Once you have a site built (and analytics set up), the next key to any website is being able to build an email list of those interested to hear about your business, or those who have purchased from you in the past.
(Gathering phone numbers for text messaging is also growing in popularity. It's more expensive and is focused on a phone experience rather than desktop. But for now, it has excellent open rates. Some email marketing companies include the ability to do text message marketing.) Some website builders already have email marketing built in. But if you don’t have it built in, or you want an outside service that is more robust, here are some top options. Many services include a free level, but note that these will lack certain features. Free services often do NOT include autoresponders, which means you cannot send pre-written emails (one or even many over time) when someone signs up for a list. This is a valuable feature for many businesses, but not necessarily critical for all. Many services also include additional services like landing pages; automated emails when you post a new blog, video, or podcast; the ability to sell digital products / subscriptions; abandoned cart emails; and more. So make sure to look through a few services if needed to find the features that will meet your needs. Note on integrations: the top softwares easily integrate with countless 3rd-party softwares, expanding your marketing options. But ... services like Zapier and Pabbly exist to help softwares speak to one another. So a built-in integration may make your life easier, but you'll find that many alternatives to the big boys in email marketing can still integrate with a lot. Mailchimp - arguably the most popular service out there, it is usually the first one that outside tools will integrate with, making it easy to build a mailing list in many ways. An interesting feature here is the ability to automate the sending of physical postcards in the mail. Although I don’t know how good these features are, Mailchimp also offers a website builder that can sell products and take appointments. AWeber - another of the most popular services, and one I've always liked, it seems to me that it integrates with almost as much as Mailchimp. Beyond the usual robust feature set of top services, it includes web push notifications, meaning you can communicate with people even without them opening an email. ConvertKit - this isn’t one I’ve used, but I hear a lot of business experts using it. Along with a robust feature set, it includes a Creator Network, helping list owners to promote one another. MailerLite - its name gives you its intention: do away with features you don't need to provide you with software that's easier to use and still robust where you need it. They currently enjoy excellent deliverability to inboxes (rather than spam folders), which is arguably the most important feature of all. Since I have pretty simple needs for Heart Body Business, I decided to try out MailerLite here. But to maintain their excellence, they seem to be vetting new users now. Perhaps as a new business, Heart Body Business was turned away without explanation. Email Octopus - this is not one of the big players and I don't know what their deliverability is like. But for Heart Body Business, I was interested in a simple program, and EO fit the bill. Like MailerLite, they also seem to be vetting new users, but they had a real person reach out to me and verify how I would grow my list and use the service. So I suspect they'll have good deliverability. The software is very clean and easy to use, which is just what I was looking for. You get an incredible amount from them for free, but to remove their branding and go a little further, you can upgrade for very little. And if you use my link, you'll save $15. You can check out 3rd-party testing on deliverability rates for many of the top providers through this page. |