Email marketing is an efficient way to hold on to your customers and prospects, but it's not always the easiest to get started. That's where email marketing software comes in.
With several features that may assist you in developing strong customer relationships, it allows you to design emails, send personalized campaigns, automate email sending and track real-time analytics.
However, there are many different kinds of software, and it can be challenging to decide which one works best for you. Here are some of the vital email marketing software features you should consider before making a decision.
Why Is Email Marketing Software Important?
If you're curious about how email marketing software can help your business, we have some great information to share.
Email marketing software can benefit your business as it:
Supports your email marketing strategy
In this day and age of the internet and social media, it is no longer enough to have a product or service to offer. You need to advertise and promote yourself in new and exciting ways to grab people's attention and interest. Email marketing is the best way to do that.
An email marketing software can support your holistic email marketing strategy by creating exciting campaigns that build buzz around your products or services.
Boosts your sales efforts
Another way you can use email marketing software is by leveraging it for your sales efforts.
You can send out regular emails with discounts or special offers, as well as ones that list the benefits of your products or services. This enables you to entice customers into buying from you instead of from competitors who are also using email marketing software for their own sales efforts.
Creates a loyal customer base
By using an email marketing software, you can build a loyal customer base through repeated contact with them. If you send them regular emails with helpful content or news about your company, they will look forward to receiving these emails from you in the future.
Outperforms manual efforts
Lastly, email marketing software is a potent tool. There's no way you could do everything it can do on your own. Could you manually send targeted emails to your global customers at the time when they’re ready to convert?
Email marketing software is not only easy to manage, but it is also less time-consuming and more cost-effective.
12 Email Marketing Software Features to Look Out For
There are many email marketing softwares in the market, and each one of them claims to be the best. What happens when there is too much choice? You get confused!
To help you choose the best email marketing software, we have explained the 12 vital features you shouldn’t miss out on. Get ready to take notes.
1. Email list management
You can’t launch an email campaign if you don’t have anyone to send emails to.
The email marketing software you select must let you store and manage your list of subscribers. Ideally, it should enable you to import data from your CRM, so you don’t waste time manually adding subscribers. It must also maintain good email list hygiene and carry out checks to ensure the validity of emails.
2. Segmentation
Segmentation is an integral part of any email marketing strategy. Why?
It ensures that the correct individuals receive the right messages at the right time. This way, subscribers will feel more connected to you and find it easier to get the information they need from you and your brand.
One of the key features of any good email marketing software is the ability to segregate your contacts into groups or segments. For instance, a business that sells clothing can create different customer groups such as "women's clothing," "men's clothing," "kid's clothing," etc.
Bonus tip - look for softwares that offer you advanced, premade segments like purchase behavior, engagement levels, and interests.
3. Drag and drop editor
Gone are the days when you needed a team of designers and developers to create emails. You should look for an email marketing software that offers a no-code drag and drop email builder, similar to what Unlayer has.
With such an email builder, you can create emails in a jiff by simply dragging and dropping elements instead of writing code for them.
4. Template library
Advanced email marketing tools offer exclusive templates to make your campaigns more effective. You're greatly missing out if you’re not using predesigned email templates to design emails. 76% of brands use HTML email templates to design effective, on-brand emails.
Look for a software that offers an extensive library of email templates. Brownie points if they feature a mobile-friendly design and can be easily customized.
5. Personalization
Personalization is one of the most convincing ways to leverage the power of email marketing. By tailoring your emails to individual recipients, you can establish your brand and message in a way that makes it resonate with your customers.
It is possible to send email campaigns as if they were coming directly from yourself by using email marketing software. It makes the process of writing emails significantly more accessible and faster while also enabling you to stay up-to-date on who's reading your messages.
2 personalization features that you should be looking for are merge tags and dynamic content. These features let you offer personalized experiences while reducing the effort required.
6. Automation/journey builder
An email marketing software is a machine, after all. And machines can do things faster than humans.
With a sophisticated software in place, you can create emails beforehand and automate their sending so that emails reach your subscribers at an ideal time.
Advanced softwares offer a journey builder where you can create if and when scenarios against which emails are sent to the right set of people. For instance, if you sent a welcome email to a subscriber and they haven’t opened it in 3 days, another email featuring a limited-time discount will be sent to them.
7. Good deliverability rate
One reason why you might be interested in an email marketing software is to benefit from its sending in bulk feature. But if their track record of sending emails isn’t up to the mark, you wouldn’t have anything to gain.
One email marketing software feature you shouldn’t compromise on is a good deliverability rate. The latter ensures your emails appear in your subscribers’ inbox, not spam folder. Look for a software that offers a 90% plus email deliverability rate.
8. Reporting and analytics
Do you want to know which emails work best and which don't? Do you want to compare the effectiveness of different campaigns over time? If so, email marketing software is the way to go.
Use email marketing platforms to track your results to get analytical reports on your campaigns: click-through rates, unsubscription rates, revenue per email - you name it.
You can also use the software's tracking ability to see which subject lines, recipients, times of day, or other factors are most effective in reaching your target audience and use this information for future campaigns.
9. Integration
It's a well-known fact that integrating your email program with other business applications is the secret to creating a personalized, integrated experience for your customers.
It helps you sync data between Shopify, Woocommerce, WordPress, or Magento from your email marketing software. This will help you create a seamless, personalized experience for your customers that will help increase your campaign success.
Integrating your software with a CRM system will help improve customer engagement. CRM integration can also help ensure you're not missing out on any vital information about leads and accounts. If you are generating email leads from your website, you can try out CRM and Google Analytics integration for deeper insights into who your email audience is.
10. Support
The top email service providers offer several resources to help their customers.
They include phone calls, emails, social media support, live chat, and a resource center with blogs that provide information on optimizing your campaigns and videos with instructions on how to utilize their products better.
This information can reduce your time without asking for customer support for even simple doubts.
11. Scalable pricing
Spending $500 a month for unlimited subscribers doesn't make sense when your subscribers are only 1,000. Hence, you should look for an email marketing tool that grows with you. Search for software with scalable pricing and multiple packages so you can pick and choose as per your requirements.
12. White-labeled
It is crucial that your desired software is white-labeled. It doesn’t look nice when you send an email to your future customers only for it to be bombarded with the branding of another company. It looks unprofessional and awkward if you ask us.
Always go for a white-labeled email marketing tool, period.
5 Best Email Marketing Softwares to Consider
We wanted to make decision-making easier for you, which is why we’ve handpicked the best email marketing solutions for you to consider. The 5 softwares below have proven to be beneficial for the companies using them.
Unlayer
With a user-friendly drag and drop editor and 1,000+ HTML email templates, Unlayer is your one-stop shop for designing beautiful emails. With advanced personalization features like merge tags and the ability to integrate with different ESPs, you don’t need to look anywhere else.
Pricing: Free ($0/m), Designer ($20/m), and Team ($40/m).
TargetBay
TargetBay should be your top choice if you’re a small and growing business. With TargetBay, you pay only for active subscribers and not your total subscribers. You can also design emails effortlessly, segment your list, automate your emails, and track campaign performance, among other features.
Pricing: Your monthly package depends upon your number of subscribers, and if they’re less than 250, you can use TargetBay for free.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is a seasoned player in this industry. With this software, you benefit from readymade templates, premade automation, and advanced analytics. Mailchimp has a deliverability rate of between 96-99%, so you can be certain that your emails land in your subscribers' inboxes.
Pricing: Free ($0/m), Essentials ($11/m), Standard ($17/m), and Premium ($299/m).
HubSpot
One Mailchimp alternative that is equally popular is HubSpot.
A complete email marketing solution, HubSpot comes integrated with their CRM, so you benefit from real-time customer data. Its stellar feature is that of smart rule whereby you can automatically create multiple versions of the same email to offer personalized experiences.
Pricing: Starter ($50/m), Professional ($890/m), and Enterprise ($3,200/m).
Campaign Monitor
With Campaign Monitor, you get control of each stage of the email marketing process. From designing emails to automating their sending to tracking their performance, you get it all. With a customer satisfaction of 99%, you’re in good hands.
Pricing: Basic ($9/m), Unlimited ($29/m), and Premier ($149/m).
The Bottom Line
Overall, business owners can use email marketing software to make their campaigns more streamlined and convenient.
Always go for the best email marketing software that fits your business and needs. Don't choose a software abruptly, and remember these 12 essential email marketing software features before swiping your credit card on any software.
