Bummer! This is just a preview. You need to be signed in with a Basic account to view the entire video.
Start a free Basic trial
to watch this video
Email management systems provide the ability to design, manage, and track the success of your outbound marketing messages.
Things to Consider
- How do you normally communicate with your customers online? Have you found a use for email for marketing your products and services?
- What platform do you use to send marketing emails? What sort of management tools and features do you have access to? How much does it cost?
- Do you prepare HTML and text versions of marketing emails?
- Are you aware of response rates to the emails you send? Have your email lists grown over time, and if so, how do you grow them?
Links
-
0:00
Those of you just starting out with email marketing
-
0:03
may be tempted to jump right in with a tool you're already familiar with.
-
0:07
Perhaps you want to send out a welcome message or information on your new app
-
0:11
using Gmail, Outlook, or some other web mail platform.
-
0:15
While it's possible to send out messages related to your business
-
0:18
through these systems, there are many great email management tools available,
-
0:23
some paid, some free, that provide features you will discover
-
0:27
you can't live without.
-
0:29
Email management systems provide the ability
-
0:32
to design HTML and plain text messages.
-
0:35
Users should be given a choice about what kind to subscribe to
-
0:39
as some have strong preferences.
-
0:42
Many email platforms also have design templates you can use to get started.
-
0:46
In most cases, however, you'll want to design your own template
-
0:50
and use it every time.
-
0:52
Email systems also provide basic statistics about the messages you send.
-
0:57
You can see how many people opened the message, how many emails bounced back,
-
1:01
and how many unsubscribed.
-
1:04
List management tools allow you to store addresses
-
1:07
and create segments for targeted emails
-
1:10
as well as give you tools to create an email opt-in form for your website.
-
1:15
And finally, some provide campaign management tools
-
1:18
that track the success of a group of messages over time
-
1:21
as well as conversion rates based on the links you included in each one.
-
1:26
So, what are some email platforms you should consider?
-
1:31
Most offer a number of different plans based on how much you want to manage
-
1:36
and do on their platform, but MailChimp offers a free plan
-
1:41
that allows you to manage up to 2,000 subscribers
-
1:44
and up to 12,000 emails per month.
-
1:47
While it imposes a few limitations on what you can do
-
1:50
it's free, and it offers a lot of flexibility for businesses just starting out.
-
1:56
Limited time free trials are also available on platforms like
-
2:01
MailerLite, Emma, iContact, Constant Contact, and AWeber.
-
2:08
Each one offers many of the same options with some differences,
-
2:12
including the variety of design templates,
-
2:15
access to social tools, newsletter integration, and mobile-friendly designs.
-
2:21
Whatever option you go with, do some research
-
2:23
and figure out which options mean the most for your business.
-
2:27
Keep in mind that free tools will only take you so far.
-
2:31
If you're starting out or are a small business with a limited number of subscribers
-
2:35
perhaps a free tool is all you need.
-
2:38
But consider the future.
-
2:40
Do you always want to be small or have a limited number of people
-
2:44
signed up to receive your updates?
-
2:47
It's important to keep an eye on how these free tools perform,
-
2:51
especially as you grow.
-
2:53
Consider a paid solution if and when you want to move things to the next level.
You need to sign up for Treehouse in order to download course files.
Sign up