Email marketing is a crucial component of any company's overall digital marketing strategy. But often times it can be tedious and time-consuming. Building your email marketing newsletters and promotions shouldn't be an arduous chore. Writing about what you do should be an enjoyable opportunity to discuss what makes your business the best and better than the rest. When email marketing is less stressful, it will reflect in the content – which then leads to a better read for your users!
Email Marketing Mistakes
Another obstacle that email marketers deal with is the frustration of getting your content out there, especially if email marketing is a top tactic. It is not as easy as pasting some email addresses into your Gmail account and hitting the Send button.
In the past some companies tried to mail out their newsletters from their own email accounts. With the advent of spam reporting, new rules were introduced that make taking that approach dangerous to your business. If your email is seen sending out massive waves of emails, you risk all emails from your domain being marked as spam, and then never seen by your followers or clients. Use an email verifying service to ensure your list is clean and increase deliverability.
Let's look at the top email marketing platforms you can use to craft great looking email newsletters and then send them easily to your subscriber list. These companies help to minimize the chances that your email tagged as spam, are very affordable, and have some customer service assistance.
1. MailChimp
MailChimp is a big favorite for many bloggers, small companies and agencies. It has got an evolving interface that has been updated over the years based on user feedback. You can upload your email lists as a CSV file and the system will automatically import the names, email addresses, and other data. This is certainly a time-saver, and a standard feature with most email marketing providers. Mailchimp however makes this very easy by telling you if there are any duplicate contacts, warns of "role player" email addresses that aren't worth importing, or if your overall import is too risky to your overall Open Rate and spam status.
They have a great selection of templates to choose from that can then be further modified to suit your brand. Keep in mind, you should ideally create a customized look that blends in your brand, rather than choosing a more generic template that will be used by many other companies. But Mailchimp gives you the options to customize countless templates to make sure the final product accurately reflects your brand. You're also able to segment your subscriber list to help maximize context and improve results. You can review the open rate, users can easily unsubscribe, and you can then revise your next newsletter based on the metrics viewable in your MailChimp account. It offers split testing as well so you can try out different versions of your same newsletter to see which resonates best with your users.
Pricing varies depending on how many users you can to send to. Their forever free plan may work for some cost-conscious small businesses or frugal bloggers with lower than 2,000 subscribers (although now it is 2,000 "Audience" which includes unsubscribers and manually removed subscribers). If you have a Mailchimp email marketing Audience list of more than 2,000, you have options to pay as you go or subscribe to a monthly plan, but the prices are very reasonable for the services you are getting in return. You also don't have to display the MailChimp logo in the footer of your emails when you start paying for your subscription.
Mailchimp has recently transitioned from a standalone email marketing platform to a full-service marketing program, for better or for worse. It's still a top option with more potential features and integrations, but the prices have gotten a little higher with the Audience change.
2. GetResponse
The big difference with GetResponse is that it’s suited to users who want to complete their newsletter with a landing page or who are offering webinars. If your reason for sending out newsletters is that your business hosts webinars and you’re engaging your users each month then this company is ideal. Within the interface you manage your newsletters with this service also has a tonne of extras specifically for webinars. They have really targeted that market and have features like autoresponders, email reminders, marketing automation and 1-click logins that make the whole experience easier for you and for your users. Their landing page templates may also appeal to companies who do monthly offerings or sales and need a unique page of content to send the user to. MailChimp is a great service, but if you’re looking for something that offers more services directed at webinars and that allows you to create a custom landing page, then sending users to from your newsletter then this is a better option.
3. Constant Contact
Constant Contact has always been a big rival with MailChimp for being the brand name in email marketing. It's been around for a lot longer than any other provider and was the industry leader for a long time until other companies caught up.
It’s still a huge company and it’s a great option if Facebook is a big part of your online marketing strategy. Constant Contact has an email option that is designed so users can easily share your newsletter on Facebook.
Other providers do have features similar to this but they’re not as focused on that feature as Constant Contact. Although on the other hand, many emailer platforms are now just as good or better than Constant Contact email marketing in this regard.
The big plus with this company is the support. They provide you with plenty of guidance when it comes to growing your subscriber list or best industry practices. If you run into issues you can easily get help, and if you have trouble learning the interface at all there are many resources available to help you find the answers you need.
Constant Contact can also be considered the most social media-friendly and has all of the major features of the others noted. If your digital marketing involves Hootsuite, and you focus your efforts on gaining traction on various social media platforms, then this is a great email marketing tool for you.
4. AWeber
AWeber is an extremely popular option and recommended by many professional marketing companies. It gives you five plans to choose from and a long list of features such as unlimited email marketing campaigns, follow-ups, lists and Auto Responders. Many people believe their Auto Responder platform is superior to other companies, allowing businesses to automate the process of delivering personalized emails to customers on a schedule. GetResponse and AWeber offer similar core features. With AWeber, you pay a monthly fee starting at around $20 based on your list size, allowing you to send out as many campaigns as you wish per month.
5. iContact
While lesser known then Mailchimp and Constant Contact, iContact is still a solid choice (and sometimes more affordable) for your email marketing needs. It has a comprehensive selection of tools, user friendly interface, and customer service options that will help you with your email campaigns. iContact is still worth consideration as the email marketing platform of choice for your small business.
Additional Email Insights
Make sure to segment your email marketing because it will increase results significantly while reducing the chances of your emails being marked as spam. By reaching out to leads or existing customers in very specific segments, you will be able to leverage context in calls-to-action. Context in a CTA helps to convert leads into customers and existing customers into repeat customers.
Email marketing manually or through a CRM program is a great way to keep in touch with prospects and customers without dedicating too much time and energy. In short, it pays to be in constant communication with your leads and clients. If they aren't hearing from you then they don't think you're getting things done for them. Utilize email newsletters and email marketing to help stay in touch with them as well as reminding them of the additional services that you offer. It's amazing how many positive responses you'll receive when you reach out to customers via email.
On the flip side, when you aren't in constant communication with clients (even though you're executing your service well) they could become distraught due to a perceived lack of attention. The moral of the story is that a few emails or a strategically set up CRM system can go a long way towards boosting sales and maximizing client satisfaction.
Email Effectively
There are many more options out there to choose from too. Email marketing is a massive business tool and a big part of the overall online advertising industry. It’s difficult to say which is best, since most offer the same list of major features and then differentiate in more niche market opportunities. One thing is for sure, you need to start building your subscriber list and sending out some high quality emails! Send em out send em out!!
I hope you enjoyed this article about five effective email marketing platforms for your small business to build your brand better.
Interested in more articles about email marketing strategy?
Read My Related Posts:
- Email Marketing Redefined & Refocused
- How To Optimize Your Email Marketing Conversions
In the past some companies tried to mail out their newsletters from their own email accounts. With the advent of spam reporting, new rules were introduced that make taking that approach dangerous to your business. If your email is seen sending out massive waves of emails, you risk all emails from your domain being marked as spam, and then never seen by your followers or clients. Use an email verifying service to ensure your list is clean and increase deliverability.
Let's look at the top email marketing platforms you can use to craft great looking email newsletters and then send them easily to your subscriber list. These companies help to minimize the chances that your email tagged as spam, are very affordable, and have some customer service assistance.
1. MailChimp
MailChimp is a big favorite for many bloggers, small companies and agencies. It has got an evolving interface that has been updated over the years based on user feedback. You can upload your email lists as a CSV file and the system will automatically import the names, email addresses, and other data. This is certainly a time-saver, and a standard feature with most email marketing providers. Mailchimp however makes this very easy by telling you if there are any duplicate contacts, warns of "role player" email addresses that aren't worth importing, or if your overall import is too risky to your overall Open Rate and spam status.
They have a great selection of templates to choose from that can then be further modified to suit your brand. Keep in mind, you should ideally create a customized look that blends in your brand, rather than choosing a more generic template that will be used by many other companies. But Mailchimp gives you the options to customize countless templates to make sure the final product accurately reflects your brand. You're also able to segment your subscriber list to help maximize context and improve results. You can review the open rate, users can easily unsubscribe, and you can then revise your next newsletter based on the metrics viewable in your MailChimp account. It offers split testing as well so you can try out different versions of your same newsletter to see which resonates best with your users.
Pricing varies depending on how many users you can to send to. Their forever free plan may work for some cost-conscious small businesses or frugal bloggers with lower than 2,000 subscribers (although now it is 2,000 "Audience" which includes unsubscribers and manually removed subscribers). If you have a Mailchimp email marketing Audience list of more than 2,000, you have options to pay as you go or subscribe to a monthly plan, but the prices are very reasonable for the services you are getting in return. You also don't have to display the MailChimp logo in the footer of your emails when you start paying for your subscription.
Mailchimp has recently transitioned from a standalone email marketing platform to a full-service marketing program, for better or for worse. It's still a top option with more potential features and integrations, but the prices have gotten a little higher with the Audience change.
2. GetResponse
The big difference with GetResponse is that it’s suited to users who want to complete their newsletter with a landing page or who are offering webinars. If your reason for sending out newsletters is that your business hosts webinars and you’re engaging your users each month then this company is ideal. Within the interface you manage your newsletters with this service also has a tonne of extras specifically for webinars. They have really targeted that market and have features like autoresponders, email reminders, marketing automation and 1-click logins that make the whole experience easier for you and for your users. Their landing page templates may also appeal to companies who do monthly offerings or sales and need a unique page of content to send the user to. MailChimp is a great service, but if you’re looking for something that offers more services directed at webinars and that allows you to create a custom landing page, then sending users to from your newsletter then this is a better option.
3. Constant Contact
Constant Contact has always been a big rival with MailChimp for being the brand name in email marketing. It's been around for a lot longer than any other provider and was the industry leader for a long time until other companies caught up.
It’s still a huge company and it’s a great option if Facebook is a big part of your online marketing strategy. Constant Contact has an email option that is designed so users can easily share your newsletter on Facebook.
Other providers do have features similar to this but they’re not as focused on that feature as Constant Contact. Although on the other hand, many emailer platforms are now just as good or better than Constant Contact email marketing in this regard.
The big plus with this company is the support. They provide you with plenty of guidance when it comes to growing your subscriber list or best industry practices. If you run into issues you can easily get help, and if you have trouble learning the interface at all there are many resources available to help you find the answers you need.
Constant Contact can also be considered the most social media-friendly and has all of the major features of the others noted. If your digital marketing involves Hootsuite, and you focus your efforts on gaining traction on various social media platforms, then this is a great email marketing tool for you.
4. AWeber
AWeber is an extremely popular option and recommended by many professional marketing companies. It gives you five plans to choose from and a long list of features such as unlimited email marketing campaigns, follow-ups, lists and Auto Responders. Many people believe their Auto Responder platform is superior to other companies, allowing businesses to automate the process of delivering personalized emails to customers on a schedule. GetResponse and AWeber offer similar core features. With AWeber, you pay a monthly fee starting at around $20 based on your list size, allowing you to send out as many campaigns as you wish per month.
5. iContact
While lesser known then Mailchimp and Constant Contact, iContact is still a solid choice (and sometimes more affordable) for your email marketing needs. It has a comprehensive selection of tools, user friendly interface, and customer service options that will help you with your email campaigns. iContact is still worth consideration as the email marketing platform of choice for your small business.
Additional Email Insights
Make sure to segment your email marketing because it will increase results significantly while reducing the chances of your emails being marked as spam. By reaching out to leads or existing customers in very specific segments, you will be able to leverage context in calls-to-action. Context in a CTA helps to convert leads into customers and existing customers into repeat customers.
Email marketing manually or through a CRM program is a great way to keep in touch with prospects and customers without dedicating too much time and energy. In short, it pays to be in constant communication with your leads and clients. If they aren't hearing from you then they don't think you're getting things done for them. Utilize email newsletters and email marketing to help stay in touch with them as well as reminding them of the additional services that you offer. It's amazing how many positive responses you'll receive when you reach out to customers via email.
On the flip side, when you aren't in constant communication with clients (even though you're executing your service well) they could become distraught due to a perceived lack of attention. The moral of the story is that a few emails or a strategically set up CRM system can go a long way towards boosting sales and maximizing client satisfaction.
Email Effectively
There are many more options out there to choose from too. Email marketing is a massive business tool and a big part of the overall online advertising industry. It’s difficult to say which is best, since most offer the same list of major features and then differentiate in more niche market opportunities. One thing is for sure, you need to start building your subscriber list and sending out some high quality emails! Send em out send em out!!
I hope you enjoyed this article about five effective email marketing platforms for your small business to build your brand better.
Interested in more articles about email marketing strategy?
Read My Related Posts:
- Email Marketing Redefined & Refocused
- How To Optimize Your Email Marketing Conversions
Published by Michael J Schiemer
Owner of the Bootstrap Business Blog
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