For those of you old enough to recognize that the post title is a little takeoff on the Doors song “Roadhouse Blues” then I congratulate you (or commiserate with you since we are old enough to know what I am talking about ). What I am trying to convey to you in this unique fashion is the fact that one of the first things that people interact with on a daily basis, especially around brands, is e-mail according to a study by ExactTarget.

The Center for Media Research reports

According to a new study by ExactTarget, based on more than 1,500 consumer interviews, 58% of U.S. online consumers begin their day interacting with companies on Email, compared to 20% who start their day on search engines and 11% on Facebook. Consumers’ early morning online preferences reflect key differences in their motivations for interacting with companies across email and social media, observes the report.

Now, of course, this data comes from a company that does e-mail marketing for companies so I ask you to exercise some caution when consuming these numbers. In fact, as a point of education I always ask that you look at the source of any reports or data, since oftentimes they are conducted by a group who needs to prove a point to benefit their business.

I digress. It seems safe to say that e-mail is still one of the most effective ways to interact with consumers. It is also safe to say that it is still one of the ways that even the smallest retailers, independent dealers and even brands can be in the Internet marketing game.

Some other findings from this study include:

• 93 percent of U.S. consumers subscribe to email marketing messages
• While consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 are the most active demographic on Facebook and Twitter, they are also among the most active on email.

The following quote from the press release for this study tells us even more

“Consumers who check email first tend to be more task-oriented, subscribe to more emails and interact with brands across email and social media to obtain deals, promotions or new product information,” said Morgan Stewart, principal, ExactTarget’s research and education group.  “This stands in stark contrast to people who initially check Facebook, who tend to draw firmer, more segregated boundaries and become fans of brands for entertainment purposes or to show support for a company or product.”

Please be sure to read the press release for this study to learn more.

So e-mail works because people use it. They get different “takeaways” from e-mail v. other social media information. It’s important for online retailers to make this distinction in order to guide their marketing money and resources in the right direction to generate more revenue.

How is e-mail impacting your business today? Are you waking up to the potential for your business?

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