A third of marketers are using social media as a means of enhancing their email campaigns, research by Econsultancy and Adestra reveals.
The fourth annual Email Marketing Industry Census indicates that 37 per cent of firms are encouraging users to share content on social networks using emails, something a further 31 per cent intend to do.
Furthermore, 28 per cent are using video content in their emails as a means of seeking higher levels of customer engagement.
As a result of these developments, a greater percentage of marketers' budgets is now being spent on email campaigns; 17 per cent this year, compared to 14 per cent in 2009.
Henry Hyder-Smith, managing director of Adestra, suggested social media is having an "explosive impact" on email marketing, arguing that its significance can no longer be ignored.
"Instead of cannibalisation, we are witnessing a solid partnership evolving between the two; email and social media working in harmony to fuel one another," he said.
Last month, Econsultancy published research showing that marketers are increasing their budgets for social media initiatives, even though they have yet to develop accurate ways of measuring their success.
