Top 5 Email Marketing Tools To Reach Out To Customers

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Email marketing is among the most powerful of marketing techniques. It offers a way for businesses to reach out to past customers as well as targeted prospects on a regular basis without being intrusive. Of course, this marketing channel is also prone to abuse and the success of a campaign greatly depends on newsletter marketing tools available with a user as well as the deliverability over a product. In this article, we will take a look at the top email marketing tools available in the market today and why they deserve to be on top.

1. GetResponse
Website: http://www.getresponse.com/

With over 15 years in the industry, GetResponse deserves to be in the list simply due to the sheer credibility that it has built. However, there are a couple of reasons why I consider this to be on top. Firstly, the email creator platform is top notch and among the best in the industry. The simple drag-and-drop interface comes with sophisticated image editor tools and beautiful templates to choose from which gives it an edge over a few others in this list. It is also pretty affordable for a bootstrapped startup and comes integrated with payment providers and ecommerce solutions which makes integration of email marketing with the rest of your business processes a breeze. Plans start at $15/month.

2. Constant Contact
Website: http://www.constantcontact.com/

Much like GetResponse, Constant Contact too provides users with the ability to send unlimited emails and free trials. This tool however does not have a functional autoresponder which is a big minus in my opinion. That, combined with the starting price of $20/month makes Constant Contact much less value for money. Where the product scores however is in the no-questions-asked free trial for 60 days which gives you ample time to launch your marketing campaign and even make sales before you would need to put money into your email marketing strategy.

3. MailChimp
Website: http://www.verticalresponse.com/

MailChimp is among the more affordable services for startup businesses since it has a free tier that can hold up to 2000 subscribers. The trouble however is that the number of emails per month is limited here (you cannot send more than 6 newsletters to the 2000 subscribers). So while MailChimp has a good free tier to test the waters, you will still need to pay for serious email marketing efforts. In terms of features, the product does have an easy to use email builder and reporting tools. The only drawback is that the costs can easily add up easily and quickly and so you will have to keep an eye on the costs at all times. MailChimp like GetResponse has a working autoresponder which makes it a better bet than Constant Contact.

4. Aweber
Website: http://www.aweber.com/

Aweber is among the oldest email marketing tools available in the market. The one drawback I have always pointed out with Aweber is its rather outdated interface. However, the product continues to be among the leaders on account of its early mover advantage. Among all the products in the list, Aweber perhaps is best known for autoresponders. In terms of features though, they are pretty comparable with the offerings from MailChimp and GetResponse. In terms of price, Aweber does not come cheap – there are no free tiers and the product starts at $19/month for 500 subscribers.

5. VerticalResponse
Website: http://www.verticalresponse.com/

Vertical Response positions itself as a newsletter and social media marketing tool and integrates features such as custom email builder, sign up form and pre-built templates. The tool also has a free tier like MailChimp but this tier only permits you to send 4000 emails a month for up to 1000 subscribers. So the advantages and disadvantages here are similar to MailChimp in that it is good for amateur experimentation but not for serious business.

Overall, there are distinct advantages of each of these tools like the availability of a free tier, email templates, autoresponders and price. While free tier is a good way to experiment with email marketing, it is not a critical tool for serious marketers. Autoresponders on the other hand, is extremely valuable in building a marketing base for business. Finally, as bootstrapped businesses, price point plays a pivotal role. Summing up, tools like GetResponse do not have a free tier, but have a good array of templates and features like autoresponder that make it a valuable marketing tool for small businesses. What tool do you use? Share your experience in the comments.