Keeping in touch with your custom base is nothing short of vital. You need to keep awareness of your online store firmly in customer minds. You need to engage them and encourage them to not only visit your store, but also make purchases.
Of course these days there are many ways of doing so, such as through social media apps such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. But emails are still yet to go out of fashion.
And when someone opens their smartphone to check their social media feeds, you can be sure that they’re also going to check their emails as well. And usually prior to checking social media.
And to reach these customers you’re going to need email marketing software, so that you can reach your whole email list with one click, and make appealing emails that will feature your logo, along with any images or photos you may also want to use.
While potential customers may scroll straight past an advert on social media, you can use emails to feature clickbait that will get them clicking through directly to your online store. And all it takes is some catchy words and something new to attract them.
This could be a new product or range of products you want to tell customers about, or you could offer exclusive discounts for email subscribers only.
But of course to achieve all this you will need an appropriate email marketing software that will make the compilation and sending of these emails easy to replicate and send out on a frequent basis, via prior scheduling.
So, in this article, we’re going to discuss a few of the more popular email marketing apps out there, so that you can make a good, well-informed decision about which one might be best for your particular requirements.
Please feel free to scroll ahead to any section that jumps out at you. Here goes!
Mailchimp
One of the most popular email marketing platforms available today, Mailchimp has been around since 1999. It’s used by millions of businesses worldwide, including small business owners like yourself who want to grow their online presence.
It’s simple to set up and manage, and it offers a wide variety of features that allow you to create beautiful newsletters and other types of content.
It does have a monthly fee though, starting from $15 per month for up to 2000 contacts (when this article was written). If you don’t mind paying for a service like this, then this is definitely worth considering.
Pros And Cons Of Mailchimp
Pros
- Easy to use
- Great support team
Cons
- Monthly fees
- No mobile app
- A little pricey
Aweber
Another very popular platform, Aweber has been around since 2003. It’s a great choice if you already have an existing email list, as it allows you to import contacts into your account.
You can even choose between different templates to match your brand identity.
As with Mailchimp, it comes with a monthly fee, but this time it starts at $20 per month for up to 10,000 contacts. So depending on how big your list is now, this could be a better option than Mailchimp.
Pros And Cons Of Aweber
Pros
- Simple to use
- Good customer support
Cons
- Monthly fee
- Mobile app not available
Constant Contact
If you’re looking for a simple solution, Constant Contact is perfect for you. It’s a web-based platform that allows you to easily build and design your own campaigns.
There are no monthly fees, although you do pay a setup fee of $10 per year. You can also choose from a number of pre-designed templates to start off with.
Pros And Cons Of Constant Contact
Pros
- Free trial
- Mobile app available
Cons
- Setup fee
Drip
If you want something a bit simpler still, Drip is another great option. It’s a completely free tool that lets you quickly and easily create drip campaigns, which are basically automated emails that keep coming over a period of time.
The beauty of this approach is that you can schedule when they’ll go out, and you can even track whether, or not, they’ve been opened.
Pros And Cons Of Drip
Pros
- Free
- Mobile app available
- Easy to use
Cons
- Can only send emails once per day
Autopilot
Autopilot is a powerful email marketing automation tool that gives you complete control over your entire marketing campaign.
You can create multiple lists, segment them according to different criteria, and automate all sorts of things.
This is one of the most advanced tools on our list, and it’s certainly worth checking out if you need some serious help with your email marketing strategy.
Pros And Cons Of Autopilot
Pros
- Advanced functionality
- Mobile app available
- Customizable
Cons
- Expensive
GetResponse
Finally, we come to GetResponse. This is a great tool for beginners, as it makes creating your first email campaign really straightforward.
You get everything you need in one place, including a drag-and-drop editor that will make sure your messages look professional.
The best thing about GetResponse is that it’s free to try, so there’s absolutely nothing holding you back!
Pros And Cons Of GetResponse
Pros
- Free trial available
- Drag and drop editor
- Mobile app available
- Free
Cons
- Limited features
SendGrid
Another great option if you’re looking for an affordable solution, SendGrid is another email marketing platform that allows you to build beautiful emails without having to worry too much about coding.
It works by using a third party service called Mandrill, which means you don’t actually have access to any of your customers’ data.
However, it does offer a lot of flexibility, allowing you to set up autoresponders, create custom HTML emails, and more.
Pros And Cons Of SendGrid
Pros
- Affordable
- Mobile app available
- Great for beginners
Cons
- No mobile apps
Final Thoughts
So, this gives you a good, quick overview of the top email marketing platforms out there.
As for which one is best for your business, this depends on what kind of experience you have, how many people you’re sending emails to, and how important it is for you to be able to customize your emails.
But we’re confident you’ll find the perfect choice for you in our shortlist. Happy email marketing!
Paul Martinez is the founder of EcomSidekick.com. He is an expert in the areas of finance, real estate, eCommerce, traffic and conversion.
Join him on EcomSidekick.com to learn how to improve your financial life and excel in these areas. Before starting this media site, Paul built from scratch and managed two multi-million dollar companies. One in the real estate sector and one in the eCommerce sector.