Believe it or not, there were some techie types (otherwise known as nerds) who thought that Twitter, Facebook, etc. would completely eradicate the need for and use of email. Well, here we are in 2011 and email isn’t going anywhere, at least not in the foreseeable future. The smart ones have figured out how to incorporate email marketing with the social media outlets.
One example is Biz Stone, who launched his first edition of the new Twitter Email Newsletter. Yes, he could have done the Twitter thing with it, but it is one smart guy who realizes that information flows through various channels, and people tend to receive information in a variety of those channels. Also, tweeting a newsletter in blocks of 140 characters at a time is a little less than efficient.
The big thing holding all the social media together, according to some, is—you guessed it—email. Where do updates and recaps of your day in the social media appear? Your inbox. One such example is Nutshell Mail , where you can sign up for these types of updates to hit your inbox a few times daily. Also, Brady Sadler wrote a great post on Gowalla. Gowalla uses email to try to create a more personal bonding experience with its users.
What about Google Wave? I doubt that it will replace Gmail anytime soon.
Yes, the bottom line is that email is the foundational tool for communication. You use it every day. At work, at home, at school, and at play. Goodmail is creating ways to use video in the inbox and companies like Brightcove should join the bandwagon. Gmail has let us know that you can run YouTube videos inside an email sent to your Gmail account. And Outlook 2010? Yes, even Outlook 2010 is going social, streamlining social communications into one platform.
Features of Inbox 2 recognize the many data streams constantly bombarding us and this is a perfect opportunity for the creation of a unified platform. Exact Target has bought CoTweet. HubSpot has packaged Inbound Marketing in such a way that demonstrates that they understand the whole “email is glue” concept. It also demonstrates that they know how to turn potential customers into customers. So what is the point of all of this?
Email is the way things are and the main line flowing through the Internet. As far as we can see into the future, it will remain so. Just ask Mark Cuban.
