Email marketing is one of the most effective and affordable ways of reaching your audience and ensuring that they remain engaged with your content. However, mastering the art of email marketing isn’t as easy as it seems. There are a number of misconceptions surrounding the practice that can potentially hinder your efforts to get the most out of your email campaigns. In the following, we’ll explore ten of the most common email marketing myths and how you can overcome them.
1. Myth: To send a successful email campaign, you need to target the right audience.
The first myth of email marketing is, quite simply, that you need to target the right audience in order to send a successful email campaign. Now, this may or may not be the case, but you certainly don’t need to limit yourself to only sending your content to people with similar demographics as your target audience. Think about it this way: if you are sending your content to women, but your target audience is typically made up of men, then you’re probably wasting your time and effort. However, if you are able to reach a broad audience, make sure to send your content to as many people as possible, because chances are, someone out there is going to benefit from what you’ve got to say.
2. Myth: The success of an email campaign is dependent on the subject line.
Even people who are quite experienced in email marketing still get tripped up by subject lines that don’t quite work. You’ll see a number of different methods and things that marketers will try when it comes to the subject line of their emails. Sometimes they’ll use a keyword, sometimes they’ll try for a catchy phrase, and sometimes they’ll even go the extra mile and use humor to grab the reader’s attention. While every subject line is not going to work for every email campaign, you certainly don’t need to be limited to using the same old, same old when it comes to your subject lines. There are hundreds of ways that you can make your subject lines stand out and catch the attention of your readers. For example, if you are using HubSpot, you can enter a call to action like, “Click here to download the free guide,” or “Sign up for the beta and get 25% off your first order.” If you are using MailChimp, you can offer a discount on a product or service, like, “Hey, sign up for our newsletter and get $10 off your first purchase.” Keep things interesting and fresh with a weekly newsletter that uses a different, fun subject line each week. The list of possible subject lines is endless, so don’t be afraid to try something new. Just make sure that whatever you do, your subject line must pull the reader in and compel them to open your email.
3. Myth: You need to segment your email list before you send out your campaign.
The next myth associated with email marketing has to do with segmenting your email list before you send out your campaign. This one is pretty self-explanatory: if you are going to send your campaign to a limited audience, it’s a good idea to segment them first and create sub-lists for different groups of people. For example, you might want to create a sub-list for people who are interested in purchasing a holiday gift for their friend or family member, and another sub-list for people who are interested in upgrading their lifestyle or finding out more about becoming an entrepreneur. Just remember that if you are doing this through an email list sharing platform like Constant Contact or HubSpot, then all of the members of your list will get the same treatment, so make sure that you don’t send the same pitch to multiple people. Otherwise, you’ll end up annoying a lot of your subscribers.
4. Myth: You need to use a computer programmer to create the emails with pre-designed HTML templates.
Another common myth that gets thrown around when it comes to email marketing has to do with using a computer programmer to create the emails with pre-designed HTML templates. Now, it’s true that there are a lot of really cool and powerful technologies that you can use to create professional looking emails, without needing to manually type out each individual sentence. Some people prefer to use tools like MailChimp or HubSpot, where you can simply click a button and get all the formatting done for you. Other people prefer to use a service like HubSpot or Constant Contact, where you can design the email templates yourself and then simply send them out. The choice is yours, but if you choose to go the DIY route, then don’t get anything less than top-notch quality work, because you’re going to be presenting the content of your email in a professional manner. Remember, your email list is a reflection of your brand value. Don’t cheap out now when it comes to generating more leads and creating a good impression on your audience.
5. Myth: To get the most out of your email marketing, you need to run multichannel campaigns spanning email, social media, and mobile.
To get the most out of your email marketing, you need to run multichannel campaigns spanning email, social media, and mobile. It’s pretty common for marketers to only focus on one platform at a time when it comes to their email marketing. However, you should be asking yourself, “What is my audience doing beyond just opening my email?” When you look at your audience through this lens, things change. You’ll begin to see the bigger picture and realize that you’re not just reaching people with your email campaigns, but you’re also reaching people through your social media platforms and even the internet, through email lists that you’ve built. As a marketer, you’ll likely work with agencies and freelancers who work in every platform imaginable, so being able to work across all of them is a skill that sets you apart as an expert.
6. Myth: The best time to send an email campaign is right after you’ve launched a new product or service.
One of the most common mistakes that first-time marketers make is trying to push their products through email marketing campaigns, while the products are still in beta. Now, it’s true that you don’t always need to send an email campaign right after you’ve launched a new product or service, but depending on your strategy, you may want to do so to make the most out of it. For example, let’s say that you’ve just released a new piece of software and you’re trying to get the word out about it. You might want to consider sending out a small pitch to a group of beta testers, inviting them to enter an exclusive club where they’ll gain access to information about the product. From there, you can direct them to the download link for the software or get them to sign up for your email list, where you can continue to market to them about your products and services. Sometimes it’s necessary to get out ahead of the curve when it comes to marketing, especially when you’re starting out, and you can bet that the people who are already using your product or service know how important it is and will be glad to hear from you once you’ve launched.
7. Myth: To get the most out of your email marketing, you need to focus on quality over quantity.
There is also a common misconception that focuses on the numbers associated with an email campaign. Often, marketers will focus on the sheer number of emails that they send out, without considering the quality of those emails. It’s certainly true that you don’t always need to send hundreds of emails to enjoy the benefits of an email marketing strategy, but you should be considering the quality of your deliverables. Instead of focusing on the sheer volume of emails that you send out, which for the sake of argument we’ll call x, consider the fact that you’ve sent y emails, and evaluate whether or not those y emails were effective. Ask yourself questions like, “Did the email provide value to the person receiving it?” “Is the content of the email relevant to what the person is interested in?” “Does the email provide sufficient information for the person on whom it’s intended to operate?” If you can answer yes to all of these questions, then it’s safe to assume that your email marketing was beneficial and that you can continue to rely on this platform to grow your business.