Email marketing may have a bad reputation as being spammy, but savvy marketers are innovating their marketing strategies and evolving their tools to meet the needs of their consumers. The leading email marketing platforms offer the ability to target and segment your communications so you can provide content that is relevant and interesting, which means your audience will gladly subscribe and actually read your emails. In fact, studies show that 99% of consumers check their email everyday. So it’s no surprise that approximately 82% of B2B and B2C businesses (Ascend2) are using email marketing technology to increase brand awareness, generate leads and enhance their bottom line.
This massive growth in email communication has ignited a swarm of email marketing and automation companies vying to help you interact with your audiences, large and small. But, with so many choices, it can be confusing and challenging to figure out which solution is best for your business. To help simplify things, we’ve put together a list of the most important things to consider when choosing the right email marketing tool for any business’s individualized needs.
5 Top Factors to Consider When Choosing the Right Email Marketing Tool
1. List Size
Are you trying to reach 1,000 people, 100,000 people, or somewhere in between? The cost of the email marketing platform you choose will likely sway depending on your list size; more contacts usually means more money. Keep in mind that if you expect your list to grow exponentially, you should choose a service that can handle more contacts so you don’t have to switch later on.
2. Email Frequency
If you only email your contacts once a month, you may be able to choose a free or low-cost solution (depending on your list size). But if you need to send frequent emails to subscribers you will probably want to invest in a paid subscription — especially if you want help with automating your email blasts.
3. Specialization
Exploring email marketing options can feel like comparing apples to oranges. If you look closely, many of the services available differentiate their product and specialize in certain aspects of email marketing. For example, some are specialists in e-commerce while others position themselves as automation experts. Each option also typically has a distinct list of website integrations, meaning they can more easily weave their services into the programs that you may be using for your company already. So it’s important to know what kinds of services and integrations are important to your business.
4. Pricing
There is no set standard cost (yet) for email marketing solutions; each company offers their own unique pricing model and options for users. Pricing is typically dependent on list size and the number of services users can access. Further, some also offer personalized support services in exchange for a paid subscription. Even if your company has no marketing budget, there are still perfectly good, simplistic options available that can move you closer to accomplishing your email marketing goals.
5. Goals
Take a step back to reflect on what you truly need out of your solution. Narrowing down and refining your goals for email marketing can help you figure out which platform will help you to meet your goals — and be worth the time and money investment. Depending on what you’re trying to do, your marketing tool might need a robust, cutting edge system of interacting pieces with complex features; others may benefit from a simpler solution.
Because each platform is so unique, the search for the right email marketing platform can seem to have no end in sight. How do you make the right choice? We work with clients of all sizes who have asked the same questions — and we have some answers to share:
Download Our Free Email Marketing Cheat Sheet
Our downloadable Email Marketing Cheat Sheet has all the important information on today’s most popular marketing solutions. Each tool is listed with their unique services, pricing and integrations. We’ve also noted our recommendations for which options might work best depending on your business needs. Download our free Email Marketing Cheat Sheet — and make your decision a little easier!
Still have questions about which option is right for you? Reach out and we might be able to help.