The #1 mistake I see people making when they say they’re using email marketing, is not using an email marketing software.
They’ll say,
“I just add all my contacts in the BCC field in my Gmail and send my newsletter that way.”
When I hear that I just want to flip the table over!
Sometimes I feel like this Panda:
Don’t you know how dangerous that is? Do you want your Gmail to get flagged as spam?
Didn’t think so.
That’s why you MUST use an email marketing software if you’re sending out emails to large groups of people.
One caveat: this does not count if you’re sending emails to:
- Invite a group of friends to a party
- Create a group email for a small class
But for every “mass communication,” you’re doing via email to your subscribers, you’re gonna need an email software to handle it for you.
Which Email Software Should I Use?
Most email software is pretty robust. They all have more or less the same features.
They do the same thing. So which one should you use?
It doesn’t matter. Just pick one you like and go with it. Take a few of them for a test drive and see which interface feels most comfortable.
Here are some quality options:
Personally, I use Aweber, but I’m not sure I would recommend it for new users. Their technology hasn’t advanced as fast as their competitors, but I’m locked into their software because of all of the various funnels and email systems I already have in place. It would take me too much time to switch over so I make the most of it.
If I were to switch, I’d probably switch over to Active Campaign due to their robust funnel automation systems.
But if you’re just starting out, I always recommend Mailchimp because it’s free for up to 2,000 users. I started with Mailchimp way back in the day (2010 I think), and they’ve only gotten better since then.
What Does Your Email Software Need to Do?
Regardless of what email software you decide on, here’s what you need it to do:
- You need to be able to create multiple lists
- You need to be able to set up automatic emails so that you can create a welcome sequence
- You need the ability to create opt-in forms, or it needs to integrate with your landing page software
- You need detailed analytics on your open and click-through rates
- You need automation that moves your subscribers to different lists or sequences depending on their actions
Everything else is just icing on the cake. Advanced features, fancy designs, etc. As long as it does the above things, you should be good.
Need Help?
This week has been the first part of my four-part series on email marketing.
In the next three weeks we’ll tackle:
- How to never run out of ideas and how to write with confidence
- How to create a welcome sequence that does all the heavy lifting for you
- How to optimize your website to get more subscribers to your list
If you’d like to dig in deeper and get personalized help with your email marketing, I’m offering some free Strategy Calls next week.
So if you want to jump on the phone with me and get your most burning questions about email marketing answered in less than 30 minutes, hit the link below to schedule your call:
https://calendly.com/bjorgvin/strategy-calls
There are limited slots available so make sure you schedule your call today.