Every week, you’ll receive lots of emails. Some will be entertaining, inspiring, or useful. Some will be promotional material (usually for a product or service you’ve had or might have had an interest in trying out), some will be social network updates, and some will be downright annoying (spam!).
Which ones do you actually want to read? How do you decide what’s important (and what’s not) when you’re forced to review lots of content throughout the day?
Whether you’re an author looking for inspiration, a blogger looking to grow your audience, or an agency owner looking to cut through the noise and keep your customers engaged, you’ll eventually arrive at the same place – deciding what to do with all those emails can be hard work!
Fortunately, there are now tools available that can assist you in deciding what to do with important emails (and what to ignore).
In this article, we’ll run down the pros and cons of the most popular email marketing platforms, so you can figure out which one is right for you.
1. Mailchimp
Mailchimp is the #1 marketing platform used globally and also one of the most popular platforms among authors. Why? It’s incredibly easy to use, and it has tons of features built right in. You don’t need a developer to help you set up basic email campaigns – if you can follow simple step-by-step instructions, you’ll have your first email in no time.
One of the best things about Mailchimp is how much it focuses on usability. While building a list of contacts, you don’t have to worry about all the little details that go into making your email look professional – the platform handles all the technicalities for you. This, in turn, makes it much easier to grow your email list and get the most out of your efforts.
2. Hotmail
Hotmail is another popular choice among authors, used by people who want a reliable, safe, and secure platform to keep their personal and business communications separate. It’s one of the oldest email platforms around, and it’s available for free in many countries.
One of the benefits of Hotmail is that it can be used to send emails internationally – something not all other platforms can offer.
Another great thing about Hotmail is that it allows you to create and use custom email banners and unsubscribe buttons. This can be a great way to make your emails easier to digest and more effective – and it means you don’t have to stick with the standard templates the platform provides.
3. Constant Contact
Constant Contact is another popular choice among authors, with a free basic tier available to all users. It was originally designed to help brands and organizations establish communication with their customers and provide them with personalized experiences.
A key differentiator of Constant Contact is how they approach customer care – instead of having a static phone number, they encourage their customers to reach out via email, which is then redirected to a live person who can help.
It’s one thing to have an inbox full of email, it’s another thing to have email in your face 24/7 – and that’s where the next platform comes in.
4. Dovecot
Dovecot is a combination of an email server and an IMAP client – which means you can use it to access your emails no matter where you are. What’s interesting about Dovecot is that it was initially designed for Google Apps – so if you do use this service, you’ll have access to lots of extra features that you could take advantage of. It’s completely free, and its user-friendly interface makes it easy enough for even non-technical users to get up and running.
Another feature of Dovecot that makes it stand out is how it allows you to filter your incoming mail. You can use the filters to mark certain emails as SPAM or delete them altogether – useful if you’re getting a lot of marketing emails that you don’t want to be bothered with. You don’t need to set up filters for every platform you use individually – instead, you can use tools like Mailerlite to set up automatic filters tied to specific accounts.
5. Mandrill
Mandrill is a cloud-based email service that’s as easy to use as other platforms but offers some additional perks. One of the things that makes Mandrill unique is that it was originally designed for mass email marketing campaigns, so it has all the features you need to run such a campaign – without all the heavy lifting.
As a cloud-based service, you don’t need to worry about storage – so long as you have enough storage space, you can scale up and down as needed without having to worry about running out of space. Similarly, the service offers a money-back guarantee if you meet the right conditions – so you can try it out with no risk to your wallet.
What’s the Best Email Marketing Platform for you?
Now that you have a better idea of the strengths and weaknesses of each platform, it’s time to figure out which one is right for you. Weighing your options and making a smart choice takes some research, so we want to help you out.
To that end, we’ve decided to create a buyer’s guide that will help you make the right choice – and save you time and money in the process. This guide will assist you in finding the best email marketing platform according to your specific needs.
The guide will cover all aspects of your needs and expectations, from the features the platform should offer to how much you should expect to pay for each. By the end of this article, you’ll know which platform is best suited for growing your business and marketing your books.
Here to Help
At this point, you might be feeling overwhelmed. Choosing an email marketing platform can be tricky, especially if you don’t know where to start (and we were in the same boat).
If you’re looking for an email marketing platform to grow your business, we’ve got you covered. This article is a quick guide to helping you make the right choice. When you’re done reading, you’ll know exactly what features to look for, and which one to avoid. Plus, you’ll have a much better understanding of how each feature or benefit will assist you in growing your business.
We hope this article has provided you with enough information to make the right choice. The best of luck in your future marketing endeavors!