With all the hype surrounding social media, mobile marketing and other new online communication channels, most of it deserved, it would be easy to assume that email is yesterday’s news, with little chance of keeping up with the other marketing methods now available; facing a slow, inevitable death online. But according to the numbers this assumption is an incorrect one. Email usage and its business potential have in fact remained remarkably steady over the last few years, even in the face of this new competition.

"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." Mark Twain

Research consistently finds that email is still the preferred method of receiving commercial messages by adults online, at 74% currently. This perhaps surprising statistic can help explain the continued growth and proliferation of e-marketing seen today.

It’s no longer true that the largest firms are the most likely to use email marketing. The use of e-newsletters and other commercial email messages is now fairly universal, with many smaller and newer firms getting into the act as well.

As companies age they outgrow their sole-proprietor beginnings, they increasing look for new ways to expand their businesses to support higher headcounts and overhead. Business surveys revealed that almost half of small businesses were using email marketing in 2010, with an additional 36% reporting they planned to begin this year.

This high level of participation shows in the dollars spent annually. Including businesses of every size, email promotion accounts for an average of 15-22% of total marketing budgets. These billions of dollars spent every year on email has certainly attracted attention, with a large number of email distribution services found online today, along with expert web copywriting firms too.

This gives today’s business owner or marketer many options to choose from, ranging from "self-serve" programs to ones that are turn-key, the entire process managed by an outside vendor. Choices are often dictated by the level of expertise and resources available internally.

It’s projected that the number of worldwide email accounts will continue to increase, from over 2.9 billion accounts in 2010 to over 3.8 billion by 2014.

And with higher ROI potential than direct marketing, which has the added costs of materials, printing and postage; the future looks bright for the continued relevance of email marketing. Coupled with growth expectations, it’s clear that e-marketing is here to stay.

Jim Haynes is the Owner of Hat Trick Associates, a firm dedicated to spotting web content and online communication trends, and educating businesses on web and social content. As a provider of writing and web distribution services, their focus is on increased online conversions, SEO and revenues for clients. For more information, visit http://www.hattrickassociates.com or call (314) 494-3494.