How to Choose an Email Marketing Platform
Many businesses are still learning the importance of email marketing. People often put their focus into social media, but social media is only one part of the overall funnel. Email marketing has been proven over and over again to have a much higher conversion rate than social media. I always suggest clients utilize both social media and email marketing together to have the most effective results. One of the biggest differences between the two, however, is that you own your email list. On social media, if the app or site goes down, you have no way to get in touch with your audience or even know who they are unless you have their email address. If you’re reading this, you likely already know the benefits of email marketing.
So how do you know which email marketing platform is best for your business? I’m reviewing each of the major platforms below with their positives, negatives, and my recommendations for them:
Flodesk
This platform is extremely affordable and easy to use. It’s great for bloggers, influencers, and people in some service-based industries. Their templates and font usage is aesthetically pleasing and focused on visuals. Unfortunately, it’s lacking in integration abilities, analytics, segmentation, and other capabilities, so I don’t recommend it for any e-commerce/retail brands.
MailChimp
One of the most popular options, MailChimp is still very budget-friendly (despite the recent price increases). One of the main reasons this platform is so widely used is that there are an extensive number of integrations with other platforms available. I really love how their Google Analytics integration works so seamlessly. Segmentation can be done to a pretty good degree. This platform is good for service-based industries and e-commerce/retail brands. Unfortunately, it can be a little clunky to operate certain features and it’s very difficult to get help from customer support unless you have one of the most premium plans. Disclosure: I’m part of the MailChimp & Co program
Hubspot
This platform is great for B2B and service-based industries that need a built-in CRM. Pricing is much higher than a platform like MailChimp, but their pricing includes other marketing features aside from just email. They utilize a good amount of integrations and analytics because of the CRM component and the focus on sales and leads. This platform is especially great if you are using the platform for other services already
Constant Contact
This platform is the budget-friendly option for sales and service-based industries. Businesses I know that love Constant Contact include financial services professionals, business development departments, etc. Because of the sales focus, they have good analytics and segmentation features.
Klaviyo
This platform is somewhat pricier than MailChimp, but has email and SMS marketing capabilities. With the growth in importance of SMS marketing, this is a huge benefit. Klaviyo is extremely easy to use and has really robust features and analytics. I recommend it for all of my e-commerce/retail clients for this reason. It also has grown its integrations significantly and now offers a huge range of options for integrations. Disclosure: I am part of the Klaviyo Partner Program.
When working with a client on their email marketing, I always weigh all of the options for them and will make recommendations for a platform switch if necessary. Different clients have different needs and I will always weigh in on the best ROI for them based on these. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me or send me a message on Instagram. If you’re interested in working with me on email marketing services for your business, please start the process here.