Email marketing is a pretty big deal. If you’re engaging with existing customers or new prospects, you’ll need an email marketing tool that will help you manage your email lists and campaigns as well as help you connect with the right audience at the right time.
Today, there are so many email marketing services available and a lot of them have similar features, but not all platforms are considered equal. Finding the best email marketing software for your business or website can be difficult, but keeping these few things in mind can help you to choose the best option for you.
- A/B Testing. A/B testing that is built into your email marketing platform means you can quickly run a campaign side by side with different variables to see how it performs with similar audiences and subscribers. You can split-test subject line variations, layouts, CTA buttons, body content, and specific offers.
- List Segmentation. You can only segment based on the data or assumptions, you have. Find a platform that makes list segmentation easy, so you aren’t having to do it manually, and you can sort your contacts in just a few clicks. Segmented email campaigns have an open rate of more than 14% higher than generic emails.
- 3rd Party Integration. 3rd party integration within your email platform eliminates or at least reduces manual input. There are different types of integrations: social integration, CRM integration, integration with contact management systems and eCommerce platforms, Gmail integration and google analytics integration.
- Subscriber and Campaign Insights. Aside from click-through rates and open rates, smart marketers also pay attention to bounceback rates, delivery rates, earnings per click or per email, forward rate, unsubscribe rates, and individual contact activity. When you’re able to obtain and keep data like this, you’re able to focus your energy properly and make continuous improvements.
- Automation and Response Handling. The right email platform will give you more control over building stronger relationships with your customers. When you initially think about automated emails, you might think about order confirmations, but you can also set up an onboarding series, create behavioral triggers to automatically email content related to what contacts view in your funnel, lead-nurturing emails, upsell workflows, and email series that are specific to survey responses.
- Scalable Pricing and Features. Whatever platform you choose, be sure to choose with growth in mind. What are the features that will be important to you as you continue to grow your list and expand your email marketing strategy? Will the service be able to support your growth?
User-Friendly Design Templates. According to data shared by HubSpot, two-thirds of emails are read on a smartphone or mobile device. A good email platform will give you the ability to design your emails from scratch, but should also come with templates that are mobile-friendly and easily customizable.
Taking the time to define your goals, your plan, and how email should integrate with your difference will make it so much easier to make the right choice for your business. The best email marketing platform will be one that is able to provide you with the most value based on your marketing automation and content needs.
Anabeth McConnell