Email marketing is a method of direct communication between a business and its audience through electronic mail. Businesses use email marketing tools for promoting products, announcing new deals, sharing important updates, and maintaining a continuous dialogue with customers. The fundamental purpose of email marketing is to enhance customer engagement, promote brand loyalty, and ultimately drive sales. With the best tools to support and execute your email marketing campaigns, you can drive business growth.
In this article we will talk about top 6 email marketing tools that are most recommended and used for managing email marketing campaigns. However, let’s first understand why email marketing is important to help you get more of an idea if you should focus on this technique and invest in an email marketing software in the first place.
Why is Email Marketing Important for Businesses?
The importance of email marketing cannot be understated. It offers a direct and personalized channel to reach existing and potential customers. Unlike general advertising, email allows businesses to tailor their messages based on the specific interests and buying behaviour of their audience. This personal touch increases the relevance of the message, which can significantly boost conversion rates.
Statistically, email marketing remains one of the most effective marketing strategies. For instance, as per reports, email has an average return on investment (ROI) of $42 for every $1 spent. This high ROI reflects its effectiveness in reaching an audience and converting leads into sales. Moreover, with more than 4 billion daily email users, the reach of email marketing is vast, providing businesses a huge base to tap into.
Further supporting its significance, data shows that about 49% of consumers appreciate receiving promotional emails from their favorite brands weekly. This statistic indicates a favorable reception of emails by consumers when the content is relevant and delivered at an appropriate frequency. Additionally, segmented campaigns, where emails are targeted based on user demographics or behaviors, note as much as a 760% increase in revenue. This highlights the effectiveness of personalized and well-targeted email campaigns in driving sales compared to non-segmented campaigns.
Top 6 Email Marketing Tools Of 2024
Choosing the right email marketing tool is crucial for effectively managing and optimizing your email marketing campaigns. Each of these tools offers unique features that cater to different business needs, from basic email capabilities to advanced integrated marketing solutions. By considering your specific requirements and budget, you can select a tool that not only fits your marketing strategy but also supports your business growth.
1. Mailchimp
The number one in our list is Mailchimp. This tool is renowned for its user-friendly interface and strong automation features, making it ideal for startups and small businesses. It reports a high user satisfaction rate, with data showing that it helps users achieve an average open rate of 21.33%, which is above the industry standard.
What is MailChimp?
Mailchimp is a user-friendly email marketing service that helps businesses connect with their audience and grow their customer base. It provides tools for designing emails, managing subscriber lists, and automating campaigns. With features like analytics and segmentation, Mailchimp makes it easy to tailor content and track results. It’s suitable for businesses of all sizes, offering both free and paid plans to accommodate various marketing needs.
How does it help?
Mailchimp is widely appreciated for its comprehensive set of tools that cater to both beginners and seasoned marketers. It offers an easy-to-use interface, a variety of customizable templates, and extensive automation options. These features help users design appealing emails, manage subscriber lists, and send emails based on user behaviour, thereby enhancing engagement and retention.
What is the cost?
Mailchimp offers a free plan for basic needs, which is great for small businesses or startups. This plan supports up to 2,000 contacts and 10,000 sends per month, with a daily limit of 2,000. For more advanced features, their plans start at $11 per month and increase in cost depending on additional features and the number of contacts.
Why should you consider buying it?
Consider purchasing Mailchimp for your business’s email marketing because of its simplicity and effectiveness. Mailchimp’s intuitive design and automation tools make it easy to create appealing campaigns, manage your audience, and deliver personalized content. It also offers detailed analytics to monitor and improve your strategies. The platform supports scalable solutions, making it suitable for businesses of any size. Additionally, Mailchimp provides a free tier, making it a cost-effective option as you begin to expand your email efforts. With Mailchimp, you can efficiently engage your customers and grow your business’s reach.
2. Constant Contact
Growing consistently in popularity for all the good reasons, the number two chosen after careful consideration is Constant Contact. Constant Contact is widely appreciated for its exceptional customer service and ease of use, which makes it perfect for beginners. It is reported to help businesses achieve an average email open rate of around 17%, significantly impacting customer engagement.
What is Constant Contact?
Constant Contact is an email marketing platform designed to help small businesses grow their customer base and increase engagement. It offers a user-friendly interface, a wide variety of customizable email templates, and tools for managing contacts, automating emails, and analyzing campaign results. Constant Contact also provides excellent customer support and resources for learning, making it ideal for those new to email marketing. It offers a range of plans, starting with a free trial to help businesses get started.
How does it help?
Constant Contact excels in providing an array of tools designed to facilitate email marketing for novices and experts alike. It offers an extensive template library, event management tools, and superior customer support. Additionally, its strong deliverability rates ensure that your emails reach your audience’s inboxes.
What is the cost?
Pricing begins at $20 per month after a free trial period, with costs increasing based on the size of your email list and the features you need.
Why should you consider buying it?
Consider purchasing Constant Contact for your business’s email marketing strategy because it simplifies the process of connecting with your audience. Its user-friendly design and broad array of templates make creating professional-looking emails easy. Constant Contact is particularly strong in customer support and educational resources, providing great value to those new to email marketing. Additionally, its automation tools help save time while ensuring your messages reach the right people at the right time. With competitive pricing and a free trial, it’s an affordable option for businesses looking to improve engagement and grow their customer base effectively.
3. Sendinblue
Sendinblue takes the third spot. Its strength lies in its powerful automation features that allow you to send transactional emails, create workflows, and segment your audience effectively. Sendinblue stands out with its powerful automation and SMS marketing integration, suitable for dynamic marketing campaigns, and user reports suggest it boosts conversion rates by up to 60% when used effectively.
What is Sendinblue?
Sendinblue is a digital marketing platform that offers tools for email marketing, SMS campaigns, and automated workflows. It provides a scalable solution for businesses looking to enhance their marketing efforts with a focus on personalization and efficiency. Sendinblue features an intuitive interface, detailed analytics, and robust API for seamless integration with other tools. It is especially known for its pricing model, which is based on the volume of emails sent rather than the number of contacts, making it cost-effective for active marketers.
How does it help?
Sendinblue is known for its strong automation capabilities, which allow for sending transactional emails, creating sophisticated marketing workflows, and segmenting users effectively. It supports a high degree of customization in campaigns and integrates SMS marketing to extend your outreach beyond email.
What is the cost?
Sendinblue’s pricing is unique in that it’s based on the number of emails sent rather than the number of contacts. Plans start at $25 per month for 10,000 emails, and there is also a free plan that allows for 300 emails per day.
Why should you consider buying it?
Consider buying Sendinblue for your email marketing strategy because it offers a versatile and cost-effective solution tailored to engage your audience effectively. Sendinblue’s pricing is based on the volume of emails sent, not the number of contacts, which can be particularly advantageous for active marketers. The platform includes features like automation, transactional emails, SMS marketing, and detailed analytics, making it a comprehensive tool for managing diverse marketing campaigns. Additionally, its user-friendly design and integration capabilities allow for seamless connectivity with other tools, enhancing your marketing efficiency and reach.
4. ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is best known for its advanced automation and customer relationship management (CRM) functionalities. It allows you to create complex workflows based on email engagement, website interactions, and more. This tool integrates email marketing with other facets of customer experience, including sales and CRM.
What is an Active Campaign?
ActiveCampaign is a comprehensive marketing platform that focuses on email marketing, automation, sales automation, and CRM tools. It helps businesses streamline their marketing processes by enabling the creation of complex automated workflows tailored to individual customer behaviours. ActiveCampaign is well-regarded for its ability to integrate deeply with other business systems, providing a holistic view of customer interactions. This platform is particularly beneficial for businesses looking to nurture leads more effectively and improve customer engagement through personalized experiences.
How does it help?
ActiveCampaign sets itself apart with its advanced CRM capabilities, which are integrated with its email marketing services. This integration allows for sophisticated tracking of customer behaviours and automated responses based on these behaviours, making it a powerful tool for nurturing leads and personalizing communication.
What is the cost?
The entry-level plan starts at $15 per month, with prices increasing based on the number of features and contacts you choose to include.
Why should you consider buying it?
Consider buying ActiveCampaign for your email marketing strategy because it excels in automation and customer relationship management. ActiveCampaign offers deep integration with CRM systems, allowing you to streamline your customer interactions and data management effectively. Its powerful automation capabilities enable you to design complex workflows that respond dynamically to customer behaviours, enhancing personalization and engagement. Additionally, ActiveCampaign provides detailed analytics to track the success of campaigns and refine strategies. This tool is particularly valuable for businesses looking to foster close customer relationships and improve conversion rates through targeted, behaviour-driven communication.
5. GetResponse
GetResponse is well-suited for creating comprehensive marketing campaigns that include email, webinars, landing pages, and automated sales funnels. Its key features include a webinar tool, a landing page builder, and advanced analytics.
What is GetResponse?
GetResponse is a versatile email marketing platform that provides businesses with tools to create campaigns, automate marketing processes, and engage with customers effectively. It offers features like email newsletters, autoresponders, and a powerful landing page builder. Additionally, GetResponse includes capabilities for hosting webinars and creating automated sales funnels, making it ideal for businesses looking to implement comprehensive digital marketing strategies. This platform is designed to help users manage and optimize their marketing efforts all in one place, enhancing both efficiency and effectiveness.
How does it help?
GetResponse is more than just an email marketing tool; it provides solutions for creating complete marketing funnels, which include email campaigns, landing pages, webinars, and automation. This all-in-one approach is designed to convert contacts into customers through a series of well-crafted interactions.
What is the cost?
Starting at $15 per month for the basic plan, GetResponse offers options for scaling up features and subscriber capacities as needed.
Why should you consider buying it?
Consider buying GetResponse for your email marketing strategy as it offers comprehensive tools that go beyond basic email functions. GetResponse integrates email campaigns with webinars, landing pages, and automation to create a robust multi-channel marketing strategy. This all-in-one platform helps you attract, engage, and convert your audience more effectively by facilitating seamless interaction at various points of the customer journey. Additionally, GetResponse provides detailed analytics to measure campaign performance and optimize strategies. Its affordability and scalability make it suitable for both small businesses and larger enterprises looking to expand their digital marketing efforts.
6. AWeber
AWeber is favoured for its straightforward functionality and solid performance in email deliverability. It offers a wide range of templates, easy-to-use automation tools, and excellent customer support.
What is AWeber?
AWeber is an email marketing service known for its ease of use and efficiency in helping small to medium-sized businesses manage their email campaigns. It offers a range of features including customizable templates, autoresponders, and integrations with various platforms. AWeber focuses on helping users build subscriber lists and engage with their audience through automated and targeted emails. Its reliable deliverability ensures that messages reach recipients’ inboxes effectively, making it a trusted choice for businesses looking to enhance their email marketing efforts.
How does it help?
AWeber offers a suite of tools designed for small businesses, including autoresponders, newsletters, and subscriber management. It is recognized for its high deliverability rates and excellent customer service.
What is the cost?
AWeber provides a free plan for up to 500 subscribers. Paid plans start at $19 per month and increase with the number of subscribers.
Why should you consider buying it?
Consider buying AWeber for your email marketing strategy because it excels in delivering reliable and straightforward services that cater especially well to small and medium-sized businesses. AWeber offers a user-friendly platform with a variety of customizable templates, autoresponders, and integrations that make email campaigns effective and easy to manage. Its strong deliverability ensures your emails consistently reach your audience’s inboxes. AWeber also provides excellent customer support and educational resources to help you maximize your email marketing efforts. This combination of ease of use, reliability, and support makes AWeber a solid choice for enhancing your customer engagement through email.
What Are The Factors To Keep In Mind Before Purchasing/Subscribing To Email Marketing Tools?
When deciding to purchase or subscribe to email marketing tools, there are several critical factors to consider ensuring that the tool you choose aligns with your business needs and marketing goals. These considerations help you maximize the value of your investment and enhance the effectiveness of your email campaigns.
Ease of Use
The user interface of the email marketing tool should be intuitive and user-friendly. A straightforward design makes it easier for you and your team to create, send, and manage campaigns without requiring extensive technical skills. Look for tools that offer drag-and-drop editors, easy navigation, and clear instructions.
Features and Functionality
Assess the features provided by the tool to ensure they match your specific marketing requirements. Key features might include template designs, automation capabilities, list management, segmentation options, and A/B testing functionalities. These features help in personalizing content, automating repetitive tasks, and optimizing your email campaigns for better performance.
Integration Capabilities
The ability of the email marketing tool to integrate seamlessly with other software and systems used by your business is crucial. Integration with CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, or customer service software can streamline workflows and provide a more holistic view of customer interactions and data.
Deliverability
The primary aim of email marketing is to ensure that your messages reach your audience’s inbox and not the spam folder. Check the tool’s reputation and practices around deliverability. Some platforms have built-in tools to optimize email delivery, manage sender reputations, and comply with anti-spam regulations, which can significantly improve the success rate of your email campaigns.
Scalability
Consider whether the email marketing tool can scale with your business as it grows. The ability to handle an increasing volume of emails and contacts without performance issues is important. Additionally, check if the tool offers different plans or tiers that you can upgrade to as your needs evolve.
Analytics and Reporting
To measure the success of your email campaigns and make informed decisions, you need detailed analytics and reporting capabilities. Look for tools that offer comprehensive insights into key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Good reporting tools will help you understand audience behavior, campaign effectiveness, and areas for improvement.
Customer Support
Good customer support can be invaluable, especially when you encounter issues or need help with specific features. Look for a service that offers robust support through multiple channels such as email, chat, or phone. Additionally, check if they provide ample resources like tutorials, FAQs, and community forums.
Pricing
Finally, consider the pricing structure of the email marketing tool. It should fit within your budget while also offering fair pricing based on the features and capabilities provided. Some tools charge based on the number of contacts, while others may charge based on the volume of emails sent. Also, watch out for any hidden fees or charges that may apply.
Taking the time to carefully evaluate these factors will help you choose an email marketing tool that fits your business’s needs and contributes effectively to your marketing strategies.
What Are The Common Mistakes To Avoid While Purchasing/Subscribing To Email Marketing Tools?
When purchasing or subscribing to email marketing tools, several common pitfalls can hinder the effectiveness of your marketing strategy. Avoiding these mistakes is crucial for maximizing your investment and ensuring your email campaigns are successful.
Ignoring The Integration Capabilities
One frequent oversight is not considering how well an email marketing tool integrates with other software systems your business currently uses. Tools that seamlessly integrate with your CRM, e-commerce platform, or other operational tools can significantly enhance efficiency and data consistency. Failure to check integration capabilities can lead to increased manual work and data silos.
Overlooking Ease Of Use
It’s vital to choose a tool that matches the skill level of your team. A highly complex tool might be powerful, but if it’s too complicated for your team to use without extensive training, it could slow down your marketing efforts. Tools that are intuitive and come with good support and learning resources can streamline your marketing processes and ensure your team can focus on strategy rather than struggling with software.
Not Verifying Deliverability
The best email campaign is useless if it doesn’t reach the intended inboxes. Some businesses overlook the deliverability services provided by the email marketing tool. Ensuring that the tool you choose has a strong reputation for high deliverability rates and adheres to best practices for email sending will help prevent your emails from ending up in spam folders.
Disregarding Scalability
Your business won’t stay the same size forever. Choosing an email marketing tool that can’t scale with your growing business means you’ll eventually need to switch tools, which can be costly and time-consuming. Ensure the tool you choose can handle an increasing number of subscribers and campaigns and offers plans that grow with your business needs.
Neglecting Analytics And Reporting Features
Understanding the performance of your email campaigns is crucial for improving and tailoring your strategies. Some businesses make the mistake of choosing email marketing tools with poor analytics and reporting capabilities. Look for tools that provide detailed insights into campaign performance, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion metrics. These features will help you make informed decisions and optimize your campaigns.
Opting For The Cheapest Option Without Considering Value
While budget constraints are real, opting for the cheapest email marketing tool can sometimes lead to higher costs in the long term. Low-cost tools may lack essential features, support, and updates that could improve campaign effectiveness. Consider the overall value a tool provides in terms of features, support, and potential ROI instead of just the initial cost.
By avoiding these common mistakes, you can choose an email marketing tool that not only fits your current needs but also supports your business as it grows. Taking the time to research and select the right tool will pay off in more effective campaigns and better overall marketing success.
Choosing among these tools which are very carefully picked by our experts depends largely on your business’s size, needs, and the specific features you value most, such as automation, integration capabilities, or analytics. Each tool provides valuable insights that can drive decision-making and help tailor strategies to maximize return on investment. However, we recommend being prudent with your investment decision and try these tools while you can still cancel the subscription. Keep them only if you find them helpful for your business needs.
Commonly Asked Questions about Email Marketing Tools
1. Which email marketing tool is best for beginners?
For beginners, Constant Contact is highly recommended due to its user-friendly interface and exceptional customer support. It offers extensive resources and guides to help new users get started with email marketing effortlessly.
2. What tool offers the best automation features for advanced email marketing strategies?
ActiveCampaign is known for its advanced automation capabilities. It allows users to create complex automated workflows that can respond to customer behaviours, integrate with CRM systems, and provide detailed analytics to refine marketing strategies.
3. Are there any email marketing tools that integrate SMS marketing within their platform?
Sendinblue includes SMS marketing as part of its service offerings. This integration allows users to create cohesive multi-channel marketing campaigns using both email and SMS from a single platform, enhancing the reach and effectiveness of their marketing efforts.
4. Which email marketing tool is considered the most cost-effective for small businesses?
Mailchimp is often seen as the most cost-effective option for small businesses, especially because it offers a robust free plan that supports up to 2,000 contacts and 10,000 emails per month, which is suitable for businesses just starting out with email marketing.
5. What tool is best for creating integrated marketing campaigns that include webinars and landing pages?
GetResponse is ideal for businesses that want to conduct integrated marketing campaigns, including webinars and landing pages. It provides tools to manage all these elements within one platform, which helps in creating a seamless experience for both the marketer and the audience.
Michael is a senior editor with ArticlesBase. With 15+ years of solid experience in web content editing, he ensures all published articles meet our editorial standards and are verified by experts before they are made live. Michael has previously worked with multiple online publications, a few of which are amongst the most visited sites globally.