With new social platforms emerging every year, many entrepreneurs wonder if they should leave email behind and look ahead to new avenues. Did you know that email is still the second biggest marketing channel for startups, right behind social media? That’s right! It’s all thanks to its low cost and incredible return on investment (ROI). According to the study by Litmus, it remains one of the best ROIs out there; companies can expect to make a whopping $38 in return for every dollar they spend on email marketing.

As the CEO of Builderall, an all-in-one digital marketing platform that has supported over 2,000,000 small businesses, I often get asked if email marketing is still an effective strategy in this new phase of our digital age. Is it dead in 2024?

I’m here to debunk the biggest myths and set the record straight. Today, I’ll share my insider knowledge to help you see the light.

Defining email marketing

Before we debunk these myths, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page about what email marketing actually is. Many people have misconceptions about this form of digital marketing, which can turn them off — and that leads to missed opportunities.

Email marketing is a direct marketing strategy that sends promotional or informational messages to a targeted audience via email. It goes far beyond blasting promotions or cold outreach. Done right, it builds meaningful relationships between your brand and subscribers. It’s a way to keep them engaged, and ultimately, it’s another way to drive sales.

Some examples include

• Newsletters
• Promotional offers
• Product updates
• Even personalized content based on a subscriber’s interests.

Related: 8 Simple Email Marketing Tips to Improve Your Open and Click-Through Rates

Myth #1: Email marketing is dead

Let’s tackle the elephant in the room first. No — email is not dead! In fact, it’s far from it and still going strong.

According to data provided by Oberlo, 80% of businesses rely on email as their primary customer retention channel. That means they’re using email to keep their existing customers engaged and coming back for more.

But that’s not all. HubSpot found that 60% of consumers made a purchase thanks to a marketing email they received. That’s a huge testament to the power of email marketing in driving revenue for businesses.

Myth #2: People don’t read emails

I can’t tell you how often I hear this myth. Sure, our inboxes have gotten pretty crowded over the years, and many of us receive dozens or even hundreds of emails daily. It’s also true that a good chunk of those emails might get sent straight to the trash or spam folder.

However, according to HubSpot, 46% of smartphone users still prefer to hear from brands via email over other channels.

If you establish trust and send relevant content, subscribers will welcome your emails with open arms.

This stat also highlights the importance of putting care in your campaigns by using compelling subject lines and other email elements to stand out in a crowded inbox.

Myth #3: Younger audiences don’t use email

Gen Z and millennials are the next generation that will have some serious purchasing power. It’s only logical for businesses to look for new and innovative ways to approach them, as they’re often portrayed as being glued to their screens and obsessed with social media platforms.

These stereotypes lead many people to assume Gen Z and millennials are too obsessed with TikTok and Instagram for old-school strategies like email. Let me prove them wrong again. According to the Attest U.S. Consumer Trend Report, 53% of Gen-Z enjoy weekly emails from their favorite brands. For millennials, it’s 66%.

Of course, you’ll want to cater your approach to each audience (throw in some slang or a meme here and there,) but don’t count email out. These generation segments still use and prefer it.

Myth #4: Email has low open rates

The next myth I wanted to touch on is more tangible. Some say email performs poorly compared to social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram. For that, we’ll have to look at the open rate.

Open rate is an essential key performance indicator (KPI) in digital marketing because it tells you how many people are actually opening and reading your emails. MailChimp benchmarks tell us the average email open rate across all industries is 34.23%. While that might not sound amazing, it’s definitely not bad either.

With optimization, that number can grow much higher and bring benefits. As reported earlier, that’s why so many businesses still rely on email as their primary customer retention channel.

Related: This One Thing Is the Secret to Higher Email Open Rates

Myth #5: Email marketing equals spam

Finally, allow me to go full circle and return to the definition of email marketing. Too many people confuse general email marketing with a somewhat shady practice: cold outreach.

Cold emails are unsolicited messages sent to people who have not expressed interest in your brand or products. You essentially buy or scrape a list of email addresses (unbeknownst to the recipients) and blast bulk emails, hoping to catch a few leads. They’re often used for prospecting and can come across as intrusive if not done right. That’s because nobody gave you permission to contact them.

On the other hand, email marketing is about building relationships with people who have already shown interest in what you offer. They might have signed up for your newsletter through a lead magnet or opted in to receive your updates. That’s a big difference!

It is this latter form of communication that 81% of businesses use email as their primary customer acquisition channel. It drives results without spam tactics.

Final thoughts

While many entrepreneurs may feel attracted to the latest shiny object or technology, these myths cause many entrepreneurs to overlook email in 2024.

When executed correctly, email marketing remains an indispensable growth lever for startups and established businesses alike. Now that you know the truth, utilize email marketing to boost conversions and retention. With a strategic approach, you may see even higher open rates and ROI than the studies show.

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Users spend an average of 5.59 seconds looking at a website’s written content. I don’t know about you, but it seems like there is hardly enough time to gain users’ interest, let alone relay the information you want to share — and the information they want to find.

However, following best practices, there is no reason to bombard users with an avalanche of information when they land on your homepage. While there may be a lot of great information about your business, putting it in their faces when they arrive can have the inverse effect, making users feel overwhelmed and pushing them to leave the site.

So, what is the alternative? Thoughtfully crafted messages and content aligned with the customer journey and revealed through a slow, strategic drip known as progressive disclosure.

Related: Your Online Customer Experience Is More Than a Buzzword — It’s the Backbone of Your Business. Here’s How to Optimize It.

But what is progressive disclosure?

Progressive disclosure is about strategically revealing the information a user wants or needs at the precise moment the customer wants or needs it (rather than throwing it at them upfront). This is essentially a strategic approach to planning and releasing content throughout the customer journey to maximize engagement and move a customer through the conversion funnel.

Here’s an example: If you have a product-heavy website, the navigation should direct the user through a seamless navigation. If the navigation is designed strategically to align with the customer journey, then each click is a point on the path of progressive disclosure. As users move around the site, they will slowly but surely learn more about the products and services and find the information they need. This is precisely why websites use a thoughtful navigation system based on logic and integrated into the information architecture that outlines the content and where it should be placed within the site.

Why is progressive disclosure powerful?

The simple answer is that this process is customer-centric. It focuses on what customers want to accomplish rather than what you, the business owner, want to share.

In addition, progressive disclosure accomplishes the following:

• Reduces friction: Information overload leads to confusion and decision paralysis. By presenting information relevant to the user’s immediate needs, you remove unnecessary hurdles and guide them seamlessly toward their goals.
• Boosts engagement: Curiosity thrives when there is something more to discover. As users uncover new features and functionalities, their interest remains piqued, encouraging further exploration and deeper product engagement.
• Builds trust: When users feel they’re being led, not overwhelmed, trust flourishes. Progressive disclosure shows respect for their time and attention, fostering a positive relationship between them and your product.

Related: 7 Ecommerce Customer Experience Strategies for Effective Branding in 2024

Want to rework your website so it’s aligned with your customers?

If you want to rework your website or consider how your content is aligned with your customers, here are a few considerations that will help ensure you are applying progressive disclosure principles:

• Map the customer journey. Understand the different stages users go through, from awareness to consideration, purchase and beyond. Identify their needs and pain points at each stage.
• Prioritize information. Categorize features and information based on their importance and relevance to each stage of the journey. Highlight core functionalities initially and unveil advanced features later.
• Use microlearning. Chunk information into digestible pieces, delivered through tutorials, tooltips, and interactive prompts. This makes learning effortless and avoids cognitive overload.
• Leverage visual cues. Employ clear design elements like hierarchy, icons, and animation to guide users’ attention and highlight key information.
• Gather feedback. Continuously analyze user behaviors on your site and collect feedback to understand what resonates. Use this data to identify areas for improvement and implement valuable changes.
• Use multiple touchpoints to communicate. While this strategy can be applied to a website, it applies to all digital communication channels. Most who visit your website either have a specific reason or are fact-finding. So consider using other digital channels, such as SMS and digital cards, to communicate more important (or urgent) messages in real-time.

Applying progressive disclosure isn’t just about withholding information; it’s about crafting a captivating narrative that unfolds as the user interacts with your brand. Applying this approach can foster trust, increase engagement, and ultimately create satisfied customers.

Remember, we’re not just selling products or services; we’re guiding users on a journey, and every step along the way matters. By unveiling the right information at the right time, we transform their experience from overwhelming to empowering, paving the way for sustainable success.