These days there are a huge number of different email marketing services to send email with.
We reveal the best ones you can use to increase your email marketing revenues with.
The importance of email marketing to every online business cannot be over-emphasized.
In terms of Return of Investment (ROI), email marketing has proven to be one of the least expensive and most effective online marketing strategies in recent times.
It is an effective way to build a loyal customer base that trusts and relates to your brand.
With over 4.03 billion global email users, chances are your potential customers are waiting for you to make a move towards email marketing and find them.
Every business- small, medium, or large- requires email marketing as a core component of their online marketing campaign to succeed.
Today, email marketing is thriving because you can optimize and leverage the data and information gotten from your subscribers.
And use it to create a personalized email relevant to their interests and needs.
Factors to Consider When Choosing an Email Marketing Service
There are hundreds of email marketing services out there which makes it quite tasking to find the best one for your business.
Nonetheless, here are some features to look out for before opting for any one.
- Audience segmentation option- An ideal email marketing service should enable you to manage the list of your subscribers.
Then you can segment them into different groups and subgroups so that you can target your emails towards specific demographics.
- Simple user interface and high functionality- Running a business is not an easy task, and that’s why automation is important.
So, if you are spending too much time trying to create an effective and eye-catchy email with an email service, then it’s not worth it.
A good email service should be able to create a professional email newsletter with a simple drag-and-drop editor.
- Update categories- when you send an email newsletter to your subscribers, a good email service should be able to automatically update the category of those who have opened the email, clicked an attached link, or download a resource.
This way, it won’t have to resend the same email to them again.
- Track email campaign performance- tracking your performance in every strategy you employ in your marketing campaign should be taken seriously.
And if an email service does not offer such features, then it isn’t worth investing in.
With clear statistics of how your email campaign is performing, you can analyze what is working, require improvement, or change.
- Customer support- No matter how well you think you know your way around an email marketing tool or service, there are times when you may require customer support from them (either via email, live chat, or otherwise).
If it is unavailable, what’s the use in investing in their service?
So, for those new to email marketing, let’s look some of the best email marketing tools around.
And I will preface this by saying it has hard to say what the best email marketing platform is.
We all have different end goals.
The best for e-commerce might lack in automation features so not be the right one for you.
Top 9 Best Email Marketing Platforms
The fact is this; no matter how much time you have on your hands, handling every part of your email marketing without automation will be a daunting task.
Hence, we have taken our time to put together some of the best email marketing services to help you get it right.
Active Campaign
ActiveCampaign allows you to do things that other newsletters and email marketing services don’t, such as their advanced features automations.
Their entry-level plan begins at $15 per month (for up to 500 subscribers).
The Plus plan can start from $70 for pro features like inbuilt CRM, lead scoring landing pages and SMS sending.
In addition to autoresponders, which can be based on a lot of different conditions, you also have the option of automating list and contact management as well.
The ‘Deals’ system even allows for setting up appointments that will automatically fire off at a certain time or when your visitor arrives onto any given page in order to convert them into leads!
A key feature is Conversations.
This feature lets website visitors send targeted messages straight back from their browsing experience.
So it’s possible not only optimize customer experiences but create sales funnels too with an eye towards conversion rates.
Active Campaign remains a top recommended email marketing solution.
Check out Active Campaign here.
ConvertKit
ConvertKit is an email marketing service that automates the process of segmenting their subscribers into those who are interested and have already purchased.
This allows you to increase your conversions with automated emails tailored specifically for each person based on what they’ve done in the past, or not yet completed, within Convertkit.
They offer a wide variety of powerful features including:
- A/B testing which helps make sure every campaign resonates strong enough
- beautiful templates from top designers available so as soon as you sign up it feels like home
- drag and drop landing page builder
Support provides easy access via phone call if needed.
ConvertKit is the perfect tool for you if you’re just starting out and want a free way to start your email list.
Plus when you sign up, not only do they give away two courses (one that will help find your first 100 subscribers) but also access to “subscriber scoring.”
Once you reach 1,000 customers on Convertkit Creator Pro plan then it starts getting really robust with features like subscriber segmentation and autoresponders!
ConvertKit has a freemium plan for those with under 1,000 subscribers.
It is not the cheapest email marketing platform available (the lowest cost package starts at $29).
Convertkit targets solopreneurs and offers some features that are only found in their software such as selling digital products or subscriptions via emails to customers who have opted-in to receive them.
Constant Contact
If you are new to the world of email marketing, Constant Contact could be a great choice.
That’s because its user interface is beginner-friendly, allowing you to use its intuitive drag-and-drop email builder without any coding knowledge.
Features of this tool include customizable templates, an easy-to-use editor, as well as tracking and reporting.
So, you can manage your email lists, contacts, the marketing calendar, email templates, and add text, images, videos, polls, events, and even coupons to any message, all with ease.
You also get to know who is opening, clicking and sharing your emails.
These, in turn, will help you connect with your audience and turn leads into contacts and loyal customers.
What’s better is that Contant Contact has top-notch customer support.
They provide a variety of online training and other educational resources that will teach you how to use this tool like a pro.
And as a new user, you get a 60-day free trial without the need for a credit card, after which you can choose a plan.
Check out Constant Contact here
Drip
Drip is a powerful email marketing tool for E-commerce businesses.
Although it is a new platform, there’s no doubt that it can help you build personal and profitable relationships with your customers.
The main features of this tool are drag and drop tools, contact tags, customer segmentation options, personalized email content, opt-in forms, social media, and third-party tools integration.
Unlike other email services, Drip does not have a tier of plans.
Instead, you get charged based on the number of contacts you have.
You get to try this tool free for 14 days and get access to all the features.
With Drip, you can also brand your emails or tailor your newsletter with recommended audience segments and get about 8X your revenue just by doing so.
And whenever you want, study the revenue dashboards for in-depth statistics for every email strategy you employ.
This feature makes it possible to analyze your strategies to know what is driving your performance and where you need improvement.
MailChimp
MailChimp has succeeded in working its way into the hearts of business owners.
As one of the most popular email marketing services today with over 12 million users worldwide, it has about 60.51% market share of the email marketing industry.
It offers a forever-free service plan that allows you to send about 12,000 emails to about 2000 contacts.
However, do not expect service support, advanced segmentation, send-time optimization, etc., for this plan. Also, you do not get live chat support except via email.
Although this might not be viable for you as a business owner, nonetheless, other plans offer a variety of features that MailChimp provides.
With MailChimp’s easy-to-drag email builder, contact segmentation, autoresponders, and analytics tracker, email marketing is straightforward even for an amateur.
Additionally, when you activate the two-factor authentication in your MailChimp account, you will be offered a 10% discount for three months and a 15% discount to nonprofits and charities.
Hubspot
If you need the best automated email marketing tool, Hubspot is your go-to.
As a powerful all-in-one platform, it is ideal for Marketers, Startups, Tech, and Bloggers because you get all the tools required to help your business grow.
Even without a designer or an IT specialist, you can create beautiful and personalized emails that can increase your email open and click-through rates.
Hubspot gathers data about your subscribers from its Customer relationship management (CRM) to tailor-make relevant subject lines, content, links, attachments, and calls-to-action that are specific to each of your subscribers.
And the best part is that you can customize and modify your content to suit your brand.
You can schedule your emails in advance so that you can get back to work without being worried if they will be delivered or not.
Furthermore, Hubspot does a great job in protecting your data and that of your customers.
So, you don’t have to worry about a third party laying hands on them.
With this tool’s free plan, you can send 2,000 emails per month.
However, if you need more advanced features or want to send more emails, then you should consider the paid plans.
SendinBlue
SendinBlue is the ideal fully automated email marketing tool to grow your list and scale-up, especially if you are starting in business.
Its automation tools are beginner-friendly, allowing for automatic follow-up emails, transactional emails, and user segmentation.
Every email you create on this platform is beautifully designed and highly engaging, and the process from start to finish is as easy as it can get.
Using A/B testing, SendinBlue helps you find the best email, and with their AI algorithm, they can detect the best time to send your email for deliverability.
You can choose from their free plan, which is open for unlimited contacts and you can send up to 300 emails per day.
However, your email will carry their branding. If you want something else, you can go for their paid plans.
Their premium plan includes advanced features like Facebook ads integration, landing page builder, and live chat support.
GetResponse
With the ideal service like GetResponse, your email marketing campaign can draft in more customers even more than other forms of campaigns.
With features like drag-and-drop creator, autoresponders, free email templates, audience segmentation, landing page builders, email automation, and webinar software, there’s no doubt that GetResponse is one of the most popular tools.
GetResponse offers a 30day free trial, after which you can opt for a plan.
They provide support via phone calls, live chats, and email.
And if you want more informative and educational resources, it is available in their help section.
Aweber
Being the oldest and most popular email marketing tool, AWeber has done well in upgrading its services for everyone looking to get the most out of their email marketing campaign.
If you have a small email list (small business) and need a reliable and affordable tool that connects seamlessly to WordPress, AWeber should be at the top of your list.
They provide easy access to branded email templates, drag-and-drop editor, simple sign up forms, autoresponders, A/B testing, list management, email personalization, automation, and analytics.
What’s more, Its simple pricing structure offers the same features across all plans.
So, whether you have 500 subscribers for a lower-priced plan or 25,000 subscribers for a higher-priced plan, you get access to the same features without any limitation.
To me at least, Aweber is the best email marketing service and support is second to none.
If you want marketing automation then you can get a third part add on called AW Pro tools.
Get Better Email Deliverability
When it comes to email platforms, Gmail and Outlook (for example) have algorithms that look for spammy behavior.
One of them is the sender address.
As a business owner or entrepreneur you want to make sure your deliverability rate isn’t lower than industry average.
This can lead people who get emails from you not trusting the content in future messages they receive.
This impacts how often they open those messages when received.
And prevents them from being hidden away out-of-sight under “Promotions.”
Avoid using generic hotmail or gmail addresses.
Pro Tip: Encourage people to reply to you in the first email you send.
Avoid spam traps at all costs
Spam traps are a way to keep spammers from sending unwanted emails.
They work by only allowing people who sign up for an email list of their own accord or have been added on through someone else’s marketing efforts, which means no purchased lists!
If you’re looking at spamming and want to avoid getting caught in the act, try not using any illegal tactics such as purchasing your list.
This video covers some email deliverability tips plus goes into more technical aspects such DKIM and SPF records.
Clean Your Email list
As your email list grows, you need to keep it clean.
The longer you keep inactive and unengaged users on your email list, the more this will have a negative impact on deliverability rates for other subscribers who want to receive quality information from you.
Provide a clear and easy way for those no longer interested in hearing about you to unsubscribe.
Also, once every few weeks you can scrub your list using one of many third party services.
How do you get opt-ins?
If you’ve ever signed up for an email list and then had all of your emails marked as spam, it may not have been because the company sending them to you was doing something shady.
They might just be mailing someone who never opted into their newsletter in the first place!
Of course there are times when privacy matters outweigh any potential rewards from a campaign.
But if people didn’t know they were signing up or gave direct consent, that is problematic too.
It’s essential therefore to optimize opt-in processes so subscribers can choose what lists they want on which topics without getting bombarded with irrelevant content.
That way ISPs will recognize these messages as valuable contributions rather than junk mail clogging everyone else’s inboxes either knowingly or unknowingly.
If you are just getting started with email marketing, make sure to pay attention to this.
A way to do this is to turn on confirmation so people have to consent to getting your emails.
On the flip side, some people will not do that, thus meaning you have a smaller list.
Get More Email Subscribers, Quickly!
So, now you’ve made a choice as to which email marketing service to use.
And you are aware of some best priactices.
The next step is to build your subscriber base.
We use and recommend ConvertBox because it helps convert visitors into either a subscriber or customer.
Its automation features and drag and drop builder make crafting ‘boxes’ that get leads a piece of cake.
The number of subscribers you have will skyrocket as a result of using this.
In fact, we use it on this page and whether you see it or not is dependent on the ninja settings.
Email for SEO?
Email marketing doesn’t have a direct SEO impact.
That said, it can help you drive more traffic to your website which may lead to mentions and shares in social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook.
Google picks up these signals and uses them for ranking websites.
So indirectly email marketing could have an effect on improving your rankings through backlinks from other sites that mention you.
Google is one of the best sources of information available today (although we all know about Wikipedia).
As a result publishers who rely heavily upon search engine optimization often use list-building techniques via email marketing campaigns.
This will increase their number of subscribers and then potential customer base by obtaining new subscribers into what they are offering online.
Importance of Email Marketing
Those who barely understand online marketing may think that email marketing is dead.
Note: It never died.
But with recent statistics, which have proven otherwise, here are a few reasons why you should consider email marketing for your business.
- All internet users (or maybe 99%) have emails, and more than 4.03 billion email accounts are active. In other words, you can reach more customers via email marketing.
- It has high lead generation and conversion rates and delivers a strong Return on Investment (ROI).
- Thanks to personalization, email marketing is the most effective channel for customer loyalty and retention.
- It seamlessly integrates into your other marketing channels. Whether you have a website or social platform, you can connect it to your email effortlessly.
- It improves brand awareness and compels your audience to take action.
- It is cost-effective. With as low as $10, you can buy an email marketing service plan and get started.
- Email marketing is easy to measure. With the ideal service, you get to see every data about your email campaign, analyze the performance, and make improvements.
The Cost of building a List
This really depends on the method you employ to help you grow.
Free Methods of List Building
You can get leads for free by ranking your videos on YouTube and directing them to an opt in.
So, for example, if you’re making a video about how to make a smoothie.
Someone enters a related phrase and is watching your video.
At the end of the video, you can say “Now you know how to make the perfect smoothie but I have three recipes for you that I’ve never shared before.”
Get them to click on the link in the description so they can go to a landing page and enter their email address.
Simple.
Paid Methods of List Building
Or you can pay for leads by using methods such as YouTube ads (good) or solo ads (not so good).
YouTube ads can target people when they are actively looking for the solution you have.
Solo ads is like gatecrashing a party when you aren’t invited.
Summary
In conclusion, email marketing has proven to be an effective online marketing strategy for all business sizes.
There are a ton of email marketing service providers out there to choose from.
Much depends on what you are wanting to do and your budget for your marketing campaigns.
Do you want to get your first 1,000 subscribers and favour drag and drop email features?
Or a more advanced email marketing platform with marketing automation tools?
Whatever it may be…
If you are looking for a convenient and strategic way to lure more audiences into your business and turn them into paying customers, then you can employ any of the above-listed services.
Thorough review and analysis, Adam.
Getting email right is vital and yet confusing for many marketers.
Thanks.
Thanks Tim. Yes, it is super important for sure.
Great insights! Your breakdown of email marketing services is spot-on. The comparison chart simplifies the decision-making process. Thanks for the valuable info!
Thanks!