Best Email Marketing Services

With the prevalence of social media, it may seem like email marketing isn’t worth your effort anymore. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Email is still widely used, and it’s the most effective way to communicate directly with your customers. Unlike social media, where your organic posts may or may not be seen by your followers, you can be confident that your emails will reach your customers’ inboxes. This way, taking advantage of an excellent email marketing service can improve your marketing efforts substantially.

Free vs paid email marketing service providers

There’s no question that paying for an email marketing service will always get you a more complete solution – businesses need to make money, after all. However, this doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to get by with one of these companies’ limited free versions.

If you’re just starting out and building your contact list from scratch, a free email marketing service provider will probably suffice. Although there are always a few restrictions, free email marketing services usually include all the necessary tools to send newsletters manually, ways to segment your contacts, and access to their intuitive builders. Typically, the most significant restraint you’ll face is the maximum number of subscribers you can have or the number of monthly emails you can send. However, since you’re just starting out this won’t be a problem.

Of course, more advanced tools such as automation, A/B testing, or landing pages are usually only available with paid subscriptions. This way, if you manage the email marketing for a company with a decent number of clients or if you’re a blogger with a reasonable subscriber base, investing in a paid plan will be more worthwhile.

Most important email marketing features

All email marketing providers offer the most basic features like the ability to send bulk email messages, contact list management, newsletter templates, and a built-in newsletter builder. Therefore, when looking for an email marketing service, you should pay attention to more advanced tools that will help you create efficient and effective email campaigns.

One of the most important features is the ability to automate email series. In other words, a tool that allows you to set up all emails (including the time they should be sent) in advance. This allows you to make sure that your subscribers receive all the essential information at the right moment.

Whether your clients create an account on your website or you run an ecommerce store, it’s essential that you get a tool that allows you to set up transactional emails. These are automatic messages that are sent when a specific condition is met, such as asking for a password reset or ordering an item.

Other vital features you should consider include responsive layouts (people now check their email on their phone more than ever), CAN-SPAM and GDPR compliance, dedicated IP addresses, and good deliverability rate.

How effective is email marketing today?

The email marketing industry is far from going bankrupt, as it’s still one of the most effective ways to communicate with your subscribers. Over 90% of web users have an email account, and 99% of them check their email daily. This means that having them receiving your insightful content and special promotions can be a gold mine.

Of course, running effective email campaigns highly depends on how you plan and execute them. If you don’t follow the industry’s suggested guidelines, you may find your emails going straight to your contacts’ spam box – killing all your marketing efforts. So, make sure you create relevant content that will have your subscribers opening your email and, most importantly, visiting your website.