales are email marketing and search marketing. Imagine the chaos that will ensue when this news hits the social media gurus!
This Can’t Be True, Can It?
There has been so much hype about social media that many people just will not believe this statement without hard numbers. Forrester has thoughtfully put those together.
For repeat customers who bought with one touchpoint event, 13 percent were brought in by email marketing. Another 20 percent were lured by direct website visits. Even for two or more touchpoint visitors, 17 percent cited email as the originating factor of their visit. For new customers, paid search mattered most in terms of initial draw.
You will notice that social media did not rank in the top of these numbers. In fact, social media are not meaningful sales drivers according to the Forrester study. [Read more…] about Email Drives Sales, Not Social Media
