The Email Research Center

Consumers use different email, Facebook, and Twitter differently and when they choose to engage brands on Facebook or Twitter, theses typically represent new layers of engagement with brands. They don’t isolate their engagement with brands to social media.

Overall, more than 90% of consumers who are a Facebook Fan are also Email Subscribers. Approximately three-quarters of those that Follow a company on Twitter are also Email Subscribers.



This is perhaps the most shocking when looking at young consumers. 46% of consumers 15-24 engage with brands via email and on Facebook and/or Twitter. Only 2% isolate their engagement with brands to social networks alone. 14% say they won’t engage with brands online through any of the three channels and 38% will only engage brands through email.

The way consumers communicate with brands IS changing, but the changes represent deeper and richer engagement with brands through the addition of social media. Consumers still want what they have always gotten from brands (e.g., updates on new products, information and, yes, discounts) and most tend to believe email is a good way to get these messages.

Engagement with brands on Facebook and Twitter represent new ways to engage with and get to know brands. Facebook is FUN, Twitter provides unprecedented ACCESS—yes, there are new rules for one-to-one marketing, but more important are the new dimensions that social networks bring to the table.

For more on the findings about the motivations consumers have for engaging brands through email, Facebook and Twitter – make sure to download our latest report from the Subscribers, Fans, & Followers series, The Social Profile.