Are your email marketing tools working?
Online marketing, and being able to get a target audience engaged and interested in your business (products or service) starts with making meaningful connections.
While this can be achieved on social media or through blogging, there is a very big plus in using e-newsletters, emails and broadcasts (all a form of an email marketing tool) to reach people and to capture their interest.
There are so many email marketing tool options and killer features out there… so what should you consider before signing on with an online email marketing tool? It does depend on your list size, your needs and goals – but here are 4 things to look for in an effective email system.
- User Friendly – some systems are designed to be very simple and easy to use, even if you are a novice at designing professional looking emails or e-newsletters. Look for programs that are WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) and that don’t require the use of HTML code. Some have amazing templates you can use or even customize to match your branding and more!
- Images and Videos – if adding larger images to e-zines, or adding embedded videos, RSS feeds or broadcasts it is a good idea to check into the email systems restrictions on the actual amount of hosting they offer for their basic price, and then also compare with other programs or hosting services to find the best value. There are a few companies offering unlimited hosting, which can be more economical for emails containing a lot of visual images.
- Analytics – while no one likes to do the boring job of tracking and recording the effectiveness of a marketing campaign, the use of analytics by an email service makes the task as easy as clicking on a report icon. With built-in analytics you can learn about your customer’s habits, what they click on within your emails and newsletters, and even what time of day they are most likely to look at what you send.
- Cost – there is a range of different costs for an email hosting service, and to a large extent you will get what you pay for. However, there are some very good options in email systems that offer basic packages at affordable rates and with lots of features, which is a good starting point for any business.
Also, keep in mind the scalability of the service. You want to be sure to choose an email marketing tool that will expand and grow with the business, giving you the freedom to get as creative as you want. Some provide opt in forms, landing pages, crm’s and more. Here is a list of some software companies and my personal opinion on them.
Get Response: Great for starting out, reasonable price, easy to use. They have good templates for newsletters etc and it includes opt in form, campaigns and auto responders. Landing pages are extra – but they are NOT mobile friendly – yuk.
Constant Contact: I feel it’s not worth the price personally. It does have opt in forms, and the templates for newsletters are easy to use. But it feels a bit antiquated.
Zoho: Extremely cumbersome in my opinion. It does have a lot of cool features and robust CRM. But even for someone that picks up systems easily – it was a bit on the painful side. Wouldn’t use again or recommend. Again – my view – some may love it.
1 Shopping Cart: So this has the e-commerce with it for selling products/services online. I find it easy to use, easy to learn and has many of the features an online marketer would want for a decent price.
Infusionsoft: I started hating it – now I actually love it. Amazing CRM, Sales Automation, e-commerce, reporting, tagging. Yes it’s more pricey but it’s more robust allowing you to really market in an automated way based on behavior and pull leads through a proper sales funnel.
When it comes to an email marketing tool, there are a number of others – Clickfunnels, Active Campaign, AWeber and so on. Again – some have different features, pricing, interface, levels of user friendly for non techies. Buy the email marketing tool that’s right for you, your team, budget but also for what you want to GROW into, vs what you need right now. Switching can be painful – been there – done that 🙂
Call us for a free consultation to help you find the Email Marketing Tool that is right for you. We can help take TONS of time off your plate and eliminate all that research! Call us at 484-284-0933 or email info@ssonlinesupport.com
