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5 Email Marketing Myths You Shouldn't Believe Email marketing has a lot of potential when used correctly

By John Stanly

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There are so many myths around us. And depending on which country or region we are from, it all differs. Some might end up being true, and some are just hoaxes, especially when people consume online content that doesn't have a credible source.

For example, some of us might remember reading "Einstein was bad at math." Do you think one of the greatest minds on earth was terrible at math?

If you research these ridiculous claims, you will realize that these myths are often shared on social media, that we are tricked into believing them.

Similarly, there are so many myths around email marketing that they sound so natural to us. And so, we are going to debunk those myths. Maybe you have been losing out on so much because you have believed in a myth.

Here are 5 email marketing myths you should never believe in ever again!

Myth 1: Email Marketing Is Dead

You have probably heard this a lot. Social media has replaced emails. Who even reads emails?

Debunked:

No one's abandoning emails. Sure, there is a sharp rise in social media marketing, but no one has stopped using emails. Email marketing remains one of the most cost-effective and non-intrusive ways to communicate with your customers.

Moreover, email marketing stats prove that email marketing isn't dead.

We send 102.6 trillion emails each year around the world. And the figures only continue to rise, with 126.7 trillion expected to be sent by 2022. Every day, the average email subscriber receives 13 promotional emails. Some of us check our email up to 20 times per day. After all, with the rise of smartphones and tablets, checking emails has never been easier.

So if emails are not dead, then email marketing is also not dead. And email marketing allows you to get an ROI of $44 for every dollar you spend. More importantly, people receive emails after they give their consent to receive them.

And with Mailchimp Alternatives that are affordable and effective, you can segment your audience based on their online behavior, geography, age, and any criteria and send targeted emails. Targeted email marketing sends emails that want to be read. It creates a win-win situation: You get to promote your product with valuable content, and your audience can get value out of the content!

Myth 2: Millennials Don't Sign Up For Email Marketing

The Millennials don't like subscribing to marketing emails. Are you sure?

Debunked:

If you believe in this myth, you are losing out on targeting a large audience turning into working professionals who can make a buying decision. And an Adobe survey, states that Millennials use emails at least 6 hours a day on average.

So how can you take advantage of this large group of audience?

Segment your audience based on their age and then A/B test your email campaigns until you understand what works for your Millennial audience. Which emails do they open? Which emails nudge them to make a purchase?

A/B test every element of your email: position of CTAs, email designs, email colors, content, subject line, preview text. A/B testing is one of the best email marketing features that could have ever happened to email marketers. It allows you to send different emails to a small group of target audiences and later gives you the metrics for the email campaign's performance. Use the numbers and keep improving your sales to the millennials—ka-ching!

Myth 3: Email Marketing Takes A Lot of Time

How many emails can I send in a day? I have a small business with only a few employees.

Debunked:

Sending emails manually to everyone has become a thing of the past. And the same goes for sending bulk emails without any proper strategy in place. Spammy email marketing will be frowned upon, and your email address will be blacklisted by Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

Email automation is the right way to reduce your time in crafting, designing, and writing emails. Many powerful email marketing tools have email automation with email templates in place.

These email templates are pre-built, and you don't need any coding experience to use them. All you need to do is select an email template to fit the customer journey, edit them using a drag and drop editor, place your brand logo and set them up.

The emails will automatically be triggered and sent to the subscribers whenever they take an action on your website. For instance, If a website visitor adds products to the cart and leaves the site without completing their purchase, that action will trigger a series of abandoned cart emails with appropriate time intervals.

So, sit back, relax, and consistently engage with your audience with email marketing automation workflows!

Myth 4: Email Subject Lines Should Be Short

Subject lines should be within 6 to 7 words or the email won't be opened

Debunked:

It's true that subject lines play an important role in your email open rates but your subject lines don't have to be short to get opened.

It's always good to be precise with your words when it comes to marketing but it is important to let your subscribers know what is inside the email. So, place your importance in conveying that rather than making it appear short. Sometimes, short sentences might lead to misunderstandings and that might disappoint your readers when they don't get what they were promised.

Buyers usually prefer communicating with their favorite brands and they look forward to your emails. So be sure to convey what you have in store for them in the subject lines with as many characters as possible. Chances are they like the detailed subject line and enjoy what you are sending them. Be relaxed and play around with your subject lines. If you are second-guessing long subject lines, you can always A/B test them and see whether they work on your audience.

Myth 5: Using "Spam Words" Will Make The Emails End Up in Spam

"Free', "Risk-Free', "Affordable', "Best Rates' are spam words.

Debunked:

No words are considered spammy by Internet Service Providers and they don't mark an email as spam based on the usage of words.

So, feel free to experiment with your writing and design. The thumb rule is to not bombard people's inboxes with too many emails with no value.

Don't shy away from using the word "Free' in your subject line if you have something free to offer!

That's A Wrap

All in all, email marketing has a lot of potential when used correctly. Don't be afraid to test new strategies and never believe in myths. Make sure you do proper research before believing in anything. After all, your business deserves in-depth research, effective marketing strategies, and email marketing!

John Stanly

Start-up mentor

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