Which email marketing tool do you need?

As emails are an effective and versatile way to generate sales, the only real question is which email marketing tool is best for you.

Any rumours you’ve heard that emails have been replaced by newer ways to communicate should be ignored. They are still a successful way to market products and services, with an eye-popping 3,600% ROI.

Disappointing results from outreach emails are often due to errors in their content, tone or timing. Or, getting tangled up in mass email obstacles created by the main carriers such as Gmail.

For successful email activities, you need a strong digital marketing strategy, a website landing page, and compelling email designs. You also need an email marketing tool that’s right for your business goals.

To help you reach the world’s 4 billion daily email users, here are the email service providers you should consider.

Klaviyo

Factory Pattern is an accredited partner for Klaviyo as it’s a powerful email marketing tool for eCommerce businesses.

Klaviyo is popular with ecommerce stores, as it’s geared around establishing a relationship with consumers. So, one of the advantages of Klaviyo is it offers the level of personalisation that modern consumers demand.

It’s great value for money – with a sliding fee for subscriber size – and beginner-friendly. You can select from ready-made email templates or create your own, integrating your database and tracking analytics/performance with ease.

However, you can only have one admin logged in. So, for multiple departments/marketing personnel you may need separate accounts.

HubSpot

HubSpot is one of the most widely used email service providers, as you would imagine from a globally famous software developer for inbound marketing, customer service and sales. Its Customer Relationship Management (CRM) arm offers an easy to use email marketing tool, with good reporting features.

HubSpot’s entry point is free to use, with lots of strong email marketing templates. Be ready to pay once you cross a relatively low database threshold though, which is why this is mainly suited to medium and large businesses.

Also, HubSpot critics point to the platform’s attempt to be ‘all things, to all people’ and you may find a more niche provider that suits your business.

MailChimp

Popular email service provider MailChimp earned its stellar position by being simple to use, with drag-and-drop email builder tools, and excellent tracking and analytical possibilities.

MailChimp provides great ways to automate email marketing, and its fees are structured according to need. Making it an excellent email option for SMEs, bloggers and creators who are happy to stick to a basic free email plan.

This email marketing provider offers recommendations based on audience behaviour, and other ways to optimise your email marketing too, plus it integrates with most website platforms.

SendinBlue

This fast-growing option for email marketing campaigns also offers software to support SMS marketing.

It’s beginner-friendly, and offers a free entry point with fees charged for larger mail-outs.

As it’s relatively new, SendinBlue is still developing the more advanced features other email service providers offer. However, it has recently upgraded its premium plan to include features like Facebook ad integration and live chat.

Meanwhile, it’s worth considering as a marketing automation tool for business owner-managers, especially if you want transactional email services.

Benchmark

Thus a lesser-known option is gaining ground, as Benchmark’s benefits as an email marketing tool include stunning visual designs and great user experience.

Fees charged for email marketing campaigns are reasonable and you have ample testing, automation and reporting capabilities. This makes Benchmark a strong contender for small businesses, agencies and consultancies who want a creative email marketing tool.

Our recommended email marketing tool

There’s a knack to email marketing, to ensure you don’t waste your time or worse still – alienate more customers than you gain.

Also, as the above reviews of email service providers show, not all platforms are the same. Some cater for SMEs, others are ideal for ecommerce while some facilitate advanced email marketing for large scale campaigns.

If we were to whittle the list to just our top two recommended email marketing tools, the finalists would be Klaviyo and Mailchimp. As an accredited partner for Klaviyo, we know the power it has for ecommerce email marketing and would ultimately recommend it to any ecommerce store.