Shawley Marketing - How to Choose the Right Email Software

Email is having a moment. As a result, there are tons of different email service providers you can use. If you’re thinking about starting a new email marketing initiative or launching a newsletter, here’s exactly what you should look for.

Key Features Any Email Service Provider Should Offer

Before investing in any email service provider, make sure their plans include the following:

Contact segmentation (creating multiple lists)
Email template customization
A/B testing
Scheduled sending
Metrics and reports

Having access to these tools from the very beginning will help you optimize your campaigns and increase the speed at which your subscriber list grows.

Compare Email Marketing Software Plans

Many email marketing software companies offer free plans that limit:

The number of subscribers you can have
The number of emails you can send per day
Testing and reporting features

Luckily, you can find full-fledged email marketing plans for less than $10 per month. Here are just a few popular services that make it easy for email newbies to get started:

MailerLite

MailerLite is a user-friendly email marketing platform that’s great for new businesses or creators operating on a small budget. They have one of the best free tiers around, allowing users access to GDPR-compliant signup forms, A/B testing, segments, and mobile-friendly newsletter templates for a whopping zero dollars a month.

The free plan does limit subscriber lists to 1,000 addresses and slaps a MailerLite logo at the bottom of every email. If you need more subscribers or want to get rid of the branding, plans start at $10 per month.

ActiveCampaign

We particularly love ActiveCampaign because it’s jam-packed with features and is still affordable at only $9 per month for lists of up to 500 subscribers.

Every ActiveCampaign plan includes access for at least three users and supports automation. These features make ActiveCampaign an excellent choice for any business owner working with an email marketing consultant, delegating tasks to an assistant, or interested in using workflows to free up time.

Mailchimp

If you’ve read any articles about email marketing, you’ve probably found Mailchimp mentioned a time or two. They’re a longtime player in the email marketing software game.

Mailchimp’s free plan is pretty basic and limits contact lists to one group of 2,000 people. If you want to segment, test, and set up workflows, you’ll need to upgrade.

Paid plans start at $9 per month, which is competitive — but we find that you can get more bang for your buck with either MailerLite or ActiveCampaign.

Sendinblue

Sendinblue is an interesting alternative to the other platforms on this list — it supports SMS text messaging in addition to website chats and emails. Free plans include email templates, workflows, segmentation, unlimited contacts, workflows, website chats, and a basic CMS. Text messaging can be added to any plan, starting at 100 messages for one euro (yup, a euro).

Sendinblue’s free plan caps at 300 emails per day, so if you’d like to send more messages, run A/B tests, or get detailed stats, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan that starts at $25 per month.

Still Confused About the Right Email Service Provider?

When you’re first getting started with email marketing, it can feel like a lot of trial and error, especially if you aren’t familiar with interpreting the reports!

Shawley marketing can help you build a solid email strategy that serves as the foundation for future growth — and even send out weekly newsletters for you.