The challenge of keeping track of customer data is real. The advent of new technologies has enabled businesses to digitise customer information and make it accessible via a myriad of channels.
Email marketing is an essential tool in the digital marketing arsenal, and arguably the simplest and most effective way to engage with potential customers. However, keeping up with each individual email requires a serious amount of effort. That’s why many businesses have turned to software to automate the process and gain more time to focus on other areas of the business.
If you’re looking to take your marketing automation game to the next level then read on because we’ve collated the best CRM email marketing software available today.
Wix CRM Email Marketing Software
Wix is the Swedish company behind the hugely popular website builder. It was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Copenhagen. Over the years, Wix has amassed a fairly robust catalogue of features, and the company is constantly expanding and improving its offering.
In terms of price, Wix offers a free basic version that enables businesses to create an entirely bespoke website within minutes. Premium features such as automatic website hosting and domain forwarding, as well as the ability to integrate with popular third-party services like Gmail and Dropbox, are offered at affordable rates. When it comes to the functionality and user-friendliness of the platform, Wix is undoubtedly the best of the best.
HubSpot CRM Email Marketing Software
Like Wix, HubSpot is a popular website builder that was also born out of necessity. The company’s co-founder, Kevin McNamee, explains that prior to the invention of HubSpot, keeping up with each individual email had been a hugely time-consuming process. The company’s solution was simple; remove the manual element from the process, and replace it with automation.
The outcome was an extremely user-friendly and efficient marketing automation tool. HubSpot’s strength is in its visual design and user feedback. The platform is designed around the concept of “smart messaging” which enables businesses to send out automated email campaigns that are adaptable and personalized to each individual recipient. With HubSpot, the process of setting up a new marketing campaign is as easy as 1-2-3.
As with all CRM software, extracting key performance indicators (KPIs) and measuring ROI is made extremely easy via HubSpot’s integrated analytics platform. With the ability to monitor and track email performance across all marketing channels, including social media, digital advertising, and organic search, businesses can gain a clear view of their email marketing efforts and adjust their strategy accordingly.
Salesforce CRM Email Marketing Software
If you’re looking for a CRM solution that can also double as an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system then consider Salesforce.com. It’s one of the most popular and well-known CRM platforms in today’s marketplace, and it’s also the only CRM solution on this list that’s actually part of the Salesforce family. This is because Salesforce was originally built for the enterprise market, and it has subsequently evolved its product offering to serve the SMB (small and medium-sized businesses) and marketing automation needs of today’s market.
Some of Salesforce’s strongest features include its robust API (application programming interface), which enables third-party developers to integrate mission-critical business functions, like order processing and fulfilment, into an email marketing app; its support for multiple marketing platforms, which enables businesses to drive their marketing efforts across different channels, like email, mobile, and social media, and gain a clear view of the combined results; and its AI (artificial intelligence) automation capabilities, which enable marketers to set up automated email campaigns and analyze the results without having to oversee the process.
As with all CRM platforms, measuring and tracking ROI is made easy via Salesforce’s integration with well-known analytical platforms, like Google Analytics and Mixpanel. With Google Analytics, for example, marketers can set up custom dashboards to reveal key performance indicators, like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Compiling these figures into a single, readily-accessible report means establishing key performance indicators, and monitoring and improving email marketing strategy and execution, in a matter of minutes.
Marketo CRM Email Marketing Software
Another company that deserves a shout-out for its elegant simplicity is Marketo. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in San Francisco, Marketo is the leading provider of marketing technology for marketers. It was originally known as 1st Contact and was purchased by Marketo in 2016 for a whopping $27.9 billion. At the time of writing, Marketo offers a free version of its software, which enables businesses to execute email marketing campaigns and track performance, along with a small business version that starts at $9.99 per month. The free version is also available on the company’s website.
As the name suggests, Marketo is focused on gathering and organizing customer data, which enables businesses to target their communications with relevant, personalized content. Marketo also provides the functionality to build and send email campaigns, along with the automated workflows to execute those campaigns. This makes it extremely simple for businesses to get up and running with email marketing, while also providing the ability to scale the operation as needed.
What’s more is that Marketo’s software is incredibly easy to use, even for beginners. Simply set up a new campaign, choose your email template, and begin typing. From there, you can preview the email in real-time and make any necessary changes, before hitting the “send” button. On the whole, Marketo is a no-brainer for anyone looking for a simple, yet effective, marketing automation solution.
MailChimp CRM Email Marketing Software
MailChimp is popularly known as an email marketing platform, but it actually does far more than that. It’s a marketing automation and collaboration platform that enables businesses and brands to send out targeted, personalized letters, emails, and text messages. It was founded in 2004 and is currently owned by the American media company, Advance Publications. MailChimp enables businesses to set up automated campaign sequences, such as email blasts, to be triggered by customer behaviour, like downloads, opening emails, or engaging with content, like blog posts.
A quick note about Advance Publications; the company now owns several digital marketing and tech-related properties, like the aforementioned MailChimp, Inktomi, and others. It also owns the International Herald Tribune, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal, among others.
MailChimp’s biggest selling point is its API (application programming interface), which allows for third-party integrations, like Salesforce and HubSpot, and also enables creators of targeted content, like newsletters, to integrate with the platform and send out letters, emails, and text messages, on behalf of their clients. What this means is that MailChimp allows for the creation of entire digital marketing workflows, from mailer to mailer, without the need for external IT help.
Hootsuite CRM Email Marketing Software
Hootsuite is similar to MailChimp, in that it enables businesses to create and send out automated emails, newsletters, and text messages. However, Hootsuite is far more advanced and flexible, thanks to its robust API and integration with third-party services, like the Slack platform. Slack is a popular workplace messaging and collaboration app that was founded in 2011 and is currently valued at around $20 billion.
Hootsuite was originally built for marketers and large corporations who need to communicate with a large audience. Its biggest selling point is its easy-to-use dashboard, which provides a bird’s-eye view of all your social media platforms, like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, as well as your emails, and the content they’re communicating with.
What’s more is that Hootsuite has a free version that you can test out, called Hootsuite Free. The free version offers a robust set of functionality and includes all the major social platforms, like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as your email.
Hootsuite’s integration with third-party services makes it simple to track the success of your campaigns and, as a result, grow your business. The company provides analytics for WordPress, Shopify, and other platforms, which means that even if you don’t have the most tech-savvy person in your office, you can monitor the performance of your email marketing strategy from one place.
Sprout CRM Email Marketing Software
Sprout provides businesses and individuals with customer relationship management and marketing automation tools that integrate with the major social platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as email.