Black Friday Sale! 50% Off All Access

Don't Let These 2 Myths Block Your Email Marketing Success Your job is finding the people who want to hear from you.

By Brian T. Edmondson, Esq. Edited by Dan Bova

Entrepreneur+ Black Friday Sale

Our biggest sale — Get unlimited access to Entrepreneur.com at an unbeatable price. Use code SAVE50 at checkout.*

Claim Offer

*Offer only available to new subscribers

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Xesai | Getty images

For entrepreneurs who use email marketing, getting your messages into the inbox is critical. But some common misconceptions about email marketing reveal that the real challenge isn't about getting in the inbox at all. The secret -- if you want to call it that -- is creating email content that people actually want to read. It's that simple.

Below are the two biggest myths about email marketing. By shifting the focus to sharing content that receivers won't think twice about opening, we'll squash each myth once and for all.

Related: Email Validation: A Critical Success Factor in Email Marketing

Myth 1: Everyone wants my email marketing content.

We like to think our content is what everyone wants, but that's just not the reality. Just like this very article you're reading, not everyone will find it irresistible, and not everyone will think it's valuable to them. Newsflash -- some people can live without your marketing emails. That's ok. Your objective is to please those who can't live without it, and find more people like them.

Here's a tip. Really take the time to get to know your audience. Survey them, and ask for feedback on a regular, but not annoying, basis. Find out what challenges they're facing, or ask them what product features or new service offerings would be beneficial to them. The more you know what your audience wants, the more you can deliver it to them.

Related: 12 Reasons Why Your Emails Aren't Driving Business

Myth 2: My marketing emails aren't showing up in my subscribers' inboxes.

It's not that emails aren't getting through or that they're not showing up. The question is where are they showing up? Inbox filtering -- common with Gmail and other popular email services -- may cause your marketing and promotional emails to get auto-filtered into a "Promotions" or "Social" folder.

Consider this. You have to have personal engagement to show up in a reader's primary inbox instead of being placed into one of the filtered folders. Engagement for email marketing is slightly different than person-to-person emails where the focus is mostly on interpersonal conversations. The difference with email marketing is that the goal is to get groups of people -- your email subscribers -- to engage by clicking on the embedded links that takes them to more of your content found on your website, blog or social channels. You can even give them a chance to respond to questions or customer surveys you've built into your marketing campaigns.

The more content you send that subscribers want to open -- and the more you provide ample opportunity for them to click through to even more needful information, feedback and promotional deals -- the more times you'll bypass the pesky filtering mechanisms.

Related: One of Facebook's First Employees Explains Why Email Marketing Is Better Than Social Media Marketing

Bonus tip.

High engagement from your email audience also helps build a strong reputation with email services. "As your audience opens more of your emails and engages with the content, it sends a signal to the Gmails of the world that you're sending content that they actually want," says Tom Kulzer, the CEO of AWeber, an email marketing provider. "This type of reputation-building is crucial if you want to get your emails delivered to the primary inbox."

Kulzer also recommends exploring the topic of reputation building before getting started with an email marketing service provider. "When considering a provider, you need to make sure they have solid reputation management systems in place. Here are five key questions to ask. If not, it doesn't matter how awesome your content is, it has higher potential of not getting delivered to the primary inbox as you would expect or hope."

There you have it. The top two email marketing myths put to rest simply by having awesome email content that builds quality reputation. As email marketing continues to be the highest ROI marketing channel for your growing business, don't let these myths stand in the way of your success.

Brian T. Edmondson, Esq.

Entrepreneur Leadership Network® Contributor

Internet Business Lawyer

Brian T. Edmondson is an entrepreneur and internet business lawyer. He helps online entrepreneurs legally protect their businesses, brands and content. He writes about internet business law at InternetBusinessLaw.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Science & Technology

I've Spent 20 Years Studying Focus. Here's How I Use AI to Multiply My Time and Save 21 Weeks of Work a Year

AI is supposed to save time, but 77% of employees say it often costs more time due to all the editing it requires. Instead of helping, it can become a distraction. But don't worry — there's a better way.

Business News

The Two Richest People in the World Are Fighting on Social Media Again

Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk had a new, contentious exchange on X.

Starting a Business

Why Are So Many Course Creators Struggling if It's 'Such an Easy Business'? Here's the Truth Behind the $800 Billion Industry

Creating an online course is so easy — at least, that's what many "gurus" would like you to believe. There's a lot of potential in the $800 billion industry, but here's why so many course creators are struggling.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Money & Finance

Why Donald Trump's Business-First Policies Trump Harris' Consumer-Centric Approach

President Donald Trump's pro-business agenda is packed with policy moves encouraging investment to drive economic growth. The next Congress has a unique opportunity to support entrepreneurship and innovation, improving U.S. competitiveness with the rest of the world.

Business News

Barbara Corcoran Says This Is the Interest Rate Magic Number That Will Make the Market 'Go Ballistic'

Corcoran said she praying for lower interest rates and people are "tired of waiting."