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If you go online and look up ‘Best Email Automation Software’ you will see hundreds and thousands of results. Browsing through these results and finding the best one can be a hectic task. As there are several good tools out there. But not all of them will be right for you.
So, to help you find the best one quickly I have a made a step by step process you can use the best marketing automation tool…
Make a list of your needs:
Start by making a list of the features you need. That should be your main concern. Your best email marketing automation tool should have all the features your business requires. This can include…
Email capture:
The most basic feature an email marketing software should have is the ability to capture and store subscriber information. This can include email addresses, names, locations, etc. Some software even let you capture mobile numbers as they offer SMS marketing features.
If you’re wondering Why should I use SMS marketing when I am already using email marketing? It’s because it offers the ability to reach people via multiple devices and make a strong impression. Also, SMS provides 592% higher order rates than email. You can run SMS and calling campaigns simultaneously to activate and nurture leads. SMS marketing using a small business phone system brings real-world human experience to the digital purchase journey.
Email delivery:
The next important feature you need to look for is the ability to send emails. This should include both autoresponders which are the emails that are sent automatically after a sign-up and broadcasts which you send manually to your subscribers.
Tagging:
Another important feature is tagging. If you send the same emails to all your subscribers you will end up getting more unsubscribers and fewer opens and clicks. This is why you should be taking advantage of tagging features to segment your subscribers based on their interests. Not all email automation software offer segmentation/tagging. Therefore, if you want this feature make sure you read the features pages thoroughly.
Sales tools:
For most people, the above three features will be sufficient, but if you are selling a product you might also require software with sales tools and checkout features. But then again, you might not require it if you are using good software.
So, have a good think about what your business needs and then determine which of the above features will suit you.
Note: Another important factor tool look for is regular software updates. A good email automation software will make these updates regularly.
Begin searching and reading features reviews:
Once you know what you require, you can begin using search engines and social media to look for your ideal software. Start by doing a search on Google with a keyword such as ‘best email marketing software’. Then visit the websites that show up in the results and read their features. If you like them you can read testimonials on their websites, reviews on other review sites and updates other people on social media.
To find the best reviews quickly you can use a site like Capterra where users leave reviews to products.
And begin preparing a shortlist of the software you like. The software should have all the features you require, have good reviews, and happy customers.
It should also be within your budget. I have to stress on this. You should be able to afford to pay for it not only now, but also in months and years from now. An email marketing software is a long term commitment and as your number of email and/or SMS subscribers goes up, the price will go up too.
Test out the software:
Once you have a shortlist of software you like, you can begin testing them out. Many will offer either a trial or a freemium plan. So, sign up for trials for all the software you liked. And check out all the features they provide and see how easy they are to navigate. Also, send out questions to see how good their support is.
If you have a team of people who will be using the software, get them all to check out the software too.
After you conduct your test you and your team can determine which software to go with. But be very meticulous about choosing the right software because moving later can become a hectic task, especially after your list grows.
Importance of Marketing Automation
Caffeine Marketing explains that marketing automation software resolves tedious and time-consuming marketing tasks, allowing business owners to focus on the most important sales and marketing aspects.
Check out the benefits of marketing automation:
1. Schedule your marketing campaigns and post them ahead of time.
You can use marketing automation software to set predetermined schedules for your marketing campaigns, allowing you to set clear goals that are measurable and time-bounded. In this way, you won’t be left behind by your competitors and be able to audit your strategies in real-time.
2. Make competitive marketing tasks more straightforward and avoid repetitive activities.
One good example of competitive marketing tasks is emailing potential customers. With marketing automation, you get to see potential customers with the highest probability of landing a sale through their access to your website or recent contact with your company.
3. Save time and effort with easy drag and drop user interfaces.
Marketing automation software has a user-friendly interface without so much learning curve involved.
4. Manage all social media campaigns using a single dashboard.
Whether you want to use Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or LinkedIn, you can handle all social media campaigns using one dashboard.
5. Get access to and greatly benefit from real-time analytics.
With marketing automation software, you’ll get to learn your strengths and weaknesses by using real-time reports generated by marketing automation software.
6. Determine what campaigns are working and what type of customers they’re applicable.
Be able to sort the best marketing campaigns using analytics reports and improve ones that don’t work. For instance, if you target Millennials, social media marketing, and video marketing are highly effective.
7. Personalize your sales and marketing campaigns across different channels.
Whether you want to market your brand in online or offline platforms or traditional advertising methods, it’s important to personalize your sales and marketing campaigns to gain more positive results rather than generic ones.
Conclusion:
This is the step by step process you should use to find the best email marketing automation tool. Start by making a list of features you and your business require. Also, determine what your budget is. Next, begin reading reviews of the best software out there and make a shortlist of the most ideal ones. After that, trial the software and pick your favorite.
This takes a bit of work, but it will ensure that you pick the right software the first time, instead of having to jump from one software to another and lose a lot of time and money. So, go and find your ideal email automation software now.
What are the most important features of email automation software? Did I forget to add anything important? Please leave your comments below.
About Matt Rimm
Matt Rimm is an inbound marketer. He likes to write about social media marketing and lead generation.
