Email Marketing vs Social Media Statistics 2025

Businesses are still trying to figure out whether email marketing or social media is more effective in the fast-changing digital world of 2025. Both platforms are important parts of a modern marketing mix, but new data is making it clearer where conversions, engagement, and ROI really are.

It’s important to know how well each channel is doing, whether you’re a marketer fine-tuning your strategy or a business owner putting money into outreach. This data-based look at email marketing vs. social media stats shows what’s working in 2025 and where you should spend your marketing money next.

Understanding the Current Landscape

As of 2025, marketers are working in a digital world that is already full. There are people on a lot of different platforms, but email and social media are still the two best methods to reach them.

Even if emerging platforms like Threads, Discord, and community applications are becoming more popular, email marketing and social media marketing are still the most popular ways for brands to communicate. But how people interact, convert, and establish trust with them changes how they affect things.

Let’s see what the most recent data shows.

Email Marketing Performance in 2025

1. Open Rates

According to a 2025 Litmus report, average email open rates have stabilized at 41.2%, with highly segmented campaigns reaching up to 58.4%. This increase is attributed to AI-powered personalization and better timing algorithms.

2. Click-Through Rates (CTR)

The average email CTR is now 4.5% globally, a modest rise from 3.8% in 2023. Niche B2B sectors are outperforming, seeing up to 6.1% CTR through automation workflows.

3. Return on Investment (ROI)

Email continues to lead in ROI, delivering an average return of $44 for every $1 spent, up from $36 in 2022. This margin widens for ecommerce and SaaS businesses using advanced segmentation.

4. Deliverability

Modern email tools now offer 99.1% deliverability rates, with fewer messages being flagged as spam due to better domain authentication and subscriber vetting.

5. Engagement Longevity

Unlike social content that vanishes within hours, emails remain accessible in inboxes for days or weeks, giving them longer shelf life and consistent click potential.

Social Media Performance in 2025

1. Organic Reach

On platforms like Instagram and Facebook, organic reach has declined to 2.1%, making it harder for brands to reach followers without paid ads. TikTok and LinkedIn are performing slightly better with 6% and 7.8% organic reach respectively.

2. Engagement Rates

Engagement varies by platform. In 2025:

• Instagram has an average engagement rate of 0.95%
• LinkedIn posts see 1.1%
• TikTok remains the outlier with 4.8% average engagement, especially for creators and brand influencers

3. ROI Metrics

The average ROI for social media is $2.8 for every $1 spent, which varies significantly depending on ad platform and targeting efficiency. Retargeting campaigns tend to perform best.

4. Algorithm Dependency

Unlike emails, social media visibility is highly controlled by algorithm changes. A 2025 Hootsuite study shows that 65% of marketers lost visibility after the latest Instagram update, forcing a heavier reliance on ads.

5. Ad Costs

Social media ad costs have increased by 18% in 2025. CPM (Cost per Thousand Impressions) now averages $14.65, making it less accessible for small businesses compared to email campaigns.

Conversion Power: Email Marketing vs Social Media

Conversion rates remain the defining metric.

Even in 2025, email marketing outperforms social media in every conversion-related category, especially for B2B and ecommerce funnels.

Integration and Multi-Channel Synergy

It’s no longer a matter of choosing between email marketing and social media. In 2025, the most effective brands are those that understand how to use both channels in harmony.

Each platform plays a distinct role in the customer journey:

• Social media grabs attention through visually engaging content and fast-moving trends.
• Email deepens the relationship, providing value, personalization, and consistent touchpoints.

Together, they create a powerful synergy:

• Social ads attract cold audiences, while email campaigns warm them into loyal customers
• Email subscribers can be strategically retargeted on Facebook and Instagram to reinforce messaging
• Lead magnets shared on social platforms can turn casual followers into high-intent email subscribers

This integrated approach amplifies the strengths of both channels, creating a more resilient, high-converting strategy without being overly dependent on any single platform.

What the Experts Are Saying in 2025

“Social media is great for awareness, but email is where the relationship happens. Our top-converting customers always engage through inbox first.”

— Jenna Koh, VP Growth at BlueStack Commerce

“If you’re not collecting emails in 2025, you’re renting your audience instead of owning it. One algorithm change and your reach is gone.”

— Tom Reeves, Marketing Strategist at MetricFuse

Looking Ahead: Trends to Watch in 2026

• AI-powered personalization in email will become even more precise
• Social platforms will push harder toward pay-to-play models
• Email automation will integrate more with CRMs and purchase behavior
• Consumer privacy laws may further limit retargeting via social
• In all of this, email remains future-proof, while social media continues to evolve.

So, Who Wins in 2025?

If we’re looking strictly at performance metrics, email marketing dominates. But for brand building and community engagement, social media still holds value.

The smart move is not “either-or” but “email plus social.”

For sustainable growth, build your list, own your data, and use social media to funnel interest into a more controlled communication channel your inbox.

If you’re focused on driving ROI and building meaningful customer relationships, the numbers in 2025 make it clear, email marketing consistently outperforms. While social media plays a crucial role in visibility, email remains the most direct, trusted, and conversion-friendly channel in your marketing stack.

At Contechtive, we help businesses integrate both channels through data-driven strategies, advanced automation, and intelligent content workflows. Whether you’re just starting to build your list or looking to scale your email engine, our team is here to optimize every step from clicks to conversions.

Ready to turn your audience into loyal customers? Let’s build your next winning campaign. Reach out to Us Today!