Email marketing is one of the simplest, cheapest and most effective ways to reach your target audience and turn online sales leads into loyal customers.
In fact, 77 percent of customers choose email as their preferred way to receive permission-based sales contact.
While this may sound great, many business owners make the mistake of jumping in headfirst and become overwhelmed by the process of building lists and creating email marketing content.
Email marketing is surprisingly simple, but that doesn’t make it easy.
That’s why there are numerous email software options available to take much of the guesswork, planning, and drudgery out of email marketing.
This article will compare and contrast five major email software options available to you in order to help you make an informed decision as to which is right for your needs.
Infusionsoft
More than 30,000 customers put their mailing lists in the hands of Infusionsoft.
While most other companies on this list focus on email marketing, Infusionsoft takes a more comprehensive approach by offering a greater variety of sales and marketing software geared towards small businesses.
Infusion truly thrives when it comes to contact management, simplifying the process of importing your contacts from online as well as other sources.
Infusionsoft offers a variety of service packages, each one integrating email marketing with other elements of sales and marketing.
For this reason, Infusion is ideal for the business owner who wants comprehensive marketing assistance in addition to managing your email campaigns
Some of Infusionsoft’s notable services and features include:
- Contact importation and management
- Email list management
- Marketing automation
- E-Commerce
- Sales automation
- Free demo
Infusionsoft comes at a variety of price points that are reasonable for a comprehensive service but may be a bit out of reach if you only want email management.
The cheapest plan starts at $199 each month and covers only contact and marketing management with 12,500 emails per month.
The next tier costs $299 each month and adds either sales automation or E-Commerce with 25,000 emails per month.
The Complete package costs $349 and offers 50,000 emails each month.
With the Team package, the price increases to $599 per month and allows 100,000 emails each month.
Aweber is a leader in the email software industry for good reason.
Aweber offers total integration with some of your favorite marketing programs, including WordPress, Shopify, PayPal, Facebook, and more.
This makes it easy to create content and draft an email in the same space, saving time and effort.
Aweber also offers email templates that are designed for your type of business and easily customized to communicate the personality of your brand.
Customer service assistance seven days a week is another reason why many marketers choose Aweber.
No matter how well you plan or how reliable the service may be, it is always nice to have access to support when a marketing emergency occurs.
Seven-day support means no more waiting for Monday if you get locked out of your account or have an issue with distribution.
Some other notable features of Aweber include:
- Time-saving autoresponders
- 30-day free trial
- Easy opt-in free importing
- Mobile-ready sign-up forms
- Reliable delivery
The most basic Aweber pricing plan starts at $19 per month and gives you support for up to 500 subscribers.
The more intermediate plans of $29 and $49 give you access to 2,500 and 5,000 subscribers respectively.
At $69, the 10,000 subscriber plan is a jump worth taking for many, and the much pricier $149 plan more than doubles that figure with support for 25,000 subscribers or more.
Get response advertises the “world’s easiest email marketing,” and they certainly aim to deliver with a variety of related products and services.
From autoresponders to 99 percent email deliverability, they take email seriously.
Get Response has a great reputation for providing support when customers need it and even offers a way to publish unique landing pages in a matter of minutes.
Most importantly, Get Response has a streamlined email creation system that uses templates to help you create unique and compelling emails that won’t cost a lot of time.
Features include:
- A/B testing
- 24/7 customer support
- Responsive email design
- Email creator
- Customizable autoresponders
- Inbox previews
Get Response offers some of the lowest prices in the email marketing industry with their most popular plan beginning at $25 per month for 2,500 subscribers.
The $15 monthly plan supports 1,000 subscribers, and the most expensive plan is $450 per month and supports 100,000 subscribers.
Mail Chimp is easily one of the most recognizable email software providers out there, likely due to the fact that the brand keeps things simple.
From their streamlined website to a simple pricing structure, Mail Chimp is a straightforward service that provides only what you need and does so expertly.
Subscriber profiles allow you to gain insight into your subscribers, making it possible to adjust your email marketing to be even more effective.
The automation and personalization system is one of the most effective in the industry, allowing you to send timely emails that are personalized with each recipient in mind.
Some other notable features include:
- Twitter Tailored Audiences
- Advanced analytics
- Flexible design options
- CRM integration
- CMS customization
Mail Chimp offers three simple pricing packages, including Entrepreneur, Growing Business, and High Volume Sender.
The Entrepreneur package is free and allows you to send 12,000 emails, while the Growing Business package is free up to 12,000 emails and provides support for up to 600,000 subscribers.
The High Volume Sender package supports a maximum of 615,000 subscribers at $2,650.
Constant Contact is known for its sleek user interface and powerful marketing results.
Users simply sign up to start creating professional emails in a matter of minutes with drag-and-drop templates and editing.
The service also provides list growth assistance and helps you reach out to your target audience on social media.
Some of Constant Contact’s greatest features include:
- Free 60-day trial
- Real-time reports
- Social media integration
- List management
- File storage
- Mobile-friendly templates
The Email Plan costs $20 per month and offers mobile templates, tracks open-rate, clicka, forwarding, and custom advice from the Constant Contact Team.
The Email Plus Plan costs $45 per month and includes all the features of the email plan as well as a customized template.
Constant Contact works on a unique pricing system since you are charged a flat monthly fee based on the number of email addresses in your account.
If you prepay six months in advance, you can receive a 10 percent discount.
Prepay 12 months and your discount increases to 15 percent, while nonprofits get an even greater discount of 30 percent for prepaying a year in advance.
Comparing Services
Each email software provider offers its own unique set of benefits.
If your budget is your primary concern but you are not willing to sacrifice qualify, Constant Contact and Mail Chimp are likely the best options.
On the other hand, if you are looking for more comprehensive marketing management, Infusionsoft may be worth the added cost.
Aweber and Get Response are ideal for those looking for a more middle-of-the-road option as they offer plenty of variety in terms of pricing and go beyond the basics of email marketing.
Email marketing is a great way to generate leads and keep your established customers engaged. For more assistance with your marketing efforts, contact us today for your consultation.
