📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

Social Media Is Hot But Email Packs Digital Marketing Power (Infographic) If you are looking to build engagement with customers, email addresses are gold.

By Catherine Clifford

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

There's non-stop buzz about social media in all its forms: How to use it, when to maximize it, and how to grow your followers. While social media can be valuable, email is still where it's at when it comes to online marketing power.

Almost half of Internet users in the U.S. spend an hour or more reading their email every day, according to new survey data conducted by My.com, the developers of myMail, a free mobile application that allows individuals to monitor all of their email addresses through a single inbox. We also check email multiple times throughout the day. Three-quarters of survey respondents said they check email in the morning, half check at lunch, almost six in 10 say checking email is the last thing they do before they go to bed.

Related: 4 Ways to Make Sure Your Email List Doesn't End Up Dead

So, collecting customer email addresses and crafting killer messages should be a top priority for your startup marketing campaigns.

Gmail is the most popular email service, according to My.com's survey results, with 59 percent of Internet users reporting to having a Gmail account. Most Internet users have more than one email account, though, and Yahoo came in as the second most popular email option, according to the data. Only 12 percent of Internet users still have an AOL account.

Check out the infographic (below) for more stats on when, where and how Internet users are interacting with their inboxes.

Click to Enlarge+
Social Media Is Hot But Email Packs Digital Marketing Power (Infographic)
Related: Hook New Customers With an Online 'Hopeful Greeting'
Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Solutions

Organize Your Podcasts and Audio Content with This $40 Plan

Player FM lets you organize and sync podcasts across different platforms in one place.

Starting a Business

I Wish I Knew These Four Things Before Starting My Own Business

Starting a business is hard work to say the least. These are four lessons I wish someone had shared with me before going solo, so I'm here to share them with you.

Side Hustle

These Coworkers-Turned-Friends Started a Side Hustle on Amazon — Now It's a 'Full Hustle' Earning Over $20 Million a Year: 'Jump in With Both Feet'

Achal Patel and Russell Gong met at a large consulting firm and "bonded over a shared vision to create a mission-led company."

Resumes & Interviewing

Find Jobs Easier with This AI Resume Builder on Sale for $90

Canyon Pro features automated resume writing, application autofilling, and more helpful tools for finding a job.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Science & Technology

Brand New GPT-4o Revealed: 3 Mind Blowing Updates and 3 Unexpected Challenges for Entrepreneurs

Unveiling OpenAI's GPT-4.0: The latest AI with vision, auditory, and emotional intelligence abilities is revolutionizing industries. How will it affect your business?