For marketers, social takes over direct mail

The survey was taken from May 21 to June 1.

According to the results, 29% of respondents said social media is increasingly taking over direct marketing efforts; less than 10% report using social networks for public relations initiatives. Only about 5% have a dedicated social media department.

Further, about two-thirds (66%) of email marketers are planning to integrate social and email efforts this year with nearly half having an actual plan for doing so.

"This new survey data confirms direct marketers' intent to integrate email with social media, and our three-pronged framework will help ensure that they are able to capitalize on its full potential," said Ryan Deutsch, vice president of strategic services and market development. "Leveraging social media is a valuable tool for meeting direct marketing objectives, but, like any good direct marketing campaign, they need to be tied to metrics such as purchases, new customer acquisition or customer retention. The metrics should be in line with the business's overall direct marketing objectives."

For all marketers, more than 80% plan to increase email spends over the next year with 62% planning to increase social spending.

Tags: direct mail advertising, email marketing, social marketing, StrongMail