To begin with, snail mail is nothing but conventional postal mails that have been used as a means of communication or for marketing products. For years, the postman brought us so-called “snail mail” which worked just fine. Then, along came the Internet which changed everything.

Today, e-marketing seems to have a reputation for being the most popular form of marketing. Postcards have been replaced by prompt emails. In light of the swiftness of emails, postcards came to be called “snail mail”. But even then, several arguments and debates take place when it comes to the discussion of sending email versus snail mail.

Let’s get down to understanding the various arguments defending and attacking these two communication tools:

Sending email is viewed as the cheapest form of marketing currently. By sending email, you can reach out to a larger number of people with the same cost. When it comes to snail mail, the cost of postcards, printed stationery and mailing expenses has to be borne. Sending email needs only a click of a mouse. However, it must be said that sending email is cheaper only if the results of both snail mail and email are same. As long as sending email connects with just as many individuals as snail mail, e-marketing scores points.

The problem of spam is no secret. Even if it is, it hasn’t been the best kept secret. Everyday, recipients of emails find their mailbox overloaded with unwanted messages a.k.a. spam. It is quite likely that your email, which may have otherwise interested its recipients, has mistakenly been eaten up by their spam filter. There is also a chance of it being buried under other mails. On the other hand, snail mail is less likely to be ignored. The receivers of snail mail tend to at least glance at their snail mail once.

When it comes to speed, sending email wins the competition hands down. It is true that it is now possible to send posts overnight to distant places. However, the speed at which snail mail can be sent can never compete with the speed at which email can be sent. With a click of a button, sending email to hundreds of individuals is possible within a few seconds. Snail mail is so called not because it is very slow, but because it is much slower in comparison to sending email.

If sending email is as cheap, fast and perfect as we think it is, then why does snail mail still do well? It’s quite simple. Snail mail has a personal touch that emails find hard to replicate. Some things simply have to be snail mailed. Holiday cards, birthday gifts and many others seem incomplete if not mailed by post. How would you like your family to send you an e-greeting for Christmas? We may be getting there but there’s nothing like a conventional Christmas card from your cousins. Also while sending email, only two of our senses are tapped—sight and sound. On the flip side, snail mail taps into our sense of touch, smell, sight and maybe even sound.

Deciding whether sending email is superior to sending snail mail is a tough decision. Rather, it’s a relative opinion. It depends on what you are mailing, the recipient of the email, as well as many other factors. A mix of the two marketing tools is what will bring radical results.