Email marketing is essential for growing a business. But the wrong software can leave your emails undelivered, get you blacklisted and waste hours of your day. It doesn’t help that there isn’t a lot of impartial advice out there on how to choose an email marketing solution. Read our handy guide and find out what to look out for before you make your choice.

When it comes to email marketing, there are a number of different options to choose from. A lot of businesses get overwhelmed when trying to pick the right solution. In this article, we’ll discuss the top three email marketing software solutions that are out there and how they stack up against each other.

Choosing the wrong email marketing software can hurt your business. No one wants to pay over the odds or be fobbed off with a substandard service. And, in this day and age, we all know that ROI matters.

That’s why it is so important to choose the right email marketing software for you. Whether you are launching your very first email campaign or looking to switch from another provider, it pays to get it right the first time…

Follow our expert guide to choosing the right email marketing software for your business. It doesn’t matter if you have never sent an email before or are just looking to switch providers – our guide sets out how to choose the right system you’ll be proud of.

• Understand your needs 

Before choosing an email marketing software it helps to understand your needs. Are you looking for a way to reduce spam and save time? Or are you looking for an opportunity to engage new subscribers and build a relationship? Before you choose an email marketing service, get a breakdown of each service so you can find which one best matches your needs. For example, if you wanted a promotional email that told people about a special event in their town but didn’t ask for any personal information such as names, addresses or phone numbers, then a solution that offers the basics can get you over the line. On the other hand, when you want a more personalized email campaign, opt for a solution that can do that.

• Find out what kind of features are included

The best email marketing software is the one that provides you with a variety of features that help you grow your business and address your consumer’s concerns. Considering the ever-increasing demand for marketing solutions, knowing what is included in an email marketing software can make all the difference in reaching your prospects efficiently.

Consider the following:

Personalization– A lot of software out there does a fantastic job at sending out emails but some don’t provide the type of personalization or meaningful interaction which can help bring qualified leads into a campaign. The best email marketing software helps you personalize your emails and connects with your audience on a personalized basis, while also allowing you to personalize the look of the emails that you send. Campaigns that send out mass emails and don’t provide any form of inbound interaction will probably fail. The solution you choose should be able to do this well.

Email Verification – You can’t build a successful email list if you don’t verify your email address. The first step is ensuring you have a feature that can help you verify you have a valid email address. The last thing you want is a list full of fake email addresses or users with intent to abuse your freemium services. Sending emails to people who don’t exist ruins your deliverability. Not only would this make you lose money but it would greatly hurt your chance for a successful email marketing campaign. This means that you should be looking for providers that have a feature that helps you verify email addresses of users on sign-up, block users using temporary disposable email addresses, etc.

Easy-to-use templates – An email marketing software should have what you need at the click of a button. Easy templates that are easy to understand will help you get started. Examples are pre-written emails and autoresponders.

Opt for automation – Email marketing software should provide features that allow for automation of the repetitive tasks associated with email marketing. This is one of the main reasons why email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to advertise a product or service. Suppose you sell products online for a living. You spend six hours a week on content creation, another six hours on social media marketing and three hours on email marketing. If you were to automate every step involved in creating and maintaining your online presence, your expenses would drop significantly. You would have more time to focus on providing value to your clients. Your customer relationships would improve because you could directly engage them rather than sending useless mass emails, and they would feel more secure knowing that anything they sent you was going directly to someone who would act on it rather than chance

Tracking and monitoring tools– The best email marketing software has the ability to monitor your marketing activities to identify prospects who could become active participants in your brand.

Email segmentation – Your email marketing solution should not only be able to deliver your desired emails but should also be able to distinguish between the many potential prospects you have and find the right ones for you based on their needs and preferences.

• Scale down your options based on their reputation in the industry

After you’ve made up your mind on what you need email marketing software for, you’ll still be faced with various options that can meet your needs. 

Now, you need to sift the chaff from the substance. How? Look for an email marketing software package that has gained some level of popularity.

Popularity means there are many users who have used it and liked it. In addition to the institution of a trial period, there should be some sort of engagement requirement – for example, the vendor should be active in sending out at least one newsletter or blog post per month. 

You can try searching the web for reviews. A lot of email marketing software companies will be listed on the web forums for relevant industries. This is also a good place to look if you want to get a second opinion on an existing product. Ensure you read customer reviews and feedback regarding the solution – this would give you an insight into how they performed in meeting various customers’ needs. Also lookout for how they respond to negative feedback or customer complaints. The best email marketing software providers respond swiftly and thoughtfully to address their clients which is a good sign.

At the end of the day you should have a select list of providers with glowing reviews especially as it relates to your needs. 

• Look for software that’s easy to use

When it comes to email marketing, simplicity rules – it doesn’t matter which type of marketing software you choose, if it takes too much time to set up  then it is not right for you. Email marketing can be a tricky thing to get right. You want an easy-to-use platform that will save you time and money without costing you profit. Most marketing software programs come with free trial versions that allow you to test out the basics before you commit to a full version. The ideal email marketing software should deliver target lists in an organized fashion, be easy to learn and use.

• Evaluate Integrations

You want to make sure your email marketing software integrates with other popular marketing tools out there today. When choosing an email marketing software, start by discovering if the company offers any integrations with other services or tools you use regularly. If so, these should be welcomed additions. The more seamless your integrations are, the better your overall experience will be.

• What is the robustness of customer support?

The first step to making sure your new email marketing software works is to make sure you can get your questions answered. You can determine the level of support you are likely to receive by initiating conversations with the email marketing platform and assess their level of response and commitment in meeting your needs. Whether you’re choosing from an established company or a start-up, it’s important to begin having these conversations early on in your marketing journey. 

• Consider the cost 

Finally, an important factor to consider when choosing an email marketing service is the cost. Is the service affordable? Do you really need this? Will it save you time? Are you putting an excessive amount of hours into this service? This is a consideration you should make before diving in. You should compare prices and features before deciding what provider to use. Also see how the option compares against other products available for free or cheap. Lastly, also consider the money you will save over the life of the subscription.