As a writer, I know that words matter. The words we see written in books can inspire. Onscreen, those same words can take a multitude of forms and also cause us to do a multitude of things. In the business world, it’s about putting words together that present your product well.  That’s where the battle of content marketing vs email marketing comes into play. How do you maximize your ROI when both digital marketing methods are must-haves for your campaign?

• Email marketing is always going to have a higher ROI than content marketing, with an average ROI of 4200%. 
• However, content marketing is vital for long-term growth and email lead generation. 
• Using a good balance is the only way to success.

Let’s take a look at both content marketing and email marketing...and how you can make the most of your marketing budget. 

Introducing each marketing genre

Before we get into the full comparison between both content marketing and email marketing, we’re going to establish what we’re discussing first. It’s only fair, right? 

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is the art (and science) of creating and publishing content that people like to read. The content can take a wide range of forms including blog posts, social media posts, or even YouTube videos. As you get more views, people begin to trust your brand and buy from you. 

For the sake of this article, we are going to view content marketing as everything aside from email marketing. This will help ensure that we get things crystal clear. 

What are the benefits of content marketing?

Hoo, boy! Where do I even start? Honestly, this could be an entire article of its own. However, I’m going to lay out the basics here:

• It’s the easiest way to ensure that you get some SEO. Search engines need to have content in order to grab and track your site. Without a heavy content marketing campaign, it could take years to ensure that you get a good place in Google’s search rankings. 
• Content marketing also shows how much value you want to provide to customers. Customers today often rely on blog posts and Google searches to give them answers to the questions they have. By giving them good information, you can show them that they have no reason not to trust you. 
• People don’t have to subscribe to your services to enjoy your on-site content. Some people will NEVER sign up for your email no matter what you do. They just won’t have it. Those people can only be reached through quality content. That’s a bigger demographic than you’d think. 
• Oh, and it also can play into your PR. Seriously. Look at how guest blog posts can improve your standing in the public eye, and you’ll see what I mean. 

What are the drawbacks of content marketing?

Content marketing is great, but it’s not ALWAYS what you need to focus on. Here’s why…

• It’s very labor-intensive and requires a large set of skills. Look. I’m a professional writer. I still have a hard time with content writing in some cases. And it’s not just the writing that takes time to master and do, either. It’s the content planning, the keyword research, and all the other things.
• If you go the professional route, it’ll cost a lot of money before it pays off. Content marketing can take a minimum of six months before Google picks up on it. Content marketing can cost up to $2,000 to $5,000 per month!
• Content marketing can take a while to work. I mentioned about Google ranks, but that’s not all. It just takes a long time to get people to notice it online via social media. Getting followers to your content is also a pretty time-consuming process too. 
• It can be hard to nail down your ROI on any content marketing. For what it’s worth, Neil Patel says that around 42 percent of marketers believe that they get a very high ROI from it. 

What is email marketing?

Email marketing is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the practice of building up email lists, as well as sending out emails from your company. Email marketing is primarily done with newsletters and individual email announcements. You might also include updating email templates in this category. 

What are the benefits of email marketing?

While it might be an old-school option, it’s still a favorite for many reasons. Here’s why everyone in the business world needs to have an email marketing campaign:

• The ROI is easy to track, and outstanding. One of the biggest reasons to love email marketing is because it works. For every dollar spent on email marketing, companies can get as much as $42 or more back. That’s insane!
• It’s cheap. This is one of the only types of marketing that can cost as little as $1500 for all the bells and whistles, per month.
• Analytics can make it easy to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Most email marketing platforms will make it easy as pie to figure out what you need to do in order to maximize your ROI. 
• You also have an audience that shows they want to hear what you say. In order to legally send out mass emails, you need to make sure that your clients can opt in. That’s literally them saying, “Yes, I want your emails.” 
• Market segmentation is a cinch. Everyone has multiple types of clients that they work with. You can reach all of them with that individualized touch through email market segmentation. 
• Even if your server drops you, you’ll still have emails. This is particularly important for people who have companies that are in the adult film industry. 

What are the pitfalls of email marketing?

While there are not many pitfalls, there still are some issues that people tend to have with this stuff. Here’s the worst issues:

• You can still occasionally have issues with getting your message across. Spam folders are classic problems. 
• Building that list takes a while, and you can’t really buy a list. It’s not a good look to buy lists. In fact, it’s kind of illegal. 
• Your email service has the right to drop you. This is an issue in high-risk industries like adult films or cannabis. 

When should you use content marketing vs email marketing?

Honestly, both are good choices for people who want to have a good ROI over the long term. If you want to have a complete marketing campaign, you will use both. Even so, there are certain situations where one should precede the other…

Getting visitors to your website

If getting visitors to your site is the main issue, then you won’t do well with email marketing. You need to get visitors to opt-in to your email marketing campaign, and you do that through the site. Content marketing is where it’s at here, since it can bolster your SEO and gain more visitors.

Retaining clients

Let’s say that you have a lot of visitors to your site, but they tend to buy once and vanish soon after. This is a bad sign as far as your brand’s marketing is concerned. It may be that your marketing is not encouraging a bond with your brand. 

This is a moment where you need to nurture the bond your target audience has with the brand you made. Content marketing is okay for this, but it’s nowhere near as good as email marketing. Emails make people feel like they are close to you. 

Since email marketing also has good analytics behind it, you also will be able to figure out what the issue is. That’s HUGE!

You’re just starting out

If you’re starting out, it’s a good idea to focus on the look and feel of your content. However, you should still collect email addresses and issue out a weekly letter. It’s the best way to make sure that you get the hang of things then scale up. 

How can you maximize your ROI with email and content marketing?

Honestly, this is going to be a tough call since every company is going to be different. However, most seem to work with the same type of pattern. Here’s what you should start to do if you want to get the best possible outcomes:

• Begin your marketing endeavor by setting up your website and your email platform. This is just laying out the basic foundation of your site and email structure. How would be a good time to invest in your email marketing software and put together some email blasts. 
• Start collecting email signups with a splash page on your website. The next step is where you are going to start kicking off your content marketing. We suggest verifying the addresses to ensure that they are legit before you start to send out emails. 
• Begin sending emails to clients who signed up for your service. A weekly promo is a good place to start. You should aim to spend only 1 hour a week in order to get this going at your pace right now. 
• Start rolling out content on your blog, social media, and video platforms. Urge people to subscribe to your emails through your content. The more you create a sales funnel through your content, the better your campaign will be. 
• Track and adjust your marketing campaigns as needed. As your campaigns grow, you’re going to see what you need to do. There will be times when you need to cut down on content, and times when you need to spend extra time segmenting your market. 

How should you budget between content and email marketing?

Honestly, this all depends on your situation. The good news is that email marketing is super cheap and content marketing can be done for free. However, content marketing tends to take on the lion’s share of every budget. 

The one thing that I can tell you is that you should take time figuring out your marketing strategy before you plunk down any cash. It’s a major commitment. 

Should you ask a professional to help you with your marketing strategy?

In most cases, it makes sense to ask a digital marketing agency to help you put together a good plan. Having both an email marketing agency and a content marketing agency talk to you about your options is a smart way.  Or, you know, you can also ask some questions to see if it’s right for you.

How much does hiring an email marketing agency cost?

Believe it or not, email marketing agencies are some of the most affordable digital marketing agencies out there. You can get a decent email marketing agency package for $80 to $250 per month for a basic kit. 

If you want to have a full-service email marketing agency’s work, you may have to spend extra. This can lead to costs of $500 to $2,000 per month. This includes graphic design, copywriting, and testing. 

The next steps

There are so many different ways to work both email marketing and content marketing together, it’s kind of dizzying. If you’re wondering what you should do now, it’s time to check out this advice. 

1. Figure out your marketing budget and where you are in your business life
2. Discuss what your priorities are
3. Determine if you need professional help
4. Put together a plan that works with both marketing types and your goals

Need help figuring out what you should do for your business marketing plan? Reach out to an email marketing agency via SavvySME or go on the hunt for digital marketing agencies near you.