21+ Best Email Marketing Software Services & Platforms (2023)

What Are Email Marketing Services?

A simple email marketing definition is the use of email to promote products or services.
Even better, email marketing is a way to use email to nurture and develop relationships with your email subscribers to complete an end goal like a sale.
Email marketing is just one form of digital marketing, including search engine marketing, social media, SEO, blogging, etc.
Before email, direct mail was a way to reach consumers in their mailboxes.
Email marketing takes this strategy online by sending messages to users electronically to their email inboxes.
Unlike direct mail, email requires users to opt-in to your email list to receive your messages.

How Does Email Marketing Software Work?

Email marketing software (or e-mail marketing) uses online platforms to send bulk marketing email messages to your list of subscribers.
This tactic allows you to acquire new customers better, enhance relationships, and encourage customer loyalty.
With email marketing campaigns, you can quickly and easily reach your audience exactly where they are without having to pay for expensive advertising space on Google or Facebook.
The best email marketing software works by leveraging some of these essential features:

1. Automation.

The ability to send email sequences when a user joins your mailing list or performs an action on your website.
These could include making a purchase or abandoning their shopping cart.

2. Custom email templates.

Drag-and-drop email campaigns take the coding requirements out of email marketing so you can focus on adding content and images to your emails.

3. Dynamic content.

You can use merge tags in your emails to customize them for each member of your email list by dynamically changing them.

4. List segmentation.

The longer you engage with your email list, the more data you collect, including open rates, interests, purchase history, etc.

5. Analytics dashboard.

E, including open rates, click-through rates, purchases, and more.

6. Advanced features.

Look for other cool features to add to your campaigns, like polls, contests, coupons, and events.

What Are the Benefits of Email Marketing Platforms?

Email marketing is crucial because it is one of the best ways to build a loyal following, generate revenue, and find users where they hang out – in their inboxes.
When users opt into your email list, they have shown interest in your business and are ready to receive your messages.
Since 74% of buyers identify word of mouth as influencing their purchasing decisions, email is a natural extension of that ability to collect and share information that’s important to them.
Additionally, if you’re in sales, email is the third most influential source of information for B2B audiences, behind only personal workplace connections and recommendations from industry thought leaders.
By choosing the best email service, you cost-effectively send messages at scale, speak to warm leads without cold email outreach, and don’t pay a fee outside your monthly subscription.

Here are more benefits of using email marketing services:

• Email marketing is cost-effective and has a proven ROI (every dollar spent can create a $44 return on investment).
• Ease of use and pre-designed email designers make creating stunning and mobile-friendly emails a breeze.
• Email is one form of multi-channel marketing that builds customer loyalty and brand awareness
• You reach your customers exactly where they are – their inbox.
• Email allows marketers to reach their audience with relevant, personalized, dynamic messages – 74% of marketers say personalization increases customer engagement.
• Automated emails like abandoned cart emails, welcome emails, and post-purchase emails allow you to generate incremental revenue with little work or time required.
• Email marketing options are endless, and you can find easy-to-use tools, whether a small business or a large enterprise.

How To Improve Your Email Marketing Through Split Testing

Split testing is a method marketers use to determine which version of any given message works best with their audience.
It involves sending out two distinct versions of an email campaign and comparing the results to determine which one performed better.
You could test anything from the subject line, content format, call-to-action, or imagery used in the email to find out what resonates best with recipients.
The Benefits Of Split Testing
Split testing can be incredibly beneficial for optimizing your email marketing campaigns as it allows you to gain insight into the preferences and interests of your customer base without having to spend a lot of time or money on research.
Furthermore, it can help you identify potential problems with your emails before they go out, allowing you to adjust accordingly.
Additionally, split testing can help you craft more effective emails explicitly tailored for your target audience, thus increasing engagement and conversion rates.

How To Get Started With Split Testing

Getting started with split testing is relatively straightforward; all that’s needed is basic coding knowledge and access to an analytics platform such as Google Analytics or Mixpanel.
Once you have set up a test, you can begin by creating two different versions of an email campaign—one with a longer subject line and one with a shorter subject line—and sending each one out to different segments of your list at the same time.
After analyzing the results from both campaigns, you will then be able to determine which version performed better than the other and make changes accordingly for future campaigns.
Split testing is beneficial for improving your email marketing efforts and maximizing ROI.
By taking advantage of this method of experimentation, you can gain valuable insights into customer behavior while ensuring that every email sent out is tailored specifically for its intended audience to drive higher engagement levels and increase conversions.

What Are Some Email Marketing Best Practices?

Email marketing isn’t as simple as sending a message to a list of contacts.
Tons of email marketing best practices exist when it comes to this channel.
There are also various email marketing industry benchmarks to hit.

Here are some of the top email marketing best practices to be successful this year:

1. Do Not Use Purchased Email Lists.

Email marketing is effective because people want to engage with your business and receive your message.
Buying email lists takes away this trust by spamming their inbox with something they don’t want.
And the penalties for not following these rules are severe.
According to Keap (formerly Infusionsoft), you can be fined up to $16,000 per incorrect email under the CAN-SPAM Act.
The health of your email campaigns depends on a healthy open rate.
If you are interacting with a purchased list, you’re bound to have super-low open rates and spam complaints, and you can even be blacklisted.
With the recent General Data Protection Guarantee (GDPR) rollout, it bears repeating – never purchase email lists.
You should also clean your email list regularly to ensure your contacts are up to date.

2. Personalize Content with Merge Tags.

An email titled “Dear {first name}” is much more personal than “Dear Member.”
Any piece of data that you collect from your email subscribers should be used to personalize the content they receive.
A merge tag can fire if the item fits in a column within a CSV file next to their email address.
A merge tag is a piece of ESP-specific code that allows you to place unique user data from your email list into your emails.
First and last names are the most popular merge tags at an email marketer’s disposal.
Plus, you can use other cards like company name, date of the previous visit, number of emails opened, products purchased, or information from a survey.
Using merge tags in your initial greeting is a great place to start making your email more personal.

3. Write Compelling Subject Lines.

Email subject lines should be concise and compelling and create a sense of urgency while providing enough information, so the user knows what they’re opening.
Sound confusing? Don’t worry – it isn’t.
Subject lines should be between 30 and 50 characters (many email providers cut off subject lines more extended than that).
They should cut through the noise and entice users to act.
Using numbers and symbols, well-thought-out emojis, and exciting offers and discounts will increase your open rates.

4. Use a Welcome Email Series for New Subscribers.

Email automation is a powerful tool most often used in emails that welcome new subscribers into the list.
These free autoresponder emails send automatically when new users opt-in to your list.
You can time these emails so that your subscribers get them on day one, day three, day five, or even day ten.
Only you know the correct cadence for these emails based on your business goals.
For example, an e-commerce website may offer a 10% discount on the first welcome email.
For emails 2 and 3, they can further showcase their brand story, product catalog, and social media accounts.
A welcome email series is great because it runs on autopilot, engages your list, and nurtures prospects into customers.

5. Format Your Emails Properly.

Emails should be between 500 and 600 pixels wide – any more than that, and users may have to scroll horizontally on their mobile devices.
Never make your “from” email address a “no-reply” email, like noreply@adamenfroy.com.
Make it a name your subscribers will instantly recognize.
Place your main marketing message and call to action (CTA) above the fold so that most users will see it immediately.
In your email content and imagery, stick to three fonts or less, and ensure the design matches your brand’s look and feel.
Finally, put your logo at the top of the email, so subscribers recognize your brand at first glance.
How to Craft Engaging Email Copy that Gets Results
Crafting a compelling email copy can be challenging.
You want to ensure that your emails are engaging enough to get your message across and compel readers to take action.
But how do you do this? Here are some tips on how to write compelling email copy to get the desired results.
Know Your Audience and Goals
Before you start writing, you must know your audience and your goals with the email.
Understanding who your target audience is will help you determine the best way of communicating with them and how to craft a message that resonates with them.
Additionally, knowing what action you want the reader to take after reading the email (e.g., buy a product or sign up for a service) will help guide your messaging and content.
Write an Attention-Grabbing Subject Line
The subject line is one of the essential elements of crafting compelling email copy because it will determine whether or not someone opens your email in the first place.
It should be short but descriptive, so readers know what they’re about to read before they click on it.
Keep it concise and use relevant keywords to your message; try including words like ‘free,’ ‘limited time,’ or ‘save’ if applicable.
Incorporate Visuals
People respond better when visuals are included in an email—they make it easier for readers to digest information quickly and can capture their attention more effectively than just text alone.
Incorporate visuals such as images, GIFs, videos, infographics, etc.
Into your emails whenever possible; these can help break up large blocks of text and add an extra layer of engagement for readers.

Email Marketing FAQ.

What Are the Types of Email Marketing?

There are three main types of emails you can send to your list:

1. Newsletters and marketing emails. These emails are sent once to your list and provide up-to-date content, news, and offers.
2. Transactional emails. These emails are used in ecommerce and could be things such as order confirmation emails, receipts, invoices, and shipping confirmation emails.
3. Behavioral emails. These are emails triggered based on subscriber actions, such as welcome emails when a user joins your list, upsell/cross-sell emails, post-purchase review emails, re-engagement emails, or free trial expiration emails.

Can I Do Email Marketing for Free?

Yes, you can get free email marketing software if you have a small list size. For example, Mailchimp offers free plans if you have under 2,000 contacts and only need to send 10,000 emails monthly.

However, other popular tools have better deliverability, more unique designs, and more automation features. You get what you pay for.

How Do You Do Email Marketing?

To get started with email marketing, you need to follow these steps:

1. Choose an email service provider from this list and sign up.
2. Gather contacts via opt-in forms to grow your email list.
3. Create your initial email templates.
4. Create your welcome email series.
5. Use one of the best grammar checkers to ensure your content is free of errors.
6. A/B test your subject lines to improve open rates.
7. Preview your email on the platform to ensure it looks across all devices.
8. Schedule and send your email at the best time.
9. Review your email analytics to improve your engagement.
When is the Best Time to Send an Email?
The timing of your email sends depends on your customer data and your business type.

For example, Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to have the best engagement, with more people apt to open, read, and click your emails. Also, 8 am and 4 pm tend to be the best times of the day to send email messages.

How Do You Optimize Email Campaigns?

To optimize your emails and improve engagement, you need to conduct A/B split testing and view analytics reports to improve your numbers.

You should always test one variable simultaneously to understand how your data reacts. For example, you can conduct a test on the time of day, email subject lines, customer segment, the content of the email, the imagery used, and the call-to-action.

Once you formulate a hypothesis on what to test, view your reports, and see how the changes impact your open rates, click rates, unsubscribers, and sales.
Summary

That’s a wrap.

I hope this list of top email service providers helps you choose the right platform for your online business.
As there are many great tools, it’s ultimately about knowing your price point and which features are most important to you.
Startups require different features than an already-established business, so by focusing on price, deliverability, template designs, ease of use, and the unique features you need, you’ll be able to find the right fit.
My final recommendations:
• If you’re looking for an excellent new email service with advanced automation, go with ActiveCampaign.
• If you want excellent email deliverability and the all-around best platform for small businesses, Constant Contact is your winner.
• If you are looking to add email marketing to your CRM and integrated marketing toolkit, HubSpot is your best choice.
What did you think of this list? Are there any platforms not mentioned? Let me know in the comments.
Recommended Reading on AdamEnfroy.com: To further your research, check out my reviews of the best CRM software, marketing automation software, and webinar software to generate more leads this year.

Disclosure: I may receive affiliate compensation for some of the links below at no cost to you if you decide to purchase a paid plan. You can read our affiliate disclosure in our privacy policy. This site is not intending to provide financial advice. This is for entertainment only.