Learning and understanding what email marketing tools or email software are, how they work, and what they do isn’t as easy as 2+2. This is especially true for new business owners or creators who want to expand their audience and increase connections by utilizing email marketing tools that can help them reach their business goals.
Now, learning about marketing tools can be a little boring, so to make things a lot easier, I’ve got a quick game that’ll help break it down in the simplest way.
Think about a show or movie that you love watching, then from there, pick your favorite character from that show or movie. You got it?
From here, I want you to think about why you picked that character. Is it because they’re relatable, funny, or genuine? Well, whatever it is, you sure as heck chose them because you’ve built a connection to them in some way, and in a nutshell, that’s essentially what email marketing tools are.
It’s the bridge that connects you to your audience, helping you form a closer relationship that eventually drives sales for your business.
But this is just a piece of the whole pie. We still don’t know:
- What these tools have to offer
- The benefits of them
- And, how to choose the right one
So enough with the analogies, and let’s jump right into the first one.
What Do Email Marketing Tools Have to Offer?
Not all marketing tools are built the same; some of their functionalities are different from one another, but that’s a topic for later. For now, we’ll keep it simple and go over broader features that nearly all email marketing tools have in common.
These are the exact features that all business owners and creators use to make their lives way easier.
Email Automations.
If you aren’t automating your business, then something is wrong. That’s why you’ll never find a marketing tool that doesn’t include email automations.
It’s what keeps your audience connected through automated campaigns and sophisticated workflows without having to lift a finger.
Audience Segmentation.
Segmentation is an important marketing feature. Without it, businesses could have a hard time targeting their campaigns to build a stronger connection with their subscribers.
Segmentation lets you divide your audience into certain groups or categories based on behavior, interests, audience demographics, and engagement.
Template & Design.
The bread and butter for marketing tools. Can’t expect to build email campaigns without any templates or design options.
Templates and designs can be used to create campaigns to match your brand and look professional. The two go hand in hand.
Analytics & Reports
Can’t grow if you don’t know where mistakes are being made. Analytics and reports are a feature you’ll find in every tool related to marketing, with some more accurate and in-depth than others.
They are mainly useful for helping businesses track progress and find areas to improve.
Tool Integrations
Nobody likes friction in business, so that’s why integrations exist. They allow you to synchronize data, connect different software or apps, and overall improve the efficiency of your business, keeping all of your tools organized and in one place.
Contact/Subscriber Management
Similar to segmentation but not quite. With contact/subscriber management, you can track engagement, segment contacts, and maintain a healthy email list — it keeps you organized.
The Benefit of Email Marketing Tools
Marketing tools aren’t just shiny, hypnotic features flashing in your face 24/7 that make you say, “I need it.”
In reality, most business owners don’t go looking for marketing tools for features — they choose one because of the return on investment.
Studies have even shown that email marketing delivers one of the highest ROIs of any form of marketing… so this isn’t just a fairy tale.
But let’s be honest, business owners and creators continue to use email marketing because it works effectively. And if you’ve made it to this point, then you probably recognize the potential it can have for your business too.
So in this section, you’ll learn exactly what the benefits of email marketing software are and why it’s one of the most powerful ways to drive sales, build loyal relationships, and market your business.
Large Return On Investment
A big reason why email marketing is popular among businesses is the high return on investment it generates. It’s easily one of the most affordable ways to market your business while driving consistent sales and revenue without spending a fortune.
As I mentioned earlier, several studies have proven what the ROI typically looks like. So if you’re the “see it to believe it” type, then go here to learn more about how it can benefit your business.
Increases Engagement
Marketing tools are great for increasing engagement, not only for your business but also for your social media presence.
Connecting with your audience and encouraging more opens and clicks leads to stronger relationships that make subscribers want to take action and even become loyal returning customers.
You can also promote your own social media through email marketing and drive traffic to your latest uploads.
Automate Your Business
Having to create, manage, and balance your business with email marketing can be exhausting and time-consuming. Luckily, with automations, you can still do that while also saving yourself time and stress so you can focus on greater tasks.
Think about not lifting a finger by automating certain workflows in your business, like welcome emails, to guide the subscriber through the customer journey quickly, re-engagement sequences to win back inactive subscribers, and more.
Strengthen Customer Relationships
What’s better than a one-time customer? Loyal and returning customers, that’s why strengthening customer relationships is so important (and why I had to include it here).
Customers love to be kept in mind and see how you value their feedback.
So if your goal is to build a loyal email list, then here’s what you can do: You can update your customers by giving them insider looks, exclusive content, acknowledging their opinions, or answering their questions.
Email marketing is your sidekick for building a deeper connection with your audience to turn them into loyal customers.
Builds Brand Awareness & Customer Retention
Everyone wants their brand to be known and at the top of everyone’s mind. Why? Because it results in turning qualified leads into customers and encouraging repeated purchases.
You can achieve both brand awareness and customer retention through consistent emails reminding subscribers why they initially signed up.
How To Choose The Right Marketing Tool?
There are hundreds of tools for marketing, some of which are vastly different from each other but fall under the same category. The most common tools are:
- Search Engine Optimization
- Customer Relationship Management
- Advertisements
- Email Marketing
- Video & Design
- Sales & Ecommerce
But our main focus here specifically is email marketing tools. It’s become one of the most common ways to do marketing, so it’s no surprise that there are countless tools to choose from.
Honing in on a tool that aligns with your business strategy and goals is important, but it can feel daunting. So I’ve gone ahead and written an article that lists the top 5 email marketing tools to choose from, and their pros and cons, so that you don’t have to keep looking.
Learn how to pick an email marketing tool that best fits your business goals.
Conclusion
By now, I would hope your head has stopped spinning from reading all of that, but the good news is you should now have a clear understanding of what exactly an email marketing tool is. Starting from the most common features, down to the benefits and impact it could have on your business.
Don’t go hunt for email marketing without knowing where to look and what you can use it for. Features and benefits are great for understanding the capabilities these tools have to offer, but they’re useless if you can’t align them with your business goals. That’s why you should check out this article to help you land on the right one and avoid any mistakes.
In case you ever need help getting started with email marketing, you can get in touch with one of us here. We’ll help guide you and take some of the stress off your plate.
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