5 Email Marketing Myths Businesses Tend to Believe That Is Bad Information

By Lisa Furgison

Every business wants to send effective emails that grab attention, boost brand awareness and increase sales. The internet is full of “tips-and-tricks articles” that offer advice on everything from collecting email addresses to closing a sale. Still, over time, some of those lessons have become nothing more than email marketing myths.

To help you send effective emails, we’ll debunk some of the most common email marketing myths. Here’s a list of five email marketing myths that businesses tend to believe:

1. Consumers get too many emails already, you’ll never standout

You’ve probably seen statistics about the glut of emails people receive on a daily basis. A report from The Radicati Group predicts people will receive 246 emails a day by 2019. But if you take a closer look at that statistic, those 246 emails are “business related.” Those emails are office memos, notes about free food in the lunchroom and staff meeting agendas, not relevant emails from businesses that customers trust.

Research shows 60% of consumers receive less than six emails a day from trusted brands, the other 40% of consumers receive three or less.

To ensure your email stands out, ensure every email you send is relevant to your customers. How? Collect customer information, and send targeted emails to different segments on your list. In other words, don’t send an “email blast” to everyone. Be more calculated. Consumers are more likely to respond to your email if it offers something they’re interested in.

2. You can only send an email once

Many businesses assume that once an email is created and sent, that’s it. It can’t be sent again. That’s not the case. After all, creating thoughtful emails for your consumers takes time, so it makes absolute sense to reuse them.

Get more mileage out of an email by changing the subject line and sending it out to subscribers that didn’t open it on the first try.

Or, you can create an email, make a few tweaks and send it to different segments of your list. For instance, let’s say you’re planning an online sale and want to offer 20% off to your VIP customers. Well, why not expand the use of that email by offering the same deal to a different segment, like inactive members? Tweak the subject line and email content from “We want to thank our VIP customers with 20% off,” to “We Miss You! Check out our hot deals and take 20% off your next purchase.”

3. Unsubscribes mean you’re doing something wrong

No one wants subscribers to leave, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing anything wrong. It’s natural to lose email contacts. Just like friends drift apart, customers drift apart from businesses.

If your unsubscribe rate remains below 1%, you’re doing fine. There’s no need to panic.

Besides, having a customer unsubscribe from your list isn’t a bad thing. Think about it. You won’t spend time marketing to a customer that’s no longer interested in your product.

Plus, email service providers usually charge businesses based on the number of emails sent. If subscribers that aren’t interested in your product leave, you’re actually saving money.

4. The best time to send emails is Monday after work

If you Google ‘Best time to send email’ you’ll get a slew of responses and every one offers a different piece of advice on when to send email. Some say consumers are in the buying spirit on Monday after work, others say snagging a customer’s attention on the weekend is best.

Email frequency is a hot topic, which is why so many companies conduct research on it. But the truth is, email frequency is different for every business. Of course, this doesn’t provide a definitive answer that so many marketers are looking for, but it’s the truth.

To figure out the best time to send emails, you have to experiment with your own customer base. Send emails at different times, watch your metrics and see when your response rates are best.

Bottom line – rely on your own data, not stats from a marketing blog with a catchy title.

5. Responsive design isn’t a big deal for emails

How does your email look on a mobile device? Do you know? If your email has a responsive design, it adapts to any device that a subscriber uses to open it. It other words, it looks good on a smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Despite the growing dependency on digital devices, some businesses aren’t focusing on mobile emails. Research from MovableInk shows 66% of all emails in the U.S. are opened on a smartphone, so it’s not something businesses can ignore.

Most email service providers offer templates that have a responsive design, but some don’t. It’s something every business should look into before sending another email to customers.

Now that we’ve set the record straight, you can easily send emails knowing that you aren’t a victim of email marketing myths.

Bio –

Lisa Furgison is a consulting content creator with Juvlon, an email and SMS marketing software company. She regularly helps clients with content and marketing strategies.

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