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3 Best Email Marketing Platforms for Small Businesses (+ How To Use Them)
Crush Your Business Goals by Leveraging the Power of Email Marketing
Lenore Sterner & Linda Hwang
December 13th, 2024
This article has been updated to maintain its accuracy and relevance
Carving out your space in the world as a small business can be a huge challenge.
You’re up against corporate giants with seemingly unlimited marketing budgets. The big companies seem to know exactly how to play the algorithmic game, while you’re busy trying to keep up with the latest changes.
But what if there was a secret weapon that could propel your small business to new heights?
Welcome to the world of email marketing – a powerhouse in digital communication, where you own your audience – not the algorithm.
And when you leverage email marketing to its full potential, you can convert prospects into customers and turn first-time buyers into loyal, raving fans.
Today, we will unveil the best email marketing platforms explicitly tailored for small businesses and show you how you can use it effectively.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Email Marketing for Small Businesses
Email marketing is a powerful tool for your small business to connect directly with subscribers.
It means reaching your audience right in their inbox— where they're already spending significant time. According to Zero Bounce in 2024, 88% of respondents said that they checked their email every single day, with 40% looking for discounts from brands.
That’s a lot of opportunity for your business to form a direct line of communication with people who are actively looking to hear from you. Email marketing provides an intimate way for you to nurture relationships, promote products or services, and boost retention.
In the same Zero Bounce study, 47% of people said the primary reason they open emails from a brand is that the brand sends them relevant messages. Meaning, if you can create content that is relevant and timely to your audience – your audience will be interested in what your business has to say.
Ready to get started? There’s a few things you need:
An Email Marketing Platform: This software will allow you to manage your email list, create and send campaigns, and track your results. Some popular platforms include beehiiv, MailChimp, and Constant Contact.
A Mailing List: Building a quality mailing list of people interested in your products or services is critical – you need people to email, after all. The best part about building a mailing list? You own your audience.
Content Strategy: What you send matters. You'll need a strategy for creating engaging, valuable content that your audience wants to read that aligns with your business goals. Creating content that your subscribers love doesn’t have to be a mystery, either. Check out beehiiv’s Creating Killer Content Webinar for tactics used by real newsletter creators.
Analytical Tools: Understanding how your emails perform is essential to refining and improving your strategy.
Compliance Knowledge: To ensure you're compliant, you must understand the rules and regulations around email marketing (like the CAN-SPAM Act and DMARC). Compliance is non-negotiable, and can make or break your strategy, so staying up-to-date is a must.
Armed with these components, your small business can harness the power of email and crush your marketing goals.
Before talking more about email marketing platforms, you may be asking yourself about social media. Isn’t that the best place to connect with your audience?
Not necessarily. It’s true that social media marketing is still an excellent way to get in front of your customers, and a good social media marketing strategy can help build your email list.
But when it comes to social media, you have less control over your content, because you’re having to play by the rules of an ever-changing algorithm. This makes it harder to be genuine with your audience, as well as making it more difficult to create the content that you want to create.
Not only that, but on a social media platform, you don’t own your audience. If for some reason you lose access to your account or the platform stops being available, you lose that audience entirely.
This happened in India with TikTok in 2021 and was proposed to happen in the US in 2024. Imagine putting all your eggs in one basket on TikTok, then losing all of those hard-earned followers.
When you build your email marketing list, you own your audience. Not the platform you use for sending your campaigns. But how do you choose the perfect platform for your business?
The Importance of Choosing the Right Platform
With so many options available in the market, choosing the right platform can feel overwhelming. Don’t worry, we got you covered.
There are a few things to look for when selecting the platform that best suits your business needs and goals:
Compatibility and integration: Make sure the platform works well with your current website, e-commerce platform, and other tools you use for your small business. This will ensure a seamless customer experience and save you time and resources.
Deliverability: The success of your email marketing campaigns depends on how many of your emails make it to your subscribers' inboxes. Look for a platform that has a good reputation for high deliverability rates and takes measures to avoid getting flagged as spam.
Scalability: Your email marketing needs will evolve as your business grows. Choose a platform that can accommodate your changing needs and has a flexible pricing structure that won't break the bank.
Customer support: Look for a platform that offers excellent customer support, whether it's through phone, email, or live chat. You want to be able to get help quickly if you run into any issues or have questions about the platform.
Remember, the platform you go with should meet your current needs, but also grow with you as you scale your business. That’s why this next step, evaluating your business’ needs, is such a worthwhile investment that can set you up for success now and in the future. Let’s dive in.
Evaluating Your Business’s Email Marketing Needs
Before selecting the perfect email marketing platform for your small business, you need to consider where your business is now, where you’re heading, and what you need to get there:
Identify your goals: What do you want to achieve with email marketing? Whether it's increasing brand awareness, boosting sales, or improving customer retention, defining clear objectives will guide your strategy and help determine which platform features are most important to you.
Understand your audience: Who are you trying to reach? Understanding your audience helps you tailor your content, choose the right tone and timing for your emails, and segment your list for more personalized messaging.
Consider your resources: How much time and money can you invest in email marketing? Some platforms require a more significant investment but offer more advanced features. Others are simpler and more cost-effective, but may only provide some of the functionality a growing business needs. Look for a platform that gives you the best of both worlds.
Evaluate your content: Will you send out simple text emails, or do you want to include rich media like images and videos? Do you need templates to make design more accessible, or will you create custom designs?
Think about growth: Choose a platform that can scale with your business. Set yourself up for success and go with a platform that meets your needs now, and expected needs as you grow.
By evaluating your needs, you'll be better equipped to choose the platform that aligns with your business goals and strategies.
Top Email Marketing Platforms for Small Businesses
Now that you’ve done the introspection to know what you need, it’s time to compare some of the top email marketing platforms for small businesses.
We compiled a list of some of the top options to save you some time. Whether you're just starting or looking to switch to a new platform, we've got you.
So, let's dive in and explore the best options for your business.
Platform 1: Mailchimp - Features and Benefits for Small Businesses
Mailchimp is a comprehensive marketing platform specializing in email marketing. You’ll be provided with the tools and features you need to create professional and effective email campaigns.
The platform offers a range of functionalities including drag-and-drop editors, powerful automation capabilities, and developer APIs. These features help businesses of all sizes and complexity increase their sales.
Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing platform built for small businesses, aiming to deliver the right message at the right moment across various channels.
Ease of Use
Mailchimp is a popular email marketing platform with a user-friendly interface, making it easy to create professional-looking emails – even if you’re a beginner.
The drag-and-drop editor makes Mailchimp easy for you to select email templates and customize them with your branding, images, and text— no coding necessary.
Mailchimp also offers excellent customer support, including live chat and email support, to help users with any questions or issues they may encounter.
Automation Capabilities
Mailchimp's automation capabilities are one of the platform's most impressive features. Automation allows you to set up a series of emails triggered by specific actions, such as a new subscriber joining your list or a customer making a purchase.
You can deliver targeted messages to your audience immediately without manual intervention.
With Mailchimp's automation tools, you can create a variety of workflows that fit your needs. Whether you want to welcome new subscribers, send out abandoned cart reminders, or follow up with customers after a purchase, it’s possible with Mailchimp.
Integration Options
Integrating Mailchimp with your favorite apps and services is easy and hassle-free.
You can easily optimize your marketing strategies and efficiently connect with your intended audience by effortlessly integrating with popular platforms such as Shopify, WordPress, and Salesforce.
Platform 2: beehiiv - Affordable Solutions for Growing Businesses
beehiiv is a comprehensive email marketing platform that provides everything a growing business needs to succeed, all in one place. It's not just a tool; it's an ecosystem designed to help companies thrive.
beehiiv is loaded with features, most of which are available even on the free plan. From polls and surveys to a custom website and custom app, to advanced segmentation and automations, and so much more, beehiiv is constantly rolling out new features and products that just make creating a newsletter a better experience.
Where beehiiv shines is the monetization options. You have options like the ad network, boosts (which is also a great way to acquire new subscribers), and the partner program to earn money while creating content for your small business.
Cost-Effectiveness
beehiiv offers a 30-day free trial, making it an affordable option for businesses looking to test its capabilities before fully committing.
beehiiv offers three pricing options:
Launch: $0 for up to 2,500 subscribers
Scale: Starts at $34/month
Max: Starts at $86/month
beehiiv grows with your business, giving you all the features you need to succeed where you are now and offering more options as you scale your business newsletter strategy.
Scalability
Built by the early Morning Brew Team, beehiiv now powers some of the world's top newsletters.
This demonstrates the platform's scalability, as it can support businesses at various growth stages, from startups to large enterprises.
Support and Resources
beehiiv's support and resources are a standout feature.
The platform has been praised for its intuitive, easy-to-use nature and comprehensive features, complemented by the supportive team behind it. The company also offers a wealth of resources to help users make the most out of their email marketing efforts.
But don’t take our word for it. Check out this review from the beehiiv wall of love.
beehiiv provides an affordable, scalable, and supportive solution for growing businesses looking to maximize their email marketing efforts.
Platform 3: Constant Contact - Comprehensive Analytics and Reporting
Advanced Analytics Tools
Constant Contact analytics tools provide small businesses with a comprehensive view of the performance of their email campaigns, allowing you to make data-driven decisions to improve future campaigns.
One of the most powerful features of Constant Contact's analytics tool is its ability to compare the performance of multiple campaigns. This allows small businesses to identify trends and patterns, understand what works best, and adjust their email marketing strategy accordingly.
Customizable Reporting Features
Constant Contact's reporting features empower businesses to focus on the most critical metrics.
With the ability to tailor reports to your specific needs, you can gain valuable insights into your email marketing campaigns, social media engagement, and more.
Whether you're tracking click-through rates, open rates, or revenue generated, Constant Contact's reporting tools help you stay informed and make data-driven decisions.
Learning from Email Campaign Data
It's essential to analyze your campaign data regularly.
Doing so lets you learn what's working and what's not, helping you optimize your email marketing strategy for better results.
Constant Contact provides all the necessary data, including open, click-through, and bounce rates. By studying this data and making informed decisions, you can create more targeted and effective email campaigns that resonate with your subscribers.
Comparing Email Marketing Platforms
Choosing the right email marketing platform can feel like navigating a vast ocean of options. With so many providers vying for your attention, how do you choose the one that will elevate your small business's communication strategy?
As you research the best email marketing platform for you, here are some tips to remember:
Start Small: Take your time with complex platforms. Begin with a user-friendly option that offers essential features within your budget.
Test and Analyze: Experiment with different email formats and subject lines and send times to discover what resonates with your audience.
Seek Support: Be bold and utilize the platform's resources, tutorials, and customer support to maximize your results.
Embrace Change: Remember, your needs will evolve as your business grows. Be prepared to reassess your platform choice and upgrade as necessary.
With the right platform as your compass, you'll confidently navigate the email marketing seas and reach your target audience like a seasoned captain.
Key Considerations for Platform Comparison
When comparing email marketing platforms, each business has unique needs. Choosing a platform that aligns with your goals and requirements is essential. A few key considerations come into play:
Your Budget: Platforms offer diverse pricing structures, from freemium models to tiered plans. Determine your budget and identify features that justify the cost.
Subscriber Base: How many subscribers do you have? Certain platforms cater to specific subscriber sizes, so choose one that scales with your growth.
Desired Features: Identify your needs and prioritize features like automation, segmentation, A/B testing, and reporting tools.
Price Comparison
When determining your budget for email marketing, start by assessing your business's email marketing needs. Ask yourself questions such as:
How many subscribers do I have?
How frequently do I send emails?
What features do I need to manage my campaigns effectively?
Having an idea of what you need can help you determine what budget makes the most sense for your business at its current stage. Compare the prices of different platforms and packages against what you need.
Feature Set Comparison
With a budget in mind, it’s time to think about the features you’re looking for. What do you need, and what fits within your budget?
Don’t forget to take full advantage of the free trials or demos that platforms offer. This will allow you to test the platform's features and interface to see if it fits your business well, before committing to a subscription.
beehiiv’s 30-day free trial, for instance, doesn’t require a credit card and gives you the opportunity to try out all the features to decide what makes sense for your small business.
User Reviews and Testimonials
User reviews and testimonials are going to give you the best idea of what to expect. It’s the easiest way to find out – directly from the source – what users (like you) like and don’t like about the platform.
Here are a few things to take into consideration:
Pay attention to the most essential features of your business. Look for reviews that specifically mention these features and how well they work in practice.
Consider the level of support provided by the platform. Take note of any reviews that mention how responsive and helpful the support team is and whether they were able to resolve any issues quickly.
Take note of any complaints or issues consistently mentioned in reviews. If multiple users have the same problem, it's likely a genuine issue with the platform, and you should consider this when making your decision.
Look for business reviews like yours in size, industry, and goals. This will give you a better idea of whether the platform fits your needs.
Integrating Email Marketing with Your Business Strategy
Email marketing should be integral to your overall business. It may be the most important piece of your marketing strategy.
It's not just about sending emails; it's about building relationships with your customers that keep them excited about what you have to offer.
And you won’t be alone: according to research by Emarsys in 2024, 80% of small businesses rely on email marketing for customer retention.
Why Trust Us
Linda Hwang has extensive experience in B2B marketing and previously worked at a renowned international facilities management company. During her time there, she played a crucial role in creating effective marketing plans for content and social media. Now, Linda is a marketing consultant, helping small businesses create compelling brand stories.
Lenore is a writer with 5+ years of experience using different platforms for clients at all stages of their brand growth journey, from large corporations to solo entrepreneurs just getting started.
Aligning Email Marketing with Business Goals
Whether your goal is to increase brand awareness, drive sales, or boost customer loyalty, a well-executed email marketing campaign can help.
Start by defining clear, measurable goals for your campaign. Then, design your email marketing efforts to support these objectives directly.
This could involve sending targeted promotional emails to drive sales or sharing helpful content to build trust and engagement with your audience.
Building a Subscriber List
A successful email marketing campaign starts with a strong subscriber list.
You can build your contacts through various methods, such as offering valuable content in exchange for sign-ups, running contests or giveaways, or simply asking customers to subscribe at checkout.
Remember, quality is more important than quantity regarding your subscriber list. It's better to have a smaller list of engaged subscribers interested in your brand than a more extensive list of people who never open your emails.
Never send to someone who hasn’t consented to receiving your emails. Not only does this violate the terms of service of most if not all platforms, but it also leaves wide open for spam complaints that can hurt your email deliverability.
Crafting Engaging Content
The content of your emails is crucial to the success of your email marketing strategy.
Your emails should provide value to your subscribers, whether through special offers, informative articles, or exclusive news about your business.
Personalize your emails as much as possible to make your subscribers feel valued and understood. Remember, the goal of your emails isn't just to sell—it's to build a lasting relationship with your subscribers.
Maximizing the Impact of Your Email Campaigns
Maximizing the impact of the emails you send doesn’t have to be hard, but it does involve putting thought into your content and making your emails as personalized as possible. Luckily, we have some industry best practices to help you get started.
Best Practices for Email Design and Content
In addition to a robust design and compelling content, there are a few more best practices to remember when creating an email campaign.
Ensure your subject line is attention-grabbing and conveys the purpose of the email. Avoid using all caps or overly sales-like language, which can trigger spam filters and turn off readers.
Personalize your emails as much as possible. Use the recipient's name in the greeting and tailor the content to their interests or past purchase behaviors. This can help build a stronger relationship with your audience and increase engagement.
Clear call-to-action (CTA) in your emails. Whether it's to visit your website, make a purchase, or sign up for a newsletter, make sure the CTA stands out and is easy to click on.
Test and optimize your emails over time. Use A/B testing to experiment with different subject lines, designs, and content to see what resonates best with your audience. Monitor metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to evaluate campaign success and implement data-driven enhancements.
Personalization Techniques
Personalization is a powerful strategy for email marketers to increase engagement and improve conversions. Here are some tips to enhance and expand your personalization techniques:
Collect as much customer data as possible: The more data you have, the more personalized your emails can be. Collect information such as purchase history, browsing behavior, demographic data, and email engagement metrics to help you build a complete picture of your customers.
Segment your audience: Use the collected data to segment your audience into groups based on common characteristics such as location, interests, or purchase history. This will allow you to send targeted and personalized messages to each group.
Use dynamic content: Dynamic content lets you personalize email content based on the recipient's data. For example, you can display product recommendations based on the recipient's purchase history or location.
Personalize subject lines and preheader text: Personalizing your subject line and text can improve open rates. Use the recipient's name or reference their recent purchase or browsing behavior to grab their attention.
Send triggered emails: Triggered emails are automated messages responding to specific actions or events, such as abandoned carts or product views. These emails can be highly personalized and relevant to the recipient's behavior.
Mobile Optimization
It’s not a secret that more people are checking emails on mobile devices than ever before. In fact, research by Statista shows that in 2024, 54% of people are using their mobile devices for the majority of their web traffic.
With numbers like that, making sure your emails are web-friendly is crucial.
This means using responsive design so your emails look good on any screen size, keeping your subject lines short and punchy, and placing your most important information and calls to action at the top of the email.
A/B Testing for Performance Improvement
A/B testing involves sending two slightly different versions of an email to a small percentage of subscribers to see which one performs better.
You might test other subject lines, email layouts, images, or calls to action. You can continually refine and improve your emails by seeing which version gets more opens, clicks, or conversions.
For example, a small online bookstore could test two subject lines for their monthly newsletter:
"Our top book picks for you this month" versus "Discover your next favorite read."
Then they send the winning subject line to the remainder of the subscribers, knowing that it's what their customers are most likely to open.
Advanced Email Marketing Tactics
You can deliver more targeted and effective email campaigns by segmenting your audience and utilizing automation. This can lead to higher open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.
Segmenting Your Audience for Targeted Campaigns
Email segmentation involves dividing your email list into smaller, more specific groups. This is a powerful tool that can help you better understand and target your audience with personalized emails.
The reason why makes sense: what may work for one group of customers may not work for another. You can maximize your strategy by personalizing your sends, and increasing your relationship with your audience.
Behavioral Segmentation
Behavioral segmentation is a way to segment your audience based on the way that your readers interact with your brand. This can include behaviors like making a purchase, or how engaged they are with your emails in the past.
Not only does this help to target your audience more effectively, but it also has a use case for segmenting subscribers who may not be engaging with your emails. You can send a targeted re-engagement campaign to make sure that they still want to hear from you. If they still don’t engage, you know to remove them from your list, so you can focus on quality, engaged readers.
Demographic Segmentation
Demographic segmentation involves dividing your audience by age, gender, location, or income level.
If you don’t have this information, you can send surveys to your readers to find out more about their demographics.
Utilizing Automation to Save Time and Increase Efficiency
Email automation allows you to set up individual emails or a series of emails automatically sent based on specific triggers or timeframes. This saves you time and ensures your subscribers receive relevant content quickly.
Triggered Emails
Triggered emails are sent based on specific actions or events.
Make your triggered emails personal and engaging by using the customer's name and providing relevant information or offers that align with their interests or past purchases.
For example, if a customer frequently purchases hair care products, you could send them a triggered email with a personalized recommendation for a new product they might be interested in.
Don’t forget to include a clear call-to-action that prompts the customer to take the desired action, such as booking their next appointment or purchasing.
Drip Campaigns
Drip campaigns involve sending emails over time to nurture leads or onboard new customers.
A small software company might send a welcome email when someone signs up for a free trial, followed by emails over the next few weeks offering tips for using the software and encouraging them to upgrade to a paid plan.
The company could offer a deal for upgrading within a set period of time, creating FOMO (fear of missing out) and a sense of urgency for the customer to get to know the product and decide if it meets their needs.
Measuring Success in Email Marketing
Understanding key performance indicators (KPIs) is crucial for measuring the success of your email marketing.
Understanding Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
KPIs are metrics used to gauge the success of your email marketing campaigns.
These can include open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, unsubscribe rate, etc.
By monitoring your KPIs, you can understand what's working and what needs improvement in your strategy.
Open Rate
The open rate is the percentage of recipients who open your email.
This can be influenced by factors like your subject line, preheader text, and the time of day you send your emails.
A low open rate might suggest that your emails aren't grabbing your subscribers' attention, and you may need to experiment with different subject lines or sending times.
You can also try segmenting your readers and using a re-engagement campaign to clean your list of the subscribers who aren’t opening your emails.
Click-Through Rate
Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of recipients who click on a link within your email.
This can indicate how engaging your content is and how effective your calls to action are. If your CTR is low, you may need to assess your content strategy or adjust your calls to action by making them more precise and persuasive.
Conversion Rate
Conversion rate is the percentage of recipients who take a desired action after clicking on a link in your email, such as purchasing or completing a form. This is a crucial metric as it directly relates to your bottom line.
If your conversion rate is low, you may need to improve your landing page, offer a more enticing promotion, or ensure the action you're asking subscribers to take is straightforward.
Make sure your call-to-action (CTA) is clear and prominent. Use action-oriented language that creates a sense of urgency and encourages visitors to act. Place the CTA above the fold so visitors don't have to scroll down to find it.
Measuring success in email marketing involves understanding and monitoring your KPIs, including open rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate.
By continually tracking these metrics and adjusting as needed, small businesses can maximize the effectiveness of their email marketing efforts.
Conclusion: Selecting the Platform That Grows With You
Choosing the right email marketing platform for your small business is a decision that can significantly impact your growth and success.
The ideal platform will meet your current needs and scale with you as your company expands. It should offer the features and tools you need to create compelling campaigns, segment your audience, personalize your messages, and measure your success.
But remember, the right platform is just one piece of the puzzle.
It's how you use it that truly counts.
With the right strategy and a commitment to connecting with your audience, email marketing can be a powerful tool in your small business tool kit.
Are you ready to take your email marketing to the next level?
beehiiv offers a robust, user-friendly email marketing platform for small businesses. With its advanced features, intuitive interface, and scalable solutions, beehiiv can help maximize your email marketing impact. Get started with your free trial today.
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