Imagine this: One fine, cozy afternoon, you are leisurely scrolling through your phone. You receive an email from your favorite clothing store saying, “Hey valuable customer, you look amazing in that shirt from us! We are here to offer a discount of up to 50% on our new arrivals. Grab the opportunity and check them out!” Now, that’s email marketing for you.
In this digitally connected era, email marketing allows businesses to reach out to their customers by promoting the latest updates, offers, services, and more. People don’t have to physically walk into a store or get in touch with anyone to know about the business or what’s new. Customers receive personalized emails day in and day out from brands or companies they interacted with or stumbled upon. This activity of companies reaching customer inboxes is accomplished through an efficient email marketing software.
While we have an overview of what email marketing is, the next step is figuring out which software can meet all your business needs. We are here with a complete guide to help you choose the best email marketing software. All you have to do is sit back and read through.
What Is Email Marketing Software?
A brand as huge as Zara with a global customer base cannot be expected to write handwritten emails promoting new offers or festive season sales. Or, any medium to big-size business, for that matter, does not hire a separate team solely for writing promotional emails.
These businesses take advantage of well-designed service-based software. They streamline email lists and allow a single email to reach thousands of people. Those services create templates and allow highly targeted emails to be sent to the most relevant ones.
Email marketing software is no longer about a one-size-fits-all approach. Now, businesses can decide what will best help them convey a message to their customers in a more effective way, with a personalized touch.
What Is Your Goal With Email Marketing?
Before launching an email marketing campaign, it is essential to set goals. Otherwise, it’s like firing an arrow without looking at the target. The goals must be aligned with your larger business objectives. Having them fleshed out helps you execute effective email marketing campaigns.
One goal may be to keep existing customers engaged with offers and updates. Since they’ve already made a purchase, their emails are likely to be in your database. You will then need software that stores the IDs effectively and organizes them according to purpose.
If your goal is acquiring new customers, you’ll need software that can be connected to a lead form. When a visitor on your website fills in the lead form with their contact details, the software should receive them immediately. This makes it easy for you to reach out to them promptly.
No matter which email marketing software you use, it should support your goal effectively and help you make the most of your campaign.
Why Use Email Marketing Software?
Several businesses seek a solution to reach out to their customers on a personal level while keeping privacy in mind. This is where marketing geniuses came up with an answer: Email Marketing Software. It aims to optimize the marketing experience of a business via emails, letting customers know all about what’s new.
Whether it’s a promotional email about new features in an application, a special offer for a valuable customer, or an airline asking for customer feedback on a recent travel experience, email marketing software is an effective solution catering to all.
Customer journeys are greatly influenced by effective marketing. It starts from bumping into a brand ad to making the first purchase, from filling up happy customer feedback to receiving timely updates about new sales. All of this can be managed by a business through efficient and hassle-free email marketing software.
Key Features Of Best Email Marketing Software
We now know all about what and how email marketing software boosts your marketing campaign with easy and effective solutions. It is time to tell you the key features to look for in a software that is best suited to your needs.
- User-Friendly
Nobody likes complications. The software you select should be easy to understand and navigate, even without any technical knowledge at hand. It is better to spend your time creating great customized emails rather than figuring out how the software works.
For example, software with a tutorial giving you a virtual tour of the application, helps you understand the tools and options better.
- Customizable Templates
Selecting software that provides a rich library of templates, easily customizable in less time, should be on top of your checklist. The customization tools should be available on-the-go and provide a wide range of options suiting your business needs.
- Automation
In current times, automation is the key to saving time, money, and energy. Having an option to automate your email marketing campaign keeps your business in check, and your customer base informed and aware.
For example, any time a person subscribes to an online newsletter, they receive a warm welcoming email without anyone lifting a finger. An automated mail setting with the help of software was used on the website to send out emails to the subscribers.
- Segmentation
Segmentation in clear terms means a software feature to help you create tailored messages for different audiences and provide them with relevant information. You can effortlessly send targeted emails to regular and potential customers to increase engagement for both these groups.
You can decide which group requires what type of attention, simultaneously. In a single go, you can target readers with high open rates, engage new subscribers, try reeling in your inactive customers, and also, make sure your regular customers feel valued.
- Monitor, Analyze, and Report
The software should provide efficient performance analysis, help you monitor what works, and give you the option to review improvement areas. Strategies can be reformed as per the results and help you make a more informed decision.
- Drag and Drop Edit
This feature uses an inbuilt HTML email-builder tool to create professional and attractive emails, with zero coding skills. All you have to do is drag and drop your brand kit like logo, fonts, and other elements on the canvas; the software will create a variety of templates for you.
These custom templates can be easily viewed and in the same manner across devices like a phone, laptop, or tablet.
- Email List Management
You cannot initiate an email marketing campaign without having anyone to send the emails to. An efficient email marketing software lets you manage the list of subscribers without having to manually add them from any platform. You also can import or export the subscriber list for anytime-anywhere access.
- Cross-platform Compatibility
If software cannot let you integrate information from different platforms such as CRM or a social media app, you’ll face challenges keeping a check on every bit of information from everywhere.
A smooth flow of information relevant to targeted audiences on a plethora of platforms using one single software is the ultimate goal.
- Efficient Customer Support
Any application or software can face glitches at some point, and you do not want to be stuck thinking about what and how to fix the issue. For any technical and non-technical issues, there are usually several customer support options available.
Based on the software you select, you can reach out to their support service either through knowledge-based options like video tutorials, or opt for a more personal approach such as through email, live chat, and call support.
- A/B Testing
The word “testing” sure sounds technical, but we promise it is not that complicated. Imagine you’re trying to perfect a recipe. You cook two different versions of the same dish and either use a different ingredient in each or alter the proportions. You then get people to taste them to find out which is better. The same principle applies to A/B testing.
Two variants of a tool or program are produced with a single variable altered. They are then used by people to get a proper feel of the features. The version that is more effective from their experience is the one that is selected. Additional tweaks may be made as per the requirement.
A/B testing allows you to identify which approach works best for which audience and makes it easier to understand improvement areas.
Factors To Consider While Choosing The Right Email Marketing Software
Several factors should be considered to choose the correct email marketing software based on your strategies and business ideas. We’ve listed down a few factors to keep in mind when you are ready to select the perfect software.
Cost
It is essential to keep your budget in check when browsing through software options. Good marketing software costs around $10-1000. You do not want to spend a lot on a feature irrelevant to your business strategy. There are certain software which appear costly. However, the features and return on investment (ROI) justify the cost.
User Reviews & Testimonials
The first thing anyone does while contemplating their options is read user reviews and try to find out experiences, both positive and negative. Any form of review or testimonial can be a key factor in making an informed decision.
Demo & Trials
Who does not like a free trial before deciding to spend a fortune? Look for software that works the best for your business needs and on top of that, provides a free trial period. You can check the features, accessibility, and experience the software provides.
Scope of Personalization
Personalized emails are far more effective than generic ones. The software you select should help you store data on customer preferences and locations so you can tailor your emails accordingly. Even if an email is broadcast to an entire database, there is scope to personalize, especially in terms of content and design. The software you choose should facilitate this.
Level of Automation
A key purpose of email marketing software is to save time. The level of automation is therefore an important factor. The software should be capable of performing multiple tasks simultaneously and instantly. One person sending a thousand emails can take hours, but when automated through software, they can be sent in minutes. All a person needs to do is enter their email list and write the email they need. It is then delivered to thousands of people without you wasting any additional time or effort.
Summing Up
Email marketing is key to any digital marketing strategy. Marketing campaigns are incomplete without the software that facilitates it. Nobody has the time to type out thousands of emails in bulk each day. Email marketing software takes on this job, ensuring it is done swiftly. They have been a godsend to marketers, enabling them to reach thousands of people. Ideally, it should be user-friendly and cost-effective, justifying your budget for it. There should be room for personalization and the ability to store information in a systematic manner. If it meets these requirements, it can be a powerful asset for your marketing efforts.
FAQs
Is email marketing important & effective?
Email marketing is considered to be one of the most effective ways of marketing which is cost-friendly, provides personalization, and builds better relationships with both current and potential customers.
Which is the best email marketing software?
A few in-demand email marketing software are Mailchimp, Drip, Brevo, Constant Contact, and Infusionsoft by Keap. They are cost-friendly, with an easy user interface, and also great for lead generation.
Which is better: Email Marketing or Social Media Marketing?
Email marketing and social media marketing have their own benefits and factors to be taken into consideration based on your business needs and customer base. For targeted personalization, and enhanced customer relations, email marketing is better. For wider reach and higher lead generation, consider social media marketing.
