Email marketing is widely touted as being among the most efficient methods of generating traffic and boosting sales. That said, there are several misconceptions orbiting the field. All marketers have their own opinions on what the best — and worst — email practices are. Some of these are widely agreed upon by marketers. The issue with this is that some of these myths are simply wrong. The following are a few email marketing myths in serious need of debunking. When it comes to any email practice, it’s suggested that marketers experiment with what works — and doesn’t work — for their specific campaign.
Subject Lines Should be Descriptive
In general, a good subject line should contain all relevant information in the least amount of words possible. Of course, sometimes a company offers the type of sale they know customers won’t be able to resist, and in these cases it’s acceptable and advised to pack the subject line with things consumers should know. However, in all other cases, the subject line should be short and sweet.
Emails Should Contain Minimal Content
While minimalism is the fundamental strategy to apply to subject lines, there’s nothing suggesting that emails should follow the same rule. It’s never advised that marketers bombard their readers with unnecessary information, however the email should always be sufficiently informative. While some readers don’t look for much in an email other than the call-to-action, others want to scroll down to find more information. Give subscribers what they want by adding a section of best-selling products, satisfied client reviews, or anything else that might be useful for readers to have access to.
Lots of Emails Lead to Subscriber Annoyance
First off, a message needs to be informative and engaging at its core regardless of email frequency if marketers are looking to retain customers. That said, marketers tend to refrain from sending their readers a high volume of emails out of fear of losing subscribers. However, provided the subject lines and emails themselves are unique, fresh, and void of any hint of spam, there’s really no such thing as sending out too many emails. Having some readers unsubscribe due to a high email volume is unavoidable, however this drawback does nothing to dampen the potential rewards of frequent outreach. If the unsubscribe button is a significant concern, marketers always have the option of giving consumers the freedom to manage their subscription settings on the unsubscribe page, customizing the amount of emails they receive to their liking.
Copy Should Always be Fresh and New
If an email performed well in the past, there’s no reason not to retool it and send it back out again. Good marketers strive for growth and innovation at any level, which is a fine trait to have. However, the brand can benefit greatly if the marketer sticks to past endeavors that actually worked for them. Clients won’t notice that they’re receiving a re-purposed past email, and marketers can benefit from reusing a past campaign that works while saving themselves valuable time.
