Email marketing is one of the most effective tools for any company’s marketing strategy. It is not just a buzzword, but an actual fact that companies with the most powerful email marketing campaigns have a competitive advantage over those that don’t. But, among all the software for email marketing and list building, it becomes still difficult for many people to choose the best one for their needs. Best email marketing software uk and best free email marketing software are two different things though they are similar at first sight. When it comes to improving your sales or making your business better, you have to take into consideration which of them will be a lot more helpful.
Nowadays, using a good email marketing software for small business uk is an important element for the success of every business. If you want to promote your own business or want to promote other people’s products by providing a newsletter service, you need a reliable email service. Even if you are already subscribed to newsletters from different companies and you don’t have any problems with reading them – this article is perfect for you because it will tell us about best free email marketing software uk 2021.
Best Email Marketing Software Uk Email marketing services are online tools that help businesses manage the creation, distribution and analysis of email campaigns. These solutions empower companies to efficiently and affordably build a successful strategy by automating large-scale email communications as well as offering a wide range of customization tools to create unique messages for each audience.
We selected the best Email Marketing Software Solutions in 2021 to help you write, edit and optimize all of your outbound email marketing campaigns to drive more sales is a popular method of advertising and promotion that can be used by businesses, individuals, and non-profit organizations. The purpose of email marketing is to generate leads or sales but also to nurture leads.
Email Software selection tips for marketers on a budget
Here are 4 tips for those who are especially looking for low-cost email marketing software.
Selection tip 1: Have a look at more than one system
It is a good idea to look at more than one email marketing system. This makes sense – and you were probably thinking about doing so already. Check for 2 or 3 options that seem to be a good fit and create an account to have a look inside. All of the email software on this page has a free trial and some even a free sending plan, so they are the best MailChimp alternatives you could find. There is no risk to give them a try to see if you like what you see.
Selection tip 2: Don’t be afraid to spend a bit if you like the tool
Don’t be afraid to spend a bit if you tried and like the email platform. Squeezing pennies is the worst mindset for growth. As long as the ESP fits in your budget range, don’t mind a few dollars. Go with the best option for you. You are worth it. Email marketing can be such a great channel, the investment will seem small in comparison to your results.
Selection tip 3: Think maximum of 1 year ahead
Of course, you want an email marketing solution that will do what you want in the near future. Don’t look too far ahead though, especially when shopping for an ESP for the first time.
Think of what you will be needing this year, it will be more realistic. You save time, evaluate only things you need and prevent over-buying. At least you are not paying for features you won’t be using!
Selection tip 4: Today is better than tomorrow
Get started. Just take the first step by trying out some of the software. Add a list, build it out and send those first emails. If your needs are simple enough, you don’t need to take a lot of time comparing each and every solution. There is nothing more expensive than waiting to start with email marketing.
Selection tip 5: Get the discount and Extra’s
Many email providers give discounts (10 – 20%) for taking a yearly subscription. If you like the system, don’t forget to grab that discount. Non-profits might even get an extra discount. From the vendors we talk about here, 2 already give an extra discount if you sign up via this page. (No need to thank me, I do it with pleasure.)
MailerLite
MailerLite is a strong competitor in the creators and small-medium business bracket. It includes the basics you need for successful email marketing like surveys, automation, popups, and landing pages. MailerLite also integrates with dozens of eCommerce platforms and marketing tools you’re probably already using.
At a glance, it appears to be one of the more understated platforms, and this is largely due to it’s clean design. But that’s also what makes it powerful. Everything about the platform is geared towards growth, from eCommerce campaign functionality to automation, segmentation, promotional pop-ups, and the ability to create landing pages.
Key Features:
- A website builder and landing page builder for quick web asset builds.
- Pop-ups and embedded forms help you bring in more leads.
- Personalize your campaigns using advanced targeting features.
- Test, experiment, and streamline your emails to improve your email marketing benchmarks.
Pricing:
MailerLite is free for up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month. Pricing starts at $10/month.
Keap
Keap is technically a customer relationship management service, but it has robust email marketing, automation, and sales tools, earning it a spot on our list of the best email marketing platforms. Keap includes automation and workflows, templates for emails, quotes, invoices, and proposals, and it integrates with your other favorite business tools and apps. The true power of this platform is it’s automation and CRM. These help you turn current customers into repeat customers, and they are easy to navigate. Keap also integrates with your other favorite business tools and apps, making it a smart move for small eCommerce brands with a growing MarTech stack.
Key Features:
- Advanced marketing and sales automation, customizable campaigns, and app integration to power growth.
- Automatically capture new leads, assign tasks, and trigger personalized messages.
- Manage your contacts and leads in Keap and sync your Outlook and Gmail.
- Revenue reports and analytics help drive smarter brand decisions.
Pricing:
Keap offers a free trial. Pricing starts at $79/month.
Constant Contact
Constant Contact helps you create email marketing campaigns like a pro. It includes a smart email editor that makes it easy to customize and design great-looking emails that stand out on every device. IOther features that make it a catch for smaller brands and non-profits include automation, social marketing for lead generation, and the ability to build websites and landing pages. Constant Contact also has specialized email marketing for eCommerce tools to help your online store grow. You can upload contact lists from Excel, Outlook, Salesforce—or wherever you store your contacts.
Key Features:
- A smart email editor to design professional and aesthetically pleasing emails.
- Email marketing automation, including a welcome email for new subscribers, triggered email series, contact segmentation, resend emails to non-openers, and powerful list-building tools.
- Smart eCommerce tools-and results, including segmented and automated emails.
- Website and landing page builder.
- Social marketing for posting ads, scheduling content and tracking performance.
Pricing:
Constant Contact offers a one-month free trial. Pricing starts at $20/month.
AWeber – The Best Customer Support Availability
Payment Plans: Based on the Number of Contacts
Pricing: Starting From $16.15
Ease of Use: 3/5 – Average
Free Version: Yes
Drag & Drop Editor: Available
Mobile-Friendly Editor: Yes, browser
Ease of Use
Here’s what our testers had to say: “The user experience could be better when looking at building your emails or adding and removing contacts from a list. However, once you get used to the layout, it becomes easier to navigate.”
You have three options for adding contacts to your list: adding them one at a time, copy-pasting multiple contacts at once, and importing contacts from a file. The last two options trigger a five-step process. There you add more data about your contacts, opt for sending a confirmation email to your subscribers, add tags, and confirm the origin of your contacts. The process feels a bit clunky but doesn’t take long to go through.
We didn’t find a convenient way of adding or removing contacts from a list, which was a significant drawback. We managed to do it by exporting the list, making changes, and importing it again to a different list, but that took a lot of effort.
You can create your email using the built-in drag and drop email builder, plain text, or custom HTML code. When using the builder, you can access pre-made templates from the editor, so don’t get disheartened by the blank slate. Choosing a template only adds the empty blocks and structure of your chosen template, which isn’t very obvious.
There’s also no next step for sending the email right after you’ve created the email. Instead, you have to save and exit from the editor and navigate to scheduling your message. From a new user’s perspective, we feel that this process isn’t very smooth and straightforward, as some of the other easier ones we’ve seen.
Sending your email to your contact list is an easy process and takes just a few minutes. You pick the email you want to schedule, choose the pre-built email list, and select when you want your campaign to go out.
Mobile Editor
AWeber has two mobile applications: AWeber Stats and AWeber Atom. Unfortunately, you’re unable to create or edit emails with them. You can view your campaign’s ongoing statistics with the AWeber Stats app, and you can add subscribers to your list from the AWeber Atom app.
However, AWeber’s email editor is fully-functional in the mobile browser.
Features
The unique aspect of AWeber is its AI-powered email template designer. If you’re a beginner, this makes the whole process of creating your email a lot easier.
The other main features are the drag and drop email builder tool, email automation options, personalized emails, tag-based contact targeting, sign-up forms, and a free image library. On top of that, you can also create video-based landing pages.
AWeber offers a fantastic 24/7 customer support over the phone, email, or live chat. They also have an extensive knowledge base where you can find answers to typical questions that might arise.
Pricing & Plans
AWeber offers a free and a paid plan. The paid option is based on the subscriber count, and you can choose to pay monthly, quarterly, or annually. Opting for the latter offers you the lowest prices.
Apart from the free plan, AWeber’s plans start at $16.15/month with 500 contacts ($0.0323/contact)
AWeber also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee with no questions asked.
Sendinblue – Best for Growing Your Customer Base
- PRICE STARTS AT FREE
- UNLIMITED CONTACTS
- DRAG & DROP EDITOR
- HIGHLY CUSTOMIZABLE
Sendinblue offers one of the most popular email marketing services on the market. Everything you need to launch and track an email campaign is built in. Add your content to their machine and watch your outreach take flight.
This is a mature platform–it’s got all of the features you expect and more. You can add live chat to your site and grab new email addresses from folks browsing your store or learning about your company.
There’s a lot to like. More than 40 customizable templates, simple tools to build workflows, and a built-in CRM with room for as many contacts as you like.
Don’t just take my word for it–you can use the free forever version of Sendinblue right now. Once you see how it drives, you’ll understand why it’s so popular.
In terms of reaching more people, Sendinblue has everything you need. They provide a host of lead nurturing tools to help you grow your contact list:
- Landing pages. Create actionable and engaging web pages to collect leads for you.
- Sign up forms. Place forms anywhere on your website to get user information.
- Facebook ads. Leverage the power of Facebook marketing to nurture more leads.
- Retargeted ads. Powerful ads based on a user’s previous online interactions.
Make it as simple as possible to build that list with eye-catching forms that turn website traffic into subscribers. Sendinblue’s intuitive interface makes embedding a form no harder than a few clicks.
It’s easy to see how these tools help you cultivate audience, lead, and customer growth. And, unlike other email marketing services, Sendinblue can support chat and SMS if you want to drive leads on your site or by text.
The platform is available via a fantastic free plan that gives you unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails per day. That’s a pretty great deal—especially if you’re running a bootstrap startup or solo operation.
Their email builder has a beginner-friendly editor that allows you to easily create the look and feel of your email.
They currently offer four different pricing tiers:
Free — 0$ per month
- Up to 300 emails per day
- Unlimited contacts
- Chat
- SMS marketing
- Email template library
Lite — $25 per month
- Up to 100k emails
- No daily sending limit
- A/B testing
- Remove the Sendinblue logo
Premium — $65 per month
- Up to 1MM emails
- Marketing automation
- Facebook ads
- Retargeted ads
- Landing pages
- Telephone support
Enterprise — Customized pricing
- Customized email volume
- 20+ landing pages
- Customer success manager
- Access for 10+ users
- Dedicated IP
The Lite plans should be more than enough for most small businesses and startups.
However, as your business scales, the Premium option is always a great option. That comes with even more marketing features such as Facebook and retargeted ads, along with telephone support.
Try Sendinblue today. Start out for free, and upgrade when it’s time to grow.
What to look for in selecting cheap email marketing software
Now you have seen the tools available one-by-one, and an overview of what they have to offer. I’d say you probably have one or two favorites already. But let’s talk about comparison and what you should actually be looking for when comparing cheap or free email marketing services.
As with all newsletter software, there are a lot of shiny gimmicks and hyped features that will easily distract you from the real things you need.
When it comes to email marketing systems, there are only a few key factors that’ll move the needle for you.
- Marketing automation and autoresponders
- Segmentation and email lists
- Responsive Email templates
- Reporting
- Support
- Price (Ok, I put this here – because that was sort of the point of this post)
Conclusion
Email marketing software is a crucial aspect for any firm that depends on email as one of its core marketing channels. Unlike social media, email marketing allows you to send personalised and actionable messages at scale than any other communication medium (with effective automation). The email marketing software helps you manage your list, schedule emails, send bulk emails and track sends and results. The best email marketing software comes with such a wide range of features that it can be challenging to choose the right one.
The best email marketing software uk can be found, depending on your needs. However, most of it is expensive and tailored for large businesses. There are various kinds of email marketing and other kinds of subscriber management options, but choosing the one which best suits your organization might seem overwhelming.