The rapid rise and integration of social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook has led many to believe that the tried-and-tested marketing channels of old, such as email, are, if not completely dead, then certainly on their last legs.

Not so. Studies have shown that email still converts better than either search or social, and smart marketers should combine these tools for truly optimum results.

Indeed, the relatively simple decision to promote your brand’s social networks in your company emails can have a huge impact on the growth of those channels, and businesses are taking note, with 97 percent of socially savvy firms including their Facebook Page in their emails, ahead of their Twitter profile (91 percent), YouTube channel (45 percent) and Pinterest board (32 percent).

Brands have also seen the value in direct call-to-actions encouraging customers to Like or follow their social feeds in the subject lines of their emails. The results can be spectacular – 60 percent of brands that sent emails with “Facebook” in the subject line averaged a 27 percent increase in traffic to their website from Facebook the week following deployment, and the unique opening rates for Twitter “Follow Us” mailings are 9.5 percent higher than other emails.

Of note: open and click rates are higher for emails promoting Pinterest than those for Facebook or Twitter. Sure, a lot of that is flavour-of-the-month buzz, but it might just indicate something more significant. Time will tell.

This infographic from Experian takes a closer look at why email and social work better together.

(Source: Experian. Email image via Shutterstock.)