3 Email Marketing Misconceptions that Could Be Holding You Back

If you’re using email marketing, you already know it’s a valuable tool to stay connected with your customers and generate new opportunities for your business.

But if you’re new to email marketing — or are still on the fence about getting started — you may have heard some things that gave you pause.

You don’t have to look far to see examples of how email marketing can benefit your business, but if you still have some doubts based on things you’ve heard, this post will help set the record straight.

Here are 3 common email marketing misconceptions:

1. People don’t like reading emails It’s great to know that not all email is spam, but are people really paying attention to the messages they receive?

A research firm recently went directly to 2,000 adults in the US and asked them about how they like to hear from their favorite businesses. An overwhelming majority (91 percent) said they do like to receive promotional emails from companies they do business with. 86 percent say they like to receive promotional emails at least monthly and 61 percent at least weekly.

Beyond the data, think about your own experience as a consumer. While there are likely some emails you receive and rarely open, there’s a good chance you have at least a few businesses and organizations that you do appreciate hearing from on a regular basis.

You’re able to stay up-to-date with these businesses and organizations in a way that’s convenient for you. And if you ever decide you want to opt-out, you have the ability to do that — no questions asked.

This brings us to number three…

2. People can’t unsubscribe You value the relationship you have with your customers and the last thing you’d want is to put them in a position where they’re receiving unwanted messages from your business.

But one of the biggest benefits of using email marketing is that you’re able to give your customers, members, and supporters more control. They have the ability to opt-in to receive your messages, and they also have the ability to opt out at any time.

Legislations like CASL also require that your emails include a mechanism (like an unsubscribe link) for people to easily unsubscribe at any time.

Email marketing works best when you’re focused on communicating with people who actually want to hear from you. That’s why it’s so important to always ask permission before adding a new contact to your email list. And it’s why you should always give people the ability to opt-out.

3. Email isn’t as effective as social media Social media has redefined the way many businesses and organizations reach new audiences and build relationships for their business. But while these platforms are incredibly valuable, it’s important to remember that on sites like Facebook and Twitter, you don’t really have ownership of your network.

Take, for example, Facebook’s News Feed algorithm. At any given moment, only a small percentage of your fans actually see the updates that come from your Facebook Page. After all the work you’ve done to build up your fan base, Facebook gets to decide who sees what. You’re playing on Facebook’s terms.

Email marketing is a cost-effective solution that gives you the power to reach customers in a place most people visit every day — their inbox.

In fact, email is almost 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined in helping your business acquire new customers (McKinsey, 2014).

It’s not that you should dismiss advertising and social networks altogether. According to a 2014 Constant Contact survey, small businesses that use multiple methods and channels in conjunction with email reported more customer engagement (73 percent), more new customers (57 percent), more website traffic (54 percent), more revenue (40 percent), and more referrals (39 percent).

You’ll get the best results from both of these channels when you use them together.