We’ve heard it said— whispered really— that email is dead.
It’s the old way of doing things— fine for old fashioned businesses stuck in the stone age, but antiquated, ineffective, and a waste of your digital marketing efforts.
But we’re here to tell you, that couldn’t be further from the truth. (In fact, there’s a good chance you’re reading this article because of an email!)
Here are the stats to prove it:
- The ROI on email marketing campaigns is through the roof, $36 for every $1 spent
- In a Hubspot survey, 77% of marketers have noticed an increase in email engagement just in the past 12 months
- 64% of B2B businesses say email marketing campaigns helped them reach their business goals
If you’re sending bad emails, you’re going to get bad results. That’s a no brainer.
But if you’re creating compelling email campaigns, properly segmenting your audience, linking out to high-quality landing pages, and providing value through your marketing emails, you’re going to see remarkable results.
Email campaigns work because they meet people wherever they’re at in their customer journey
Here’s the real talk: Only 3% of your target market is ready to buy from you right now!
Yes, 3%!
Take a look at this eye-opening chart—
All the marketing efforts, email campaigns, and landing pages in the world won’t convert the other 97% right this minute.
But that’s okay, because that’s where email automation tools fill the gap. By keeping you in constant contact with your prospective customers, and limiting the number of inactive customers you have, marketing automation software ensures your business is top-of-mind when these customers are ready to make a purchase.
Best of all, marketing emails keep you in constant contact with your ideal customer, without being annoying, noisy, or in their face. They turn the curious into website visitors, and the visitors into customers, and then they keep those customers returning for more (and referring their friends!).
In short, email marketing is one of the most effective ways you can create steady, consistent revenue for your business.
These 3 email marketing automation tools make nurturing your leads a breeze!
So now that you know why email marketing is absolutely essential for your business, let’s take a look at a few email automation tools you can launch today.
And with three different price points, there’s an option here that fits every business size and budget. We’re not saying these are the absolute, hands down, best marketing automation software solutions on the market, but they’ve worked wonders for us and our clients.
(And btw, these aren’t affiliate links. We’re just excited to share our favorite marketing automation tools with our favorite audience, you!)
Let’s begin!
MailerLite is an ultra-lightweight email marketing automation tool designed to help businesses of all sizes grow subscribers and stay in contact with their leads.
Features
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A user-friendly drag and drop editor
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An advanced rich text editor
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Lots of newsletter templates
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E-commerce email marketing campaigns
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Built-in landing pages
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Embedded forms
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Automated workflows
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Advanced reporting
Who MailerLite is best for
MailerLite is one of the best email automation tools for small businesses and sales teams that need a quick, simple email marketing tool. While it lacks a few of the advanced automation features found in the other two tools we’ll highlight today, its low price point and ability to send unlimited emails to up to 1,000 subscribers make it a savvy entry-level choice.
Price
The free version of MailerLite allows you to send up to 12,000 emails to as many as 1,000 subscribers. You can send unlimited emails to 1,000 subscribers for just $9 a month. To enhance your basic email marketing automation, you can also add additional options, including SitesPro, MailerPro, and Dedicated IP add-ons for $10 to $100 per month.
Marketing Automation Software #2: ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is one of the most recognized names in the email automation software world because of its advanced marketing automation features, detailed customer data tracking, excellent customer service and support, and multiple integrations.
Features
- Machine-learning, to help you maximize every piece of customer behavior data
- Integrations with other platforms, like Shopify
- Accessibility across all major devices and browsers
- Enhanced email marketing automation tools and templates
- Online training & support
- Access to consultants
- An easy-to-use drag and drop email builder
- Newsletter templates
- Customer segmentation options
- Advanced data tracking
Who it’s best for
ActiveCampaign is an excellent email marketing software choice if you already have a growing list of leads, and need greater workflow automation tools. Because ActiveCampaign can be programed to handle advanced logic, multiple workflows, custom triggers, and multiple automations, it allows you to send targeted email campaigns following a highly specialized strategy.
Price
There are four tiers within ActiveCampaign. The bottom tier starts at $7.50 per month, and the top level is $139.50 per month. The top tier is best for enterprise-level businesses, while the Lite and Lite+ are better for small to medium-size businesses.
Marketing Automation Software #3: HubSpot
HubSpot is basically synonymous with online marketing. The marketing automation software HubSpot offers is top level, but you’ll pay a pretty penny for it.
Features
- Every email marketing automation tool you can think of
- Landing page builders
- Live chat support and project consulting
- Email scheduling
- Contact segmentation
- User-friendly email campaign design
- Advanced email personalizations, like videos and in-text additions
- Email testing and tracking
- A built-in CRM
Who it’s best for
Any business in any industry can benefit from HubSpot’s marketing automation software. The company offers some of the best email automation tracking and triggers, and is relatively easy to learn and use. And because HubSpot offers so many integrated features— from a CRM and website hosting to text capabilities and mobile-app support— it can streamline your entire marketing efforts.
Price
HubSpot’s basic email automation tools are free to use. You don’t need to set up a free trial, and your account never expires. But to access the more robust tools, you’ll have to purchase a Marketing Hub package. The Starter Pack is $50 per month for 1,000 contacts, while their Enterprise pack starts at $3,200 per month for 10,000 contacts.
Need help nurturing your leads?
At Lantern, we know consistent, strategic lead nurturing is an essential element of every marketing strategy. Staying in constant contact with the 97% of customers who just aren’t ready yet ensures your business is top-of-mind at purchase time.
When you partner with our expert marketing and strategy team, we’ll help you choose the right email marketing tools, narrow your target audience, and develop high-quality emails and content that leave a positive impression. Talk to our team to get started!
