You’d think because of this data-backed fact that more business owners and more sales professionals would spend more time growing their email marketing list. If you’re on the hunt for the next-best-thing in lead generation, might I remind of you of the tried and true king of commerce communications.

Here are 9 compelling reasons why you need a solid email marketing list:

#1 Return-On-Investment

If you’re a diligent about keeping an address book then you understand the importance of quality book of contacts. Let me re-frame this concept. If you’re throwing a party, your goal is to have a great party with your guests. You have a guest list which you market the party to via invitation. Your guests receive your invite and consequently show up and you reach your goal of having a great party. Keeping a list of your potential guests cost virtually nothing and it has yielded a great ROI - in this case, a good time!

Now imagine you’re having a product launch or a sale. It’s a party (of sorts). You go to send invitations to your would-be guests (marketing list) only you have no guest list. Disaster. Now instead of just inviting your past customers to your sale, you have go buy billboard space, create ads, make flyers to try to get them todiscover that you’re having a sale. This drastically cuts into your budget and it hurts your return. In the context of ad space vs email marketing and social media, the costs are minimal.

#2 Zero Learning Curve, For You.

Been sending emails for years? Decades? Just about everyone you know has an email address and uses it. It’s is about as standard as having a cell phone. As a business owner, you don’t have to learn 17 different platforms just to reach your intended recipient, just type in their address and go.

#3 You'll Actually Reach Your Database

Two our own detriment, in the midst of our social media frenzy we've lost sight of some of the basics of marketing. Organic social media is on life support, Facebook is only showing your posts on from your business page to a very small 1-3% of your followers. Email however, has delivery rates of up to 99%. Email services also tell you if your recipient has received your email. Your post? Maybe they saw it maybe they didn't.

Granted, email is only opened by a fraction of subscribers - at Tribez our open rates hover around 30%.  But even if your email is never opened, the message still reaches its destination and then at least your recipient has the option to to read it or not.

#4 Sticking Power

Have you ever see a post on Facebook you you wanted to read and then try to find it again? Yeah… not so easy. That email you got this morning that you flagged to read later on? Well there it is right where you left it! Social Media is noisy and it’s getting noisier! Your social feeds update thousands of times a day, your inbox updates dozens of times a day and for your customer probably even less.

Social media is all scroll and no action. Email is for doing. Opening, reading, and our favorite - clicking. Email never dies. You have to eliminate it. It just sits there in your inbox waiting for you. Even if it’s deleted, it still requires that action. Social media? Scrolling on.

#5 Measure Twice Cut Once

Trying to prove the value of social media is difficult and becoming more so. What’s the value of a Facebook follower? Who knows.

Email marketing, on the other hand, is very simple. What email did you send, how many inquiries did you get, and how many sales did it generate? Then you can take it from there and figure out the average value of each opt in.

#6 Have an actual conversation

You know the kind of communication where I say something and then you say something back to me?  If you are a small business, next to your phone, your email is your money maker, the vessel to true 2-way communication. One-on-one conversations with prospects are priceless! Reach out to them first and spark a conversation!

#7 Advertising Approved

Email marketing is perceived differently than social networks by your audience. It’s become quite normal to be notified of a sale or a receive a coupon code in your inbox. You won’t be ostracized for doing this, however if you blast your LinkedIn connections with a coupon code, they might have something no-so-nice to say back.

#8 The Inbox Has Gone Mobile

As long as you stay away from using huge images in your emails you can deliver your messages right to the hand of your subscribers!

#9 Personalization

Although there is a logical understanding that every email we receive is not always personal, it still feels like the message is for us, even if it’s sent to a list of thousands. A social post is for anyone who stumbles upon it. Further segmentation of your list allows you to send more specific messages to help nurture your subscriber into desired action.

Email is still the only channel that remains private-ish, it provides a direct line to you and your contacts. Most importantly, it has an opt-in process that turns it into the purest form of Permission Marketing.