Getting an email notification when a customer emails you back is pretty cool. You can use the email to reply with some more useful information that will hopefully draw the customer back for more.
However, there is more than one type of email marketing service out there, and not all of them are created equal. Knowing how to choose the right one for your business can be pretty daunting.
In this article, we will go over the most important things you need to know about selecting an email marketing service for your business.
Features
The first thing you need to check for with any email marketing service is the feature set. Even if you don’t use all of the features it’s important to know what sets them apart from the competition. Some of these features are highly valuable and can make the difference between a good service and a great service.
A good example of this is the ability to track conversions. Every email marketing service will tell you that nurturing leads is one of the most important aspects of delivering an effective email marketing strategy. Being able to track which customers have taken the first step and being able to follow up with a relevant message is a key component to ensuring you keep the customer engaged.
The ability to track customers and leads is also valuable information for marketers to have at their fingertips. The ability to pull this information together into an easily digestible report is another important plus of using a marketing automation platform.
Another key feature to look out for is deliverability. Even if you think you have a simple email marketing campaign using only one email service, chances are you’re sending it out to a whole list of subscribers. This makes it much more complicated than just sending out the email – you also have to make sure that everyone on your list gets it. Checking the deliverability of each subscriber is a key part of ensuring you get the most out of your email marketing campaign. If you don’t have great deliverability rates, it could mean you’re missing out on potential sales.
Integrations
Integrations are another important feature to look out for in any email marketing service. The number of integrations available with big-name email marketing services can be staggering. You can connect your email marketing platform to basically any other service or application you might need to have in your business. Finding the right integrations can be a very time consuming process, but it’s definitely worth it.
An important thing to keep in mind is that not all integrations are built equal. Some integrate very well with other services and can prove to be very useful. While others are more of a gimmick and don’t offer much more than a novelty factor.
Reporting
Every business is different and needs to have different reporting metrics. Fortunately, most email marketing services offer some level of custom reporting that can be tailored to your specific needs. The main things to look out for when it comes to reporting are summary reports, drill-down reports, and comparison reports. All three of these will give you a clear picture of what is working and what needs to be changed with your email marketing strategy.
Summary reports are an easy way to get the most important information in one place at a time. While these reports might not give you the most detailed information about specific contacts, you will be able to get a sense of the overall performance of your email marketing campaign. This can be valuable information for marketers to have at their fingertips.
Drill-down reports give you the ability to see the details behind the summary information. This could be valuable information for a marketer trying to understand the success of an email marketing campaign. Being able to drill down into specific contacts and seeing how the email impacted them can give you insights into what changes you need to make to have an even greater impact.
Comparison reports are exactly what they sound like – they allow you to compare your email marketing service to another. This could be another service or even a competitor’s service so that you can see how you’re doing and how you can improve.
All three of these reporting features are very important and can make the difference between a good email marketing service and a great email marketing service. Reporting is so important that many services offer a free trial period just so that you can fully test their capabilities.
Support
Last but certainly not least, we have support. Just because a product is widely available doesn’t mean that it is going to be easy to use, and just because a product is complex that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be used. Some email marketing services have a very high level of support, while others have very limited support. Knowing how much support each service offers can be important information for deciding which one is right for your business.
Checking for reviews on Google – or any other search engine for that matter – might be a good idea to find reviews that customers have posted about the service. This can help you get an idea of how others view their abilities. Getting a feel for the overall sentiment regarding a product or service can be an important part of the decision-making process.
Choosing the right email marketing service for your business can be a daunting process. Hopefully, this article will help you navigate the complicated world of email marketing services with more confidence.