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How do you find the right email service for your small business?
There are so many different options out there, it can feel overwhelming. Most reputable email marketing services will offer a 30-day free trial. But you still need to make sure that whichever email service you choose for your small business that it has all the features you are going to need.
Here are the most important features you need to look for when finding the right email service for your small business:
LANDING PAGES & SIGNUP FORMS
The number one feature your email service needs for growing your business is the ability to create landing pages or signup forms. You need to have a way for people to sign up for your email list. A landing page or sign up form allows you to collect customer data in exchange for a discount, freebie, printable, newsletter, etc. A good email marketing service will provide landing page and signup form templates that are easy to set up and use. Learn more about landing pages here.
EASY-TO-USE TEMPLATES
I think that every email marketing service needs to offer easy-to-use templates, especially if you’re a solo entrepreneur like I am. A good email system will have several choices of templates that you can use. The system I use, Aweber, has customizable templates for email newsletters, promotional messages, landing pages, email sequences, auto-replies, and more! Templates are key to working efficiently and saving time.
An extra plus is if your email service offers the ability for you to create and save your own custom templates. If you have a team or an assistant helping you with emails, you can always be sure that the messages they create are on brand and in your voice.
TAGGING
When you are finding the right email service for your small business, make sure you have the ability to tag your contacts. Tagging your contacts allows you to track them through a workflow, target the messages you send them, and organize your contacts on the back end. Aweber has a phenomenal tagging system. I can set up workflows that assign tags and unassign tags when certain things happen. It has been a total lifesaver and allows me to control and niche down the content I am sending to my subscribers.
EMAIL SEQUENCES & WORKFLOWS
At some point, you will want to build email sequences or workflows. Whether it’s to follow up with customers after a purchase or to send your subscribers a sequence of emails after they sign up for your newsletter. Make sure you choose a platform that makes email sequences and workflows easy to build and easy to edit.
I LOVE the drag and drop workflow templates that Aweber offers. They are simple, clean, and easy to edit without being confusing.
WEBSITE INTEGRATION
If you are a blogger or you have your own website, you want to make sure that the email marketing platform you choose integrates well with the website you already have. For example, I use WordPress for my website. I made sure that the email platform I chose would work well with WordPress. Aweber actually has a widget that works directly with WordPress so it makes my life so much easier. When I create a signup form in Aweber, I can just turn on the widget on any page on my blog. It’s fantastic!
SUPPORTS YOUR TYPE OF BUSINESS
When finding the right email service, make sure the platform you are considering supports the type of business you have. Some platforms have rules about the types of businesses they will support. For example, MailChimp doesn’t support direct sales businesses. If you are in direct sales and using MailChimp, you are taking a big risk. They have been known to shut down accounts without warning.
AWeber actually is growing their focus on direct sellers…they actually want to work with direct sellers. But whatever email service you choose, before you invest money and time, make sure you’re not breaking any rules by using a certain service with your business.
GDPR COMPLIANCE
I am by no means an expert on GDPR. Just know that you need an email service that is GDPR compliant. For more information, you can read about it here.
EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE & SUPPORT
I didn’t know I needed good customer service and support until I had it! And now I will never go back. Make sure that the email service you choose has accessible technical support and amazing customer service.
Don’t get me wrong. When I was using MailChimp, I loved having a free service. I loved not having to worry about an extra expense in my business. But while I was learning how to use Aweber, their customer service department helped me every step of the way. Every time I got stuck I could call them. I could email them. I could chat with them live 24 hours a day. I have asked them the dumbest questions and they always help right away.
I cannot stress enough how important great customer service and support is, especially if you are a solo entrepreneur. When you have a ton of stuff on your to-do list, it is such a time saver to pick up the phone or quickly chat somebody and get help.
If you want to learn more about Aweber and sign up for their 30 day free trial, check them out here. You won’t be sorry!
If you have any questions about choosing an email service, want help setting up your email, or want to share which email services you love, comment below or email me at katie@belablue.com.
I’d love to hear from you!
Want more tips like these? Check out my other blog posts:
4 REASONS YOU NEED AN EMAIL LIST FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
15 ENGAGING EMAIL CONTENT IDEAS
GROW YOUR EMAIL LIST WITH A SIMPLE LANDING PAGE
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