Did you know that the Guinness Book of Records lists the first email sent in 1971? Since that year, email marketing has become mandatory for every successful business. Email offers a cost-effective way to reach and engage with customers.
In this blog, we will explore the top email marketing platforms so you can choose the right one for your business needs.
Understanding Email Marketing Platforms
Also known as “electronic direct mail” or “EDM,” these platforms are specialized software designed to assist businesses in creating, sending, and tracking email campaigns. They offer many features and benefits catered to the needs of small to medium businesses. When selecting an email marketing platform, consider your requirements and available options. Compare elements like ease of use, customization options, automation capabilities, and analytics tools to help optimize your marketing efforts.
Top Email Marketing Platforms for Small to Medium Businesses
For those new to online email marketing, we’ve researched the best email service providers to save you some time.
Mailchimp
Features
Mailchimp offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to enhance email marketing campaigns. Key features include a user-friendly Email Builder for crafting impactful emails. The Campaign Manager streamlines omnichannel marketing efforts. The platform has a unique Customer Journey Builder, which allows marketers to automate campaigns based on specific customer interactions.
For content creation, the Creative Assistant generates beautiful designs, and the Dynamic Content feature personalizes emails automatically. Additionally, Mailchimp integrates seamlessly with over 500 apps, making it easy for users to use with their existing tech stack.
Pricing
Mailchimp’s pricing structure has four tiers – Free, Essentials, Standard, and Premium. The first three plans limit you to 500 contacts, and the premium limits you to 10,000.
For growing businesses, the Essentials plan starts at $13 per month and includes more advanced features like A/B testing and custom branding. The Standard plan begins at $20 per month, offering features like send-time optimization and behavioral targeting, suitable for businesses looking to scale. For large organizations, the Premium plan starts at $350 per month, providing comprehensive marketing tools and priority support.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Extensive integration options with over 500 apps provide flexibility and enhance marketing campaigns.
- Advanced features like behavioral targeting and dynamic content allow for highly personalized marketing efforts.
- The Free version gives you access to most tools, including the survey maker and landing page builder.
Cons:
- The email marketing free plan limits you to 500 contacts and no automation, which may necessitate an earlier move to paid plans.
- Support is limited under the free plan, with only 30 days of email support, which may not suffice for all users.
- Mailchimp’s strict policy against affiliate marketing may not be suitable for all business types.
HubSpot
Features
HubSpot is an all-in-one platform that combines CRM with email marketing automation software. It’s an excellent choice for rapidly scaling companies or businesses with multiple segments.
Hubspot’s email marketing tools include drag-and-drop editing features and pre-built templates to create customized emails quickly. You can use their AI to generate winning subject lines and email copy. Businesses can take advantage of email automation by personalizing emails with CRM data or specific contact engagement.
Pricing
HubSpot has a four-tiered pricing structure for individuals or small teams. They are Free, Marketing Hub Starter, Starter Customer Platform, and Marketing Hub Professional. The Free Tools lets you use most of what Hubspot has to offer. You can import your email lists and then create, test, and manage new emails from one dashboard.
The Starter plan begins at $50 per month, providing essential tools and capabilities for smaller businesses. For more advanced features, the Professional plan is available starting at $800 per month, and the Enterprise plan begins at $3,200 per month, offering extensive tools and features for larger organizations. These plans come with all sorts of cool stuff, like CRM and customer support tools. The price goes up as you add more contacts and features.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- HubSpot offers a comprehensive, all-in-one platform that integrates various business functions, including email. The platform can significantly ease the management of marketing, sales, and customer service.
- The platform is known for its user-friendly design, making it easy for users with no technical expertise.
- HubSpot provides free access to its CRM and basic tools, making it an attractive option for businesses on a tight budget.
Cons:
- While HubSpot offers free and lower-cost plans, the pricing can quickly become too costly for smaller businesses.
- HubSpot does not offer A/B testing on its lower plans, which can be a limitation.
- Customizing templates and using advanced features may require additional technical skills or external help, which could add to the overall email marketing cost and complexity of using HubSpot.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Features
Brevo offers a comprehensive suite of tools for effective email marketing and customer relationship management. Users can craft personalized campaigns to captivate audiences and sell products, supported by features like a drag-and-drop email editor for creating stunning emails and customizable templates.
The Brevo platform lets you send transactional emails, SMS, and WhatsApp messages with high deliverability, ensuring messages reach customers directly. Brevo integrates seamlessly with over 150 digital marketing tools.
Pricing
Brevo’s pricing model uses a 4-tier model: Free, Starter, Business, and Enterprise. However, sending volume rather than the number of contacts determines the price per month. This approach offers flexibility for businesses with large email lists but lower sending frequency.
The free plan allows up to 300 email campaigns per day, which is suitable for small businesses or startups. The Starter plan begins at $9 per month for 5,000 emails, and the Business plan starts at $18 per month, providing additional features like detailed reports, landing page creation, predictive sending, and A/B testing.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Flexible and affordable pricing based on email volume. A library of 47 email templates and a sign-up form builder.
- Comprehensive integration with a wide range of digital tools to simplify automation, segmentation, and personalization for laser-focused email and SMS marketing.
- Advanced features like marketing automation, CRM, and multi-channel campaign management support a holistic approach to customer engagement.
Cons:
- The daily sending limit on the free plan is restrictive. Landing pages are only available in the Business subscription.
- The necessity to upgrade to the Business plan for advanced tools can increase the expense for small business users. It only has about 70 plugins available, far less than other EDMs.
- Users report that customer support needs improvement.
MailerLite
Features
Despite the name, MailerLite is a complete email marketing system. They offer a complete suite of tools to build and monetize websites.
The platform enables users to create newsletters, automate email sequences, and build landing pages efficiently using its intuitive drag-and-drop editor. Additionally, MailerLite supports the creation of websites and customizable pop-up forms, making it easier for businesses to capture and grow their audience. With features like email automation, users can set up campaigns to send timely emails automatically, ensuring consistent communication with subscribers. The platform boasts high deliverability rates, ensuring that emails reach their intended recipients.
Pricing
MailerLite’s pricing structure has two categories, Marketing and Transactional, depending on a company’s goals. Under the Marketing category, the plans are Free, Growing Business, Advanced and Enterprise. Transactional email and SMS service pricing include Starter (free), Premium, and Enterprise plans.
The Transactional Starter plan limits you to 3,000 emails, and the Marketing Free plan limit is 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 monthly emails. Unless you have a paid plan, Mailerlite’s logo appears in the email. All of Mailerlite’s paid plans use an annual billing method.
For large organizations, the Enterprise plan provides a tailored solution with pricing varying based on the number of active subscribers and additional services required.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- MailerLite’s user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop editor make it easy for users to design emails and manage campaigns that are on-brand and highly customizable.
- The platform offers a Free Forever plan, which allows companies to send 12,000 emails per month to 1,000 subscribers at no cost.
- Integration with Facebook and various e-commerce platforms. Allows for automated triggers and sales tracking.
Cons:
- While MailerLite provides a range of features in its free and lower-tier plans, some users may find the advanced marketing automation and reporting features lacking compared to other platforms.
- The platform’s rigorous approval process for email campaigns can be a barrier for users looking to get started quickly.
- The free version has no email templates.
GetResponse
Features
GetResponse provides an all-in-one solution for online marketing campaigns. It features the latest AI-powered email generator for subject lines that get opened and content that converts. The platform has everything you need to build an email list, communicate with your subscribers, and sell your products to them.
GetResponse includes over 200 email templates you can quickly customize with drag-and-drop ease. Their new features include an AI-powered course creator, paid newsletters, and various integrated payment gateways to make monetization simple.
Pricing
GetResponse has a four-tier pricing model: Email Marketing, Marketing Automation, Ecommerce Marketing, and GetResponse MAX. You can try GetResponse and all the features free for 30 days. They bill monthly, annually and bi-annually.
The Email marketing plan starts at $15.60 per month, and it’s a good start for new businesses and entrepreneurs. The plan includes unlimited newsletters, autoresponders, website and landing pages and 24/7 live chat support. Special discounts are available for non-profits and long-term commitments.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Lower cost than competitors. It features a comprehensive toolset with everything required to launch and track a successful email campaign.
- High deliverability rates to over 160 countries ensure that marketing communications reach the intended audience effectively.
- The platform has a user-friendly interface, which simplifies the creation and management of marketing campaigns.
Cons:
- Some users have reported limited integration options with other products. The website and landing page builder are basic.
- No phone support, only live chat.
- As list sizes increase, the cost can escalate significantly, which might be a concern for businesses with large contact lists.
Klaviyo
Features
If you are heavily into eCommerce, Klaviyo offers advanced segmentation capabilities, providing in-depth insights into customer behavior for crafting data-driven marketing strategies. Once you have at least 500 paid customers, you have access to Klaviyo’s Predictive Analytics. Like an eCommerce crystal ball, it combines data science and machine learning to predict future customer behavior, such as when a customer will buy next. Klaviyo provides custom reporting capabilities and supports over 350 integrations for social media, analytics, eCommerce, and more.
Pricing
Klaviyo offers a free plan and two paid plans. The paid plans increase in price with each additional 500 subscribers you add. The first paid plan is email only and starts at $20 per month with a minimum of 251 subscribers. The second plan is email plus SMS and starts at $35 per month. Klaviyo offers a 15% discount for annual billing.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Advanced segmentation capabilities and predictive analytics.
- Automation of post-purchase emails to foster customer relationships and build loyalty.
- Custom reporting capabilities and over 350 integration options.
Cons:
- Limited account-based marketing (ABM) tools, trigger points, and brand customization compared to other platforms.
- Limited lead scoring capabilities, potentially impacting lead prioritization and conversion efforts.
- The pricing increases proportionally on the number of contacts managed. It can be costlier than other EDMs.
Choosing the Right Email Marketing Platform
When comparing and choosing an email marketing platform for your business, align the platform’s features with your specific business goals. Considerations for cost and budget, integration and automation capabilities, as well as scalability and growth potential, should lead your decision-making process.
Maximizing Business Potential with Email Marketing Solutions
Mailchimp, HubSpot, Brevo, MailerLite, GetResponse, and Klaviyo all have slightly different features. Compare and choose a solution that addresses your specific marketing needs and supports your overall business objectives.
Whether you’re a small startup kickstarting your email marketing efforts or an eCommerce enterprise aiming to refine your strategy, the information presented here serves as a guide to empower your decision-making.
If you need ideas for subject lines that get high open rates, check out our blog, “How to Craft Emotional Persuasive Email Subject Lines.”
Should you need further assistance in choosing the right email marketing platform or wish to discuss how your email content suits your business needs, do not hesitate to contact us.
Email Marketing FAQs for Small to Medium Businesses
As business owners, it’s essential to stay updated on the latest email trends. The following FAQs provide valuable insights to help you choose the best email services for your business in 2024.
What are the top email marketing software options for 2024?
The leading email marketing software for 2024 includes Mailchimp, HubSpot, Brevo, MailerLite, Klaviyo, GetResponse, and a few others. We recommend these platforms for your effective email marketing strategies.
What are the best email services for businesses in 2024?
For businesses in 2024, the best email services include Google Workspace (Gmail), Microsoft 365, Zoho Workplace, IONOS Email Services, Bluehost Email Services, Amazon WorkMail, Titan, and Fastmail. Gmail leads with a large user base of 1.8 billion active global users.
Which companies offer the best email marketing services?
The top providers of email marketing services include Drip, ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Campaigner, Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), and HubSpot. These companies are known for their robust features and effectiveness in reaching target audiences.
How can I establish an email marketing strategy for my small business?
To set up an effective email marketing strategy for your small business, follow these steps: select the best email marketing platform, set clear marketing goals, define your target audience, begin building your email list, decide on the types of emails you will send, design and write your emails, and finally, track and analyze the results to refine your strategy. To get a jump on the competition, read our blog, “Unlock the 8 Benefits of Email Marketing for Your Business Now!”
