Email marketing is one of the best ways to engage your audience and keep them interested in the content you produce. It’s a no-brainer for most websites – that is if they have the budget for it.
Luckily for you, there are plenty of email marketing tools that can accommodate websites of any size and still provide excellent service. A solid platform will enable you to boost engagement and optimize your sales funnel, so it's definitely worth the expense.
In this article, we'll introduce you to five incredible email marketing tools. We’ll check out their features and prices, and identify which users they are most suitable for. Let's jump in and find the right one for you!
1. MailChimp
MailChimp is one of the most popular names in email marketing, and not without good reason. It offers a robust free tier that puts plenty of other options to shame, and rounds it off with a great set of features for power-users.
Key Features:
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Provides an all-in-one email marketing solution.
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Comes with a wide variety of design templates to get your campaigns started.
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Enables its users to automate their campaigns.
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Includes advanced analytics reports.
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Integrates with several third party services, including Google Analytics (only for premium plans).
Pricing:
MailChimp offers a free tier, with premium plans starting at $10 per month.
Recommended For:
We would recommend this tool to any user looking for a high level of polish and a robust set of features. MailChimp's free plan supports up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month, making it a reliable option if you’re just starting out. It is worth noting, however, that some advanced features – like integration with Google Analytics – are only available on paid plans.
2. AWeber
Like most email marketing tools, AWeber enables you to create and manage email campaigns from top to bottom. You can customize every step of the process, from signups to follow-up emails. This particular tool shines when it comes to its template collection, which is one of the most extensive we've seen thus far (more on this in a minute).
Key Features:
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Enables users to create and configure email marketing campaigns from top to bottom.
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Includes seven day premium support via live chat, phone, and email.
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Offers the option to monitor analytics through the web or using mobile apps (available for Android and iOS).
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Integrates with dozens of third-party platforms, including WordPress.
Price:
AWeber offers a 30-day free trial, and premium plans start at $19 per month.
Recommended For:
AWeber is king when it comes to the sheer number of templates available for email campaigns. Combine these with its drag-and-drop builder (a common feature among email marketing tools), and you’ve got a great pick for users that want to get campaigns up and running with minimal fuss.
3. Sendy
Sendy is the odd duck amidst this list of email marketing tools. As far as features go, it can play in the big leagues, but the real surprise is how much it manages to do for an (almost) free tool. Sendy works on top of the Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) platform, which enables it to deliver massive campaigns for a fraction of what other services charge.
Key Features:
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Offers a full-featured email marketing tool on a shoestring budget.
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Works on top of Amazon SES.
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Enables users to manage multiple brands or groups from a single platform.
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Works well with several others, including WordPress, Magento eCommerce, Joomla, and even Zapier.
Price:
Sendy starts at $1 for every 10,000 emails. That is not a typo.
Recommended For:
The ideal Sendy user is both tech-oriented and budget-conscious. This tool offers unbeatable prices, thanks to its integration with Amazon SES, but it also requires a bit of tinkering to set up. However, once it's ready, Sendy is just as full-featured as many of its competitors, albeit decidedly less flashy.
4. Drip
On top of being a reliable email marketing tool, Drip stands out thanks to its extensive automation functions. It's a platform built with optimization in mind – for both conversions and workflow. This is definitely a tool to watch out for, despite its high price tag.
Key Features:
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Offers top-notch campaign automation functions.
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Enables users to track which recipients are most likely to turn into paid customers.
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Boasts a wide range of integrations, ranging from PayPal to WooCommerce.
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Includes several campaign blueprints, built with performance in mind.
Price:
Drip offers a free plan capped at 100 subscribers, and premium plans start at $41 per month.
Recommended For:
This platform is the most expensive out of the five we've covered so far, so it'd be fair to ask, What makes it so special? Taken at face value, Drip offers all the same email marketing tools that other services do, with one cherry on top – its automation features. Drip features a best-in-class visual workflow builder that enables users to automate complex campaigns intuitively. If you want to take a hands-off approach to email marketing, this is the tool for you.
Conclusion
Email marketing is one of the best tools you can use to drive user engagement. In this day and age, there's no reason to avoid it, especially considering the variety of tools available. Once you find the right one and send your first campaign, you'll start reaping the benefits.
If you’re not sure where to start looking for a budget-friendly email marketing tool, check out any of the five choices we recommended earlier:
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MailChimp: A great all-around tool for small websites.
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AWeber: It comes with a massive number of templates, which makes it ideal for those in a hurry to get their campaigns up and running.
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Sendy: The best tool when it comes to budget email marketing, bar none.
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Drip: This platform includes best-in-class automation features perfect for those that value productivity.
Of course there are also plenty of additional email marketing tools and list building solutions and budget-friendly email marketing tools that can help you along the way!
Image credit: Pixabay.
