Email marketing is a form of digital marketing that allows marketers to reach potential customers via email.
The best email platforms will allow you to create compelling messages that will encourage recipients to take some sort of action.
To ensure you are using the right service, be sure to read reviews about each platform.
AWeber
AWeber is the top-rated email marketing platform that powers brands like Jim Beam, HP, and Wrigley.
The service offers a free trial with limited features and a limited number of emails per day. However, premium accounts offer all the tools necessary to grow a business successfully via email.
AWeber supports all the major email marketing services including email marketing software, email marketing services, and transactional emails (i.e., order confirmation, payment alerts, etc.).
For those looking for a robust email marketing solution that offers a free trial, AWeber is the go-to choice.
Campaign Monitor
Campaign Monitor is another popular email marketing tool with over 500,000 users. The service offers a free trial with limited features. Paid plans start at $15 per month with the ability to send up to 50,000 emails per month.
What makes Campaign Monitor special is its inbound marketing approach. To put it simply, inbound marketing teaches customers to find value in what you have to offer, rather than expecting the customer to come to you.
As a marketer, you will learn to create buyer personas, develop strategies to attract potential customers, and create marketing content that will encourage them to opt-in for your products or service.
With inbound marketing, you are promoting something of value to the customer rather than trying to sell your product or service. Inbound marketing encourages customers to take an active role in the marketing process by offering them value and engagement in exchange for their email addresses.
One advantage of using a tool like Campaign Monitor is that you can easily identify the characteristics of your ideal customer and the kinds of content you will want to create to attract them. This means you will be more likely to develop content that is relevant and useful to your target audience rather than content that is only meant for a general audience who may or may not be interested in your product or service.
Chimp Mail
Chimp Mail is yet another email marketing tool that draws upon the power of the chimp mind to deliver valuable marketing messages to customers.
With Chimp Mail, you can take advantage of the power of repetition and association to deliver highly effective messages to your customers. In other words, the same concept as a well-placed advert on TV. Except, you have total control over the messaging and can re-contextualize the ad anytime you want.
For example, you could send a pitch for a new product or service every week for a month. With that level of engagement, your customers will start to associate your brand with valuable and useful information that they may find helpful.
But the best part about Chimp Mail is that you can use the platform to test your marketing messages and watch real-time feedback on how effective your pitch is. Plus, you can collect email addresses of interested customers and turn them into qualified leads for your business.
One disadvantage of using email marketing platforms is that if you are planning on sending out any type of promotional offer, you may need to consider whether your customers’ email addresses are compliant with the data protection regulations in your country.
HubSpot
The HubSpot platform was built to make marketing more engaging and interactive. With HubSpot, you can create marketing material such as email campaigns that are actually worth reading!
Based upon the concept of “smart marketing,” HubSpot creates marketing materials that are relevant and engaging to potential customers. For example, if you are sending out a sales pitch for an insurance company, you would want your marketing materials to feature the faces and voices of people in your target audience.
But HubSpot is more than just an email marketing tool; it is a complete digital marketing platform that allows you to build a strong connection with your audience. And to make it even more powerful, you can create content such as webinars and case studies that highlight the value your products or services offer. This means you are not just sending out promotional emails but are creating a digital experience for your audience that encourages them to opt-in for your offers.
An added advantage of HubSpot is that you can build a community of relevant individuals and experts around your product or service. This means you can gain credibility and improve your brand’s reputation by providing useful information to people who are already interested in your topic.
One disadvantage of HubSpot is that, like all the other email marketing tools mentioned here, it charges a monthly fee. However, this fee is very reasonable and the platform’s value is well worth it.
Mandiberry
Mandiberry is an email marketing solution that targets the legal industry. The tool allows you to create up to 30 unique campaigns with content like newsletters, promotional emails, and event invitations.
One significant advantage of using an email marketing platform like Mandiberry is that you can segment your audience using numerous criteria. This means you can target potential customers based upon their location, demographics, and interests. You can also use the platform to send out special offers and promotions to people who have opted in to your mailing list.
You can build a mailing list using a tool like Mandiberry for free and then use the platform to send out periodic emails. Alternatively, you can use the tool to build a fully fledged email marketing campaign and then use third-party software to collect emails.
One disadvantage of using an email marketing platform like Mandiberry is the limited design options. Although you can add a bit of polish using the platform’s templates, you cannot fully customize the design of your emails.
MailChimp
The granddaddy of all email marketing platforms, MailChimp, offers a free plan with basic features. However, if you are looking for an all-in-one email marketing solution, you can upgrade to their premium plan for just $15 per month.
Similar to most other email platforms, MailChimp focuses upon delivering value to its users via relevant and useful content. To that end, you can take advantage of the platform’s inbound marketing approach to attract and engage potential customers via email.
You can use MailChimp to create and manage email campaigns, conduct A/B testing, and segment your audience.
What makes MailChimp unique is its ability to integrate with other platforms and tools. For example, you can use the platform to collect emails, but you can also integrate with Shopify or WordPress to automatically send out orders or event invitations via email.
As with other email marketing platforms, you can use MailChimp to build a mailing list for free, then use the platform to send out periodic emails, or you can opt to use third-party software to collect emails.
One disadvantage of using an email marketing platform like MailChimp is that its interface can be a little bit clunky. However, this should not be a problem for those who know how to use a keyboard.
Aweber
The previous item on this list was mostly about free plans. However, Aweber does offer a premium plan as well that allows you to send unlimited emails, track click-throughs, and create automated campaigns.
Aweber’s main appeal is its ease of use. The service offers a free trial with limited features. However, premium features are accessible to all users.
What differentiates Aweber from the other email marketing platforms on this list is that it was designed to be user-friendly and accessible via mobile devices. This is an important consideration if you are planning to use the platform. Since nearly everyone has a mobile device, you can assume they will have access to Aweber. This makes it more convenient to access marketing material published on the platform.
A disadvantage of using Aweber is that it is, again, a closed source product that does not offer many design options. What this means is that although it does have a fairly generous offering of templates, you cannot fully customize the look of your email.