Debunking the 4 biggest myths of email marketing

More and more companies are marketing to prospects and customers via email, from local “mom and pops” all the way up to Fortune 500 enterprises. And with good reason, as email marketing averages an ROI of $38 for every $1 spent (Email Monday).

But this widespread adoption has also brought about a variety of misconceptions that could prevent marketers from taking full advantage of this powerful tactic. Understanding the myths, as well as the real truth behind each one, can help you send better emails that drive more leads and convert more sales.

Myth 1: People are sick of getting marketing emails

The reason this myth exists is due in large part to an infamous four-letter word: spam. Due to the deluge of unsolicited and largely irrelevant emails we all receive on a constant basis, there’s a general feeling that non-critical email communication from a company is unwanted.

In reality, research shows that 61 percent of consumers enjoy receiving promotional emails weekly, and 28 percent would like emails to come even more frequently (Marketing Sherpa). So what separates a marketing email that your customer will welcome into their inbox versus a spammy annoyance that’s destined for their junk folder? Answer: relevant content that offers real value with a clear call-to-action.

The Truth: People are sick of SPAM, so don’t send it

Myth 2: We should only send e-newsletters

Newsletters are a great way to stay in front of your current clients and position yourself for upsell opportunities and referrals, but their graphic-heavy format presents some challenges. For one, the excess HTML code that’s used to design most newsletter templates can hurt deliverability. Secondly, this format doesn’t always display well on mobile devices, and 55 percent of email is now being opened on mobile devices (Litmus).

There’s also the fact that while newsletters are a great way to provide unique and relevant content, they’re difficult to personalize. The more an email looks like a one-to-one message versus a generic “spray and pray” bulletin, the higher the chances of it compelling the recipient to respond with the desired action.

The Truth: A personalized message that’s customized for mobile is more effective.

Myth 3: Email marketing only works for B2C and small businesses

This one is partially correct, as email marketing is a go-to tactic for most of our B2C clients, many of which are local businesses. But the buying process for B2B products and services is dramatically changing, and email marketing is a natural fit for the modern B2B buyers.

They’re doing more research than ever before on your company’s website and social media sites. Email marketing helps win their business, by allowing you to get your value propositions and competitive advantages in front of them with a well-crafted, personalized message.

Office workers in the United States say they spend about 6.3 hours per day checking their email so it’s a no-brainer to make sure they’re getting one from you (Reuters).

The Truth: B2B companies that hope to stay ahead of the competition need to stay in their prospect’s inbox

Myth 4: Email marketing takes up too much time and resources

We hear this a lot from prospects and it’s only natural to think that all this work would be time-consuming:

• Consistently coming up with ideas for new and compelling topics;
• Writing the actual emails;
• Creating accompanying graphics;
• Testing email templates to make sure they display well across desktop and mobile devices;
• Launching campaigns and measuring success through advanced analytics.

But here’s the good news: There are blueprints available to streamline this process for any company. For instance, one of the best ways to get content ideas is to ask your salespeople about common objections they hear in new business meetings. Or, ask your customers how your products or services solved their biggest problems and create emails around that. This information is hyper-relevant to your target audience and you build value and authority by providing it to them via email.

The Truth: A tried-and-true process makes email marketing a breeze

We’ve made email marketing a huge priority at BroadBased for our clients as well as our own business development campaigns, and both have seen dramatic increases in lead generation.

If you’d like to learn more about how we’re applying advanced techniques to create opportunities with existing customers, as well as gain new ones, get in touch with our EVP Chris Ramaglia.