The other day I received an email from Alin Dragu titled:
“7 lies from LinkedIn gurus.”
My eyes lit up.
I must admit, I’m a sucker for content that tears down LinkedIn (and anyone associated with it).
I thought, since Alin and I share the same disdain for social media influencers, why not do the same for eCommerce email marketing?
Buckle your seatbelts because the BS meter is high on this one…
(If you have anything else to add to this list, or you disagree, hit reply to this email)
“Email turns every $1 into $43”
I’ve seen a pretty well-respected agency founder have this in his bio.
Soo…. we’re going to ignore the fact that you just paid a sh*t ton to acquire those subscribers using…? Paid ads?
Why didn’t you factor that into your calculation?
I’m also curious where these numbers come from. If email provides such high ROI, why don’t we just turn off every other channel?
BS.
“Click rates don’t matter”
Huh?
If 0% of subscribers who read your email click on it, how are you going to make any sales? They won’t even see your product page.
Next…
“AI will replace email copywriters”
The demand for good copy has never been higher. Brands literally change agencies because the copy is so off brand and reads like a robot.
Even if you use AI to write copy, you need someone skilled who knows what good copywriting looks like.
I’m not buying it.
“You need to send pretty emails.”
Wrong. You can, but you don’t need to. What you really need is a good product, a list of engaged subscribers, and an offer.
Anyone telling you otherwise either doesn’t understand direct response marketing or is trying to sell you a service.
Probably both.
“You need to exclude recent buyers from your sends”
Terrible idea.
Why would you exclude a segment that has just shown the highest possible intent and are the most likely to re-convert?
I don’t get it.
“30% of your revenue should come from Klaviyo”
Another arbitrary number that means nothing.
First of all, if we rely solely on email attribution settings to prove ROI, then what are we really doing?
Second, your retention revenue depends a lot on what you sell. A meat brand will always have higher repeat revenue than someone selling car parts.
“You shouldn’t waste a discount on people who just bought.”
Wrong again.
Most eCom brands struggle because they can’t get a customer to come back to save their lives.
If anything, you need to present them with the BEST offer so you can increase your 30-day repeat rate.
“Don’t email your active subscribers.”
What’s up with neglecting our biggest fans?
So you’re just going to launch a new collection and keep it to yourself?
If my favorite band (Slipknot) released an album on Spotify, and they never told me about it, I’d be pretty pissed.
Your active subscribers need proper education, and onboarding, so when it’s time to buy again, they actually believe in your product.
What’s Next
I could easily do a part 2 for this.
But first, I’m curious, what would you add to this list?
Is there something you used to believe, but changed your mind on once you actually tested it?
Hit reply and let me know.
Siim Pettai
