Key Takeaways
- Email marketing delivers consistently higher ROI than organic social media for most Ontario businesses.
- Social media is better at reaching new audiences; email is better at converting warm audiences.
- You own your email list — you don't own your social media followers.
- The best strategy uses both: social to grow awareness, email to drive conversion.
Every Ontario business owner with a Facebook page has heard the pitch for social media marketing. And it has real merit — social platforms reach a huge audience and, done well, build genuine community around a brand. But there's a channel that most small businesses invest far less in that consistently delivers stronger results: email. Email is not exciting. It doesn't have likes, shares or algorithms. But it has something social media doesn't: a direct, unmediated connection with people who have actively chosen to hear from you. This guide gives you an honest look at both channels — where each excels, where each falls short, and how the two work best together.
Definition: email marketing vs. social media marketing
Email marketing is the practice of sending targeted messages directly to a list of subscribers who have opted in to receive communications from your business. Social media marketing is the use of platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to build a following and share content with a broader, less self-selected audience.
Why email outperforms social media in almost every measurable way
Email reaches more of your audience, at a lower cost, with higher intent — and your list belongs to you.
When you post on Facebook or Twitter, only a fraction of your followers see it — and that fraction is shrinking as platforms prioritise paid content. Email, by contrast, reaches your entire list every time you send. The average email open rate in 2013 is around 20–25%. The average organic reach of a Facebook post for business pages is already dropping toward 10–15% and continuing to fall.
More importantly, the people on your email list are qualitatively different from your social followers. They gave you their personal email address — an act of genuine permission. They're further down the trust funnel. That's why email consistently converts better than social media for direct actions: purchase, booking, quote request.
- You own your email list — platform algorithm changes can't eliminate your reach overnight
- Higher average open rate than typical organic social reach
- Subscribers have opted in, indicating genuine interest
- Email can be personalised and segmented in ways social posts can't
- Lower cost per communication than most social advertising
How to use email and social media together effectively
Use social media to grow your email list, then use email to convert that list into customers.
The most effective approach for Ontario small businesses is to treat social media as a top-of-funnel tool and email as a mid-to-bottom-funnel tool. Social posts build awareness and trust with new audiences. A lead magnet — a free guide, a discount, a newsletter sign-up — converts social followers into email subscribers. Email then nurtures those subscribers toward a purchase or enquiry.
Practically: post consistently on the social platform your audience uses, include occasional CTAs to join your email list (a free resource is the most effective incentive), and then send your email list something genuinely valuable — not just promotions — at least once or twice per month.
Experience Signal
A Burlington-based home services company we worked with had 2,400 Facebook followers and sent occasional promotional posts — but very few leads. We helped them set up a simple monthly email newsletter sharing seasonal home maintenance tips, with a soft offer at the bottom. Within six months, email was generating more service calls than all their social channels combined.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Email marketing consistently delivers the highest ROI of any digital marketing channel. The average return is estimated at $40–44 for every $1 spent — significantly higher than social media advertising or paid search for most industries.
Average open rates vary by industry, but 20–25% is a reasonable benchmark for a small Ontario business newsletter. Rates above 30% indicate excellent subject lines and list quality. Below 15% usually signals list hygiene issues or weak subject line writing.
Yes. CASL (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation), which came into effect in 2014, requires express or implied consent to send commercial emails to Canadian recipients. Building your list through legitimate opt-in methods protects you from significant penalties.
Sources
Need a clearer digital marketing strategy for your Ontario business?
Webnixon helps Ontario businesses build marketing approaches that work together — not just tick boxes on separate platforms.
Talk to us about your marketing strategyAbout the author
Sophia Rossi
Web Designer
Sophia designs high-impact websites and brand experiences at Webnixon, combining visual craft with a thorough understanding of user behavior and conversion principles. She specializes in responsive UI design, brand system development, and creating digital experiences that balance aesthetic distinction with functional clarity. She writes about web design best practices, branding strategy, and building online presences that earn trust and drive results for businesses.
Related Articles
Branding
Social Media for Ontario Businesses: Where to Start and What to Post
Social media can feel overwhelming for a small business owner who already wears a dozen hats. This guide cuts through the noise and tells you which platforms actually make sense for Ontario businesses in 2013 — and exactly what to post on each.
SEO
Why Your Business Website Needs a Blog (And How to Start One That Works)
A well-maintained blog is one of the few marketing channels that gets better over time without increasing your spend. Each post you publish creates a permanent asset that can drive traffic for years — and it builds the kind of trust that paid advertising can't buy.
Strategy
How to Set Your Digital Marketing Budget for 2026 (Ontario Business Guide)
Most Ontario small businesses either spend too little on digital marketing to see results, or spread it too thin. This guide helps you allocate your budget where it will have the most impact in 2026.
Where social media genuinely wins: discovery and awareness
Social media reaches people who haven't heard of you yet — which email, by definition, cannot do.
Email marketing requires an existing relationship. You can only email people who've already given you their address. Social media, by contrast, can reach entirely new audiences — through organic sharing (your followers sharing your content with their networks) and through paid promotion (targeting people with specific demographics and interests who've never encountered your brand).
Social media is also where cultural conversations happen. A landscaping company sharing before-and-after transformation photos on Facebook reaches people who didn't know they needed landscaping until they saw it. That kind of passive, serendipitous discovery is something email simply can't replicate.