Money Hungry Meta Battles TikTok—OG Email Laughs

The changes coming to Meta could make email marketing even more powerful.

The recent uproar about Meta’s upcoming interface and strategy changes caused #SaveInstagram to trend. This got us thinking…

Email marketing may reign supreme in a time when social media is mimicking the TikTok algorithm.

The Situation 

The changes to Instagram were meant to make the platform more like the uber-popular TikTok. 

Users weren’t happy. They were so unhappy that Meta actually reversed some of the updates.

Still, Meta intends to make similar changes to Facebook with a “suggested for you” feed

The result: users see less specific content and have a less targeted experience. Specific + targeted are two key components mindful marketers always strive for. 

Email Has What Instagram Doesn’t, A Spam Filter

Part of what spurred our interest in this topic was an article about email marketing during the pandemic. 

Author Chris Donald argued that email marketing was effective during quarantine because people would go to their inbox as they tried to escape “doom scrolling” on social media. 

With that perspective, there's definitely one thing that makes email better–spam filters.

Spam filters have done tremendous leg work to organize and clear inboxes. The idea of a “cluttered inbox” splattered with emails you never agreed to get is (mostly) a thing of the past.

Facebook and Instagram algorithms are going in the opposite direction, broadening the content people see. Meta’s strategy is for its own revenue advantage, getting more clicks on ads. It ignores the user experience.

Why Mindful Marketers Use Email

Here’s why we think these changes will help email marketing: 

• In the inbox, people see marketing they’ve not only signed up to see, but want to see. 
• Email is consistent. It’s been considered one of the strongest marketing tools even with social media’s rise. 
• There are 4 Billion daily users of email. 
• Segmentation opportunities in email marketing create highly targeted messaging. 
• Mindful marketers are careful about spam flags. Highly targeted messages, segmented lists, and diligent design ensure people are receiving emails that won’t be flagged or reported as spam.

Email Grows More Powerful

While Meta fights to keep pace with the money-making platforms like TikTok and sends users running. Email is quietly becoming an even more powerful marketing tool with strong targeting capabilities and invaluable spam filters.