Email marketing is one of the most effective methods that you can use when it comes to sharing your message, promoting your services and building a strong relationship with your customers. In fact, statistics show that companies which send automated emails are a massive 133% more likely to send relevant messages which correspond with the purchase cycle of each customer.
And, over seventy-five percent of email revenue is generated by specific campaigns compared to ‘one-size-fits-all’ campaigns. And when it comes to email marketing revenue, automated campaigns account for over 20%.
The short version is: Email marketing is a pretty big deal, and if your job is to engage with customers or new prospects, you need to have an email marketing tool that enables you to effectively manage your lists, campaigns, and connections. So, with that in mind, we’ve put together some key factors to keep in mind when choosing an email marketing solution.
1. Integration:
In digital marketing, everyone with a little bit of experience will tell you that your CRM – customer relationship management – software is your best friend, and here’s what Forbes has to say about it. It’s extremely time-consuming to update lists and send emails manually, so you’ll need to look out for an email marketing platform that will seamlessly integrate with your CRM and provide you with a hassle-free, efficient solution when it comes to managing valuable customer data and content.
It should also provide you with an overview of any key metrics such as open rates and click-through rates so that you can easily get a clear idea on which campaigns have the best performance.
2. Viewing and Reading Options:
Don’t get left behind with an email marketing software program that only works well if your readers are using a computer or laptop. According to Campaign Monitor, at least 53% of people check their emails on a smartphone or tablet, and with smart device use on the rise, this is a number that’s only expected to grow. Less and less people are opening their emails from a traditional laptop or desktop PC; email apps are often easier to access and manage.
For businesses, this means choosing an email marketing software program that includes mobile-optimized templates and mobile functionality. After all, if somebody opens an email on their mobile device and it won’t load correctly, they are not usually going to go through the trouble of finding it on their laptop – they will just bounce immediately.
3. Response Handling:
Whether you’re running a sole trader business, a small startup, medium enterprise or a large global company, email response handling is a factor that should always be a top priority. The amount of sophistication that you will need will depend on factors such as your business size and the number of people that you are communicating with via email; for example, if you’re a small company sending out 1,000 or so emails a month then you’ll probably need less sophistication regarding response handling as it will be easier for you to handle some of the work manually.
On the other hand, if you’re sending out a lot of emails every month, then choose a software program that allows you to handle this volume.
4. Comparing Services:
Now that you know what you are looking for when it comes to finding the ideal software for your business, it’s time to compare the different services that are available to you and determine which one is the best fit for your brand and its needs. This best email marketing comparison list from Sendinblue goes over all the best and most popular options and breaks them down into features and tools so that you can look at all your main options in one place and match up what they offer with what you need.
In addition, many email marketing software providers such as Sendinblue also offer free trial periods; it can be useful to sign up for a few that you like the look of the most, so that you can really get a feel for the software – often it’s difficult to decide whether it’s the right option for your business until you have had a chance to use it and explore it a little further.
5. Getting the Price Right:
Finally, it’s time to consider your budget – you may have a designated budget already laid out for email marketing software or it could be something that you’re going to decide once you have found the right software program. Bear in mind that the cheapest price is not always the best deal, and with email marketing being so important, investing more is likely to produce better results in the long run and help you earn a higher return on your investment.
With so many options to choose from, it’s a wise idea to consider the main factors you need from an email marketing software program before you set out to pick the best one for you.