7 Things to Consider When Choosing an Email Marketing System
Choosing an Email Marketing System should only be done once you truly understand what the basic definition of an email marketing system is.
An Email Marketing system is the software you use to collect email addresses and communicate with your list of subscribers (people who have signed up to your list) via email.
If you want to first learn more about an email marketing system, read this article WHAT IS AN EMAIL MARKETING SYSTEM AND WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE ONE.
Choosing an email marketing system for your business can be overwhelming, especially choosing the right one. It’s important to weigh all the pros and cons and especially important to know what you want in the system. You want to choose a system that fits your needs now but also gives you room to grow. Here are some important things to consider when making your decision of which platform to use.
- Price
Email Marketing Systems can range in price from free to hundreds of dollars per month depending on your list size, the amount of email you send and the features you need. Mailchimp is considered great for a start-up business because it’s free up to 2000 contacts and also boasts many new features just brought in recently to this option. However, if you are looking for a more integrated system that does email, shopping cart and affiliate tracking maybe a system like Infusionsoft or Ontraport is better for you. And if you exceed the number of email sends per month, check that cost too, better safe than sorry in the middle of a launch. - Ease of Use
Will it be a hassle or worth it? Here you want to consider the interface, efficiency and the way the system flows. Does it work in a way that is easy to understand and navigate for you and your team? - Support
Can you easily contact them for help? You’ll want to note the type of support they have, whether it’s phone or chat support or perhaps both and their support hours. Will they be available when you need them inside your working business hours. - Reviews from current users
This is a great way to set your expectation of a system. It’s a great way to get a feel for how people use the system and any troubles they might have had. When deciding to make your purchase you can bring any questions to the salesperson you may be speaking to and make sure it won’t be a problem for you. - Spam compliant
I don’t know of an email marketing system that isn’t compliant, but it’s a good thing to check anyway. - Features
What extras are available? How will it help your business? Most definitely you’ll want the option to segment your list based on their needs, demographics and interests. Other things you may want to consider is a built-in landing page system and A/B Split testing. And what 3rd party integrations are available too. Can you connect to a shopping cart and your website? - Reporting
This is fundamental to knowing how well your emails are performing for you. You will want to check your open rates, click rates, spam complaints and unsubscribes just to name a few. Make sure the reporting you need is built into the system or at the very least there’s a 3rd party integration that can get it for you.
Before choosing an email marketing system it’s important to do your homework and make an informed choice. Know what you need and want in your system before you dive in with a purchase.
If you find this confusing and would like help choosing and setting up your email marketing system that’s right for you, I’m happy to hop on a call for a 15-min strategy session. Just pick a time here in my online calendar and we can get started.