Want a way to get a 4,200% return on investment for the marketing for your business? If so, you need to start building your email list and communicating with your subscribers and community. If you’re wondering how to get started, luckily there is software that can make it easier.
Email marketing software can make it easy to get started with email marketing. Let’s take a look at what you need to look for so you can choose the best email marketing platform for you.
Why Use Email Marketing Software?
Email marketing allows you to engage with your customers and build community on a one-to-one level. It’s also an effective way to build loyalty and bring customers back again and again while also creating strong connections with first-timers.
Email marketing allows you to share updates, new content, and anything else you want. It also has good conversion rates because chances are, the people on your email list are at least somewhat interested in what you are saying.
To do these things, at its most basic form, an email marketing platform needs to do two things. It needs to allow you to build and manage an email list of your subscribers, and it needs to manage and send email marketing campaigns.
Nowadays, there are plenty of platforms that offer these services plus many more. Most of them are cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) tools that make it much easier to reach your customers through email marketing.
What to Look For in Email Marketing Software
Whichever platform you choose should have an easy-to-use user interface. You don’t want to spend a ton of time learning to use all of the features your platform offers. However, if you have a marketing agency to assist you, you can choose a slightly more complicated platform.
Being able to segment your audience allows you to send emails that are specifically tailored to that section of your audience. This lets them get emails that they are the most interested in based on their demographics, behavior, location, or other factors.
Segmenting and tags can even help you set up triggers and funnels based on what the person does or how they sign up. This can make it possible to send welcome emails to one group and re-engagement emails to another.
Automation is a key feature of a good email marketing software platform, so you want to make sure your platform allows you to automate the elements you want. You should at minimum be able to schedule emails to send at a certain time.
However, other platforms may let you adjust for time zones or the optimal time to get a higher open rate. You can even set up funnels for abandoned carts or other triggers that can lead to increased engagement.
Personalization can allow you to personalize subject lines and copy, such as adding names. This makes the reader feel more connected.
Finally, having access to reports and analytics is key to success in email marketing. You want to be able to track how well your campaigns are meeting your goals. This will allow you to adjust as needed.
Additional Features
Some email marketing platforms also offer features that aren’t required but can be very helpful depending on your needs. For instance, SMS marketing can be a great way to further engage potential customers in a cohesive communications strategy.
Some platforms also offer A/B and split testing. This allows you to test specific elements in your email to see which get the best results. For example, you can see which subject lines or formats lead to the highest open or click rates. This can drastically improve your ROI.
Your platform may offer email marketing templates, which can make it easier to design eye-catching emails and help you maintain a consistent look for your brand.
Many platforms offer templates that are specifically geared towards a certain marketing goal, such as sales or informative purposes.
Many platforms also offer landing page builders. This can be a great option since it is much cheaper and easier to use than utilizing a third-party landing page tool.
Finally, a built-in CRM can be a great way to share the information needed for both sales and marketing. You can capture and store helpful information to create personalized content for your customers.
Price and Capacity
Price is a factor for many brands when choosing an email marketing platform. There are platforms that are very low cost and even ones that are free. One of these may be a good idea if you are just starting out or working on a budget.
If you are interested in some of the more robust features that certain platforms offer, such as CRMs and split testing, you may need to add the platform to your budget. Just remember that the ROI on email marketing is well worth the price.
It is also important to pay attention to the subscriber capacity offered by platforms when you are choosing them. Some may be free until you reach a certain threshold of subscribers. Others may only charge based on the features offered.
You should pay attention to how the number of subscribers on your list affects the price you pay. You may be able to get more premium features compared to the cost you pay if your platform price is based on subscriber counts.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Email Marketing
If you want to get the most out of your email marketing efforts, it’s important that you create goals and a plan for how to reach those goals. This will allow you to do the steps that will actually get results.
If you are focused on engagement, you will need to send different types of communication than if you want to increase your sales. You can look at email marketing examples of other brands to get ideas of what is successful.
A marketing agency that offers digital marketing or email marketing services can be a worthwhile investment. They can help determine what the best approach to your email marketing plan will be and how to execute it.
Choose the Best Email Marketing Software for You
Email marketing can help you reach more customers and build loyalty to your brand. But you need to choose a good email marketing software platform that meets your needs. Compare your options with the features you need to find the perfect platform for you.
Contact the TFG Media Company today to get your digital marketing needs fulfilled.
