If you run a small business, I’m sure you want to do email marketing for small businesses as it’s cost-effective and helps you target customers that help you grow. It enables you to build great relationships and turn your discoverers into loyal customers.
But with so many email platforms available out there, choosing the right one can be confusing and overwhelming. But, don't worry, this blog will help you find the perfect fit for your small business needs.
What to Consider When Choosing an Email Platform
Before you choose any email marketing platform for your small business growth, consider following -
- Look for the free plans, and then the paid plans and the features and limits provided with it.
- Get to know how easy the user interface is, especially for a non-technical user.
- Find out the features - email templates, automation tools and analytics.
- See the limit of number of subscribers or contact you can have.
- Explore if the platform works well with the existing CRM, website and any other tool.
Top Email Platforms for Small Businesses
Here's the details of some of the leading email platforms- their strengths and who they might be best for:
Mailchimp
Mailchimp has a user friendly interface and a drag and drop email builder which makes it easy to use even for a non-technical user. The free plan lets you have upto 2000 subscribers and the paid feature includes automation tools.
Small business that are just starting with an email marketing strategy and looking to scale up their business with an easy to use platform can make use of it and benefit from its free plan.
Constant Contact
Constant Contact prioritises customer support and helps the users on every step. It has an easy to use email builder and even management tools. Additionally, it focuses on educating and providing resources to small businesses to help them grow.
Small business that needs help with customer support and want to get access to the educational resources can use the platform and make it easy for them to set up their email marketing campaign.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Brevo has a free plan which offers having unlimited contact but it’s limited to this only. Meanwhile, the paid feature includes automation tools as well as sms marketing. It has affordable pricing.
If you’ve a small budget but want to grow as a small business ans have unlimited contacts even with the free plan, it’s best for you. Additionally, you get access to sms marketing as well.
MailerLite
MailerLite has very affordable paid plans. It has a user-friendly interface and drag and drop email builder. Its best if you’re aiming for selling subscriptions through emails.
Small businesses with a low budget looking for a user-friendly platform and want to have a feature for selling subscriptions can consider using MailerLite.
HubSpot Email Marketing
Hubspot offers having 2000 contacts for the free plan. The paid plan includes CRM integration, analytics and automation tools. If you’re a small business looking for all of he above - you’re choosing the right email marketing platform for your small business.
Additional Options
Some more marketing platforms to help you scale your email marketing ideas for small business are -
- Campaign Monitor: Powerful features for experienced users, good for large email lists with paid plans.
- ActiveCampaign: Advanced automation features, good for complex email marketing campaigns in paid plans.
- GetResponse: All-in-one marketing platform with email marketing, landing pages, and webinars in paid plans.
Choosing the Right Platform
One thing to always consider - there’s no perfect best platform; everything depends on what your needs and budget are. Still, while choosing an small business email marketing, look out for the following factors -
- Free vs. Paid: Free plans are great for starting out with email marketing, but paid plans offer more features and higher sending limits which helps in future.
- Features you Need: Prioritize features like email templates, automation tools, and analytics based on your goals which lets you track your progress as well as grow.
- Ease of Use: If you're not a technical person, then, a user-friendly interface is a must for you.
- Subscriber List Size: Choose a platform offers to handle your current and the future planned list size.
- Integrations: Make sure that it integrates with the existing business tools for a smooth workflow and no struggles in future
Lastly, most of the platforms offer free trials these days, so take advantage of them! Craft some test emails, get to know the features, and see if it feels user-friendly for you.
Always remember,the best email platform is the one that helps and supports you to achieve your email marketing small business goals. By prioritizing your needs and trying out all the different options, you can find the perfect fit to help your small business grow.