If you've had any experience over the last 10 years with marketing your business online, it's a safe bet that you've probably heard people say "the money is in the list" - and by list, they mean email marketing. Though the size and industry of your company will usually determine the message and approach, experts agree that email marketing is still one of the best performing channels for businesses of all shapes and sizes.
According to the Q4 2011 North America Email Trends and Benchmarks Results, released by Epsilon in April 2012, triggered messaging is where the future of email marketing is heading. "The percent of triggered messages grew almost 20% from 2010 to 2011, with quarter over quarter growth throughout 2011. Triggered messages are now a vital component of any email marketing program and clearly outperform business as usual messages that tend to be less targeted", said Judy Loschen, Vice President of Digital Analytics at Aspen Marketing Services.
In order to help you get more targeted with your efforts and start thinking outside the box, we thought we'd feature 5 email marketing services that you might not have heard about - beyond the more popular services like MailChimp, Aweber and Constant Contact.
With over 73,000 clients and a handful of awards under their belt, the folks at Benchmark Email focus on exceptional customer service and support to separate them from their competitors. With real-time campaign reporting, a mobile-friendly iPhone app and a variety of list segmentation options, Benchmark Email puts together an attractive package - starting at $9.95 per month.
Mailigen's product philosophy is pretty straight forward: to offer an email marketing platform that is flexible, easy to use and cost effective. Targeting companies of all sizes, they boast email web analytics, activity-based segmentation, geographical targeting and split-testing as some of their key features. Sign up with a free trial or choose a package, starting at $10 per month.
"Powering customer relationships" is the tagline of email marketing service Campaigner, and rightfully so. Built by marketers for marketers, they offer industry-specific design templates (real estate, insurance, internet retail, travel etc.), 24/7 customer support and a 97% campaign delivery rate - which is impressive to say the least. Add on Salesforce integration and you've got yourself a winner! Plans start at $10 per month.
With their super-cute logo and unconventional website design, Mad Mimi may seem a little fluffy at first - but don't let that fool you. Mimi's module-based system makes it super easy to launch a campaign, and they take pride in their human approval process and developer-fuelled chat support. If you're looking for a funky alternative, give Mimi a try for as little as $8 per month.
Probably more recognized than the services we've just listed, Vertical Response creates a unique offering by combining email, social media and direct mail marketing into a single platform. Integrating seamlessly with Salesforce and the Google Apps Marketplace, they also provide clients with free marketing webinars, case studies and podcasts to help you get the most bang for your buck. Email plans start at $8.50 per month.
Do you have any "chimp alternative" email marketing services that you would like the world to know about?
Image courtesy of Biscarotte