Email Marketing Platform – How to pick the perfect one for your business

Finding the best email marketing platform isn’t easy. There are a lot of email marketing platforms on the marketing, finding the best one that suites your needs and gets your business on the market is important. Email marketing for small businesses are essential.

First of all, this isn’t some affiliate pushing blog that will lead you to a platform that may not meet your needs.

Absolutely nothing wrong with pushing products that you love & that you get paid for – but not everyone likes pineapples on their pizza and I’m not here to get you to like it just because it’s my favorite.

I promise that relates to your email platform.

There are so many email platforms to choose from and honestly, I can completely understand why you go with the one that your trusted influencer/biz friend has because it seems to work for them, right?

There are a few things I want to go over first –

Almost every platform has a free trial. This is important when we dive into the 3 things to look for when picking your platform. I challenge you before you commit to one, try a few and get inside clicking around and building landing pages or emails.
An important thing is to avoid overwhelm – as business owners we already struggle with so many tools and expectations, so let’s make sure we are keeping overwhelm and frustration away from this process.
You have to know your goals – specifically, you have to know HOW you want your email list to support you. There are so many business owners that see their email list as a checklist for their business and not as a strategic money-making tool. So think really hard about HOW your email list can support your business goals.

Okay, let’s dive in.

Things to do look for in an Email Marketing Platform

Email Marketing Platform Feature #1 – Usability

Don’t overwhelm yourself with a platform that frustrates you every time you use it. Prioritize usability.

If the platform has a free trial:

Get started by creating one single email. Ask yourself: Do they have templates that you like and can use or will you have to create your own?
Try building out a form or landing page (since you’ll want to create a freebie to grow your email list with your ideal clients). Again, check for templates and accessibility to connect to your website.

A few email marketing platforms that are top of the line for Usability:

FloDesk

They have created a really user-friendly platform that focuses on beautiful and simple email templates and layouts. It’s great for those business owners that just want their content to be delivered in a beautiful way. It really is great for content & visual based businesses.

However, they do have their limitation and quirks…but it’s the perfect platform for those getting started with an email list and plan on sending consistent weekly sends to their list.

MailChimp

This is a platform that has been around the block for quite some time now. There is too cool for Mailchimp club out there…I just don’t seem to know why people hate on it so much.

Mailchimp has consistently stayed near the top of my list for picking email platforms for my clients. It is very straightforward, easy to navigate, and has some great integrations. Some of my top clients have used Mailchimp to consistently grow their business with their automation and tagging capabilities.

ConvertKit

Another really great platform that puts usability at the forefront of their priorities. When you first join Convertkit they walk you through a series of prompts to help you get started on the right foot inside the platform.

Email Marketing Platform Feature #2 – Automation Features

Automation is truly the secret sauce of what makes email marketing such a successful marketing tactic.

It allows you to curate exactly what experience your new contact will receive giving them the best impression of your business.

When you grow beyond just sending weekly emails to your email list, you will land right in the automation stage.

But let me preface this, automation does take time to map out and plan – however it’s necessary to grow and streamline your marketing efforts.

A few platforms that are top of the line for automation are:

ActiveCampaign

This personally is my own platform. I have been able to connect, integrate, and automate numerous campaigns and workflows to grow my business and streamline my marketing. It isn’t quite on the user friendly side – you will need a bit of technical know-how to get around in this platform, but it is what businesses with multiple customer journeys need to grow.

MailChimp

Mailchimp has recently expanded their automation capabilities by added new journey options to its platform. You can tag contacts based on logic and specific criteria that will trigger new email automation. Here you get the user-friendly side for new business owners and the capabilities to send targeted emails to take your marketing to the next level.

CovertKit

This platform is great for workflows and automation – they lead with templates to help you get started in email automation easily. Their navigation and documentation is spot on if you get stuck.

Email Marketing Platform Feature #3 – Reporting Features

I’m sure you’re thinking…reporting?

Yes – when it comes to marketing (social, email, paid ads, etc.) you NEED to be able to tell what is working and what isn’t working.

I see a lot of business owners market their business with their “assumptions”. The strategy I teach my client is around interpreting what makes your audience react and convert – and then automating that message to convert over and over again.

If you can’t see what messaging moves the needle with your audience, how can you learn from that and implement it into your business across the board?

But if you recall earlier I mentioned knowing exactly HOW you want your email list to support your business.

There are a few platforms that are slightly limited in the reporting features – FloDesk being one of them. You are able to see one email report at a time and aren’t able to download your reporting into a cohesive look into your marketing. Just a weird quirk that deterred me from the platform.

However, if you are a business owner that doesn’t have too many complicated funnels and workflows you won’t need as robust of reporting capabilities.

There isn’t one perfect platform. Just like everyone’s businesses are different – everyone’s email needs are different too.

Start with your goals and these three key features.

Here’s a quick recap to take with you:

Usability
Automation Capabilities
Reporting

The power of email marketing is completely undeniable! It is one of the most reliable, consistent ways to grow your business and make sales consistently with your email list.

At Gal, I have strategies for businesses in all stages developed to help you build, convert, and create engaging relationships in your mailing list. I have helped all sorts of businesses grow and implement a strategy for their success. Book a free consultation today.

Learn more about Gal’s services here.

This blog does contain affiliate links – all products I love for business owners at different stages.