We’ve all heard that a goldfish’s memory is only three seconds, humans use only 10 percent of their brain and food has a five-second rule. We take these popular sayings as fact, so it may come as a surprise that scientists have debunked each of these myths. Apparently, we need to give ourselves (and goldfish) some more credit – and stop eating food off the floor.

You may have also heard that email is dead or that no one has the attention span for longer messages. We see myths like these making their way through the marketing world all the time, calling into question strategies we know can be effective. Blindly following myths simply because you hear them all the time can prevent your brand from developing your best possible marketing strategy. Before you start your next campaign, make sure you’re working with the most accurate information instead of outdated rumors. You can consider these marketing myths busted.

Myth 1: Email marketing gets ignored.

You might hear colleagues say email marketing is old news, that consumers and spam filters are savvy enough to ignore the daily messages hitting the inbox. But the fact is that emails still produce sales. According to email service Constant Contact, marketers can expect to earn an average of $38 for every $1 they invest in email marketing. This data was collected across a wide range of industries, so individual results may vary, but it does prove email marketing can pay off.

If you’re firmly in the “email doesn’t work” camp, perhaps you should consider if it’s the strategy that is turning off your audience rather than the medium. A 2019 survey from TechnologyAdvice found the biggest reason people unsubscribe is because they’re receiving too many emails. Each brand should choose a schedule for their emails based on their own industry and audience, but data from Omnisend Marketing suggests no more than one to two emails per week is optimal for boosting sales.

You should also consider that your subject lines could be hurting your open rates. They serve as your first impression to your customer, so it’s important to craft an appealing message. Some marketers like to make a statement with lots of capital letters, but overusing all-caps in your subject line can make your email look like spam to both readers and ISPs. This leads to more unsubscribes, more blocks and ultimately fewer people seeing your message. Exclamation marks should be used sparingly, too. They can help communicate excitement and boost open rates by up to 20%, but only if they’re used less than 5% of the time. Other emails go unopened because the subject line gives away the whole message, which removes any incentive for the reader to open the email. If you ditch in-your-face sales tactics in favor of providing real value, email marketing can be an incredibly effective form of communication.

Myth 2: Your marketing message needs to appeal to as many people as possible.

When companies look at their customer base, they often realize they serve a wide variety of people from different backgrounds with different needs. Understandably, they think the most effective marketing message will accommodate as many of these customers as possible. We totally get this logic. More mass appeal = more sales for your company. However, one-size-fits-all marketing isn’t focused enough to make an impact on any particular customer. These kinds of messages end up feeling generic and aren’t memorable enough to actually inspire a purchase.

According to marketing automation platform Higher Logic, marketing to specific audience personas generates twice the sales pipeline. When you segment your audience and dive into their needs and interests, you’re able to create a more personalized message that speaks to their unique perspective. This kind of message will make a much longer-lasting impression than a campaign that tries to be everything to everyone. Not sure how to narrow down your audience? Learn how define your ideal customer here.

Myth 3: Short attention spans don’t allow for long-form content to be consumed.

This myth drives us nuts. More brands have been choosing to focus their energy on creating short blog posts and social videos in the name of shrinking attention spans. However, super-short content leaves important messages unsaid and prioritizes quick information over real value. Plus, if everyone has such short attention spans now, then why did a Deloitte survey find 73% of Americans have binge-watched shows?

In reality, consumers seek out and trust long-form content, both on social media and on the web. Expert marketer Neil Patel found social posts linked to longer videos or articles received 68% more engagement on Facebook and 22% more on Twitter. Some top companies have already taken notice of this trend. Facebook has spent nearly $1 billion on original long-form video content, and the average blog length increased by more than 200 words between 2014 and 2016.

There are a million more reasons to invest in longer content. According to Curata, long-form articles can have a pronounced effect on lead generation, as they produce nine times more leads than short-form blog posts. Longer content also tends to do better in Google search rankings, where the average length of a top 10 result is 2,000 words. Whether you choose to create your content in article, video or social form, consumers will take notice – tiny attention spans be damned.

Myth 4: Marketing today is all about big data.

Without a doubt, research, data and strategy are all essential to a successful marketing campaign. We talk about the importance of big data all the time. However, you also need a creative message to align with your data-driven strategy. We’re seeing more brands do their research before starting a new marketing campaign, but all too often they’re missing a compelling design that communicates emotion. When a message is paired with a visual graphic, people will remember the information 55% better than if they receive the information without a visual, according to Brain Rules.

Unfortunately for left-brained marketers, you can’t calculate your way to a good relationship with your customers. While numbers and data can get your message in the right place at the right time, that message must be creative and thoughtful in order to form a connection with the audience. When you include an image with your social media, you’ll earn 650% higher engagement on average than posts with text only. It just goes to show that even the most well-researched, perfectly-placed ad will go nowhere without relevant copy and creative.

Myth 5: The Internet never sleeps, so digital marketing will work faster than traditional channels.

Though we wish this myth was true, the Internet is still filled with potential roadblocks to marketing success. We often see brands try new strategies on social media, and when they don’t see immediate results, they give up and move on to the next idea. Digital marketing is accessible to almost anyone in the world, so it’s filled with heavier traffic and more frequent competition than traditional channels. As with any marketing campaign, it still takes time to earn your audience’s attention and establish strong connections.

To find success marketing online, you have to continuously get your message in front of your customers, which can take time. One of the best ways to do this is with retargeting, or using data to serve ads to users who have seen or interacted with your brand before (thanks, Internet!). Retargeting can help your efforts be more successful and produce more returns, but it does require the patience to produce multiple ads and track the traffic over longer periods. Instead of rushing to close the deal from the first interaction, you can deliver more and more value over time in your re-targeted ads. You know what they say – good things come to those who wait.

Did we bust up all your marketing plans? We hope not. For your next campaign, consider using some of these underrated strategies to give your marketing a boost. If you’re not sure how to start implementing these ideas, check out our Planning blog series. Additionally, consider contacting a marketing agency to work with a dedicated team of experts.