‘Do I need an email marketing tool’? It’s a fair question, and one that every business is likely to ask itself at one time or another. Particularly when just starting out or beginning to scale up.
But here’s the thing. Any business that wants to attract more loyal customers is going to struggle without using an email marketing provider. It would be like trying to build a lead magnet without using ScoreApp.
Email marketing tools are too useful and offer too many ways to improve your lead nurturing and customer relations to be ignored.
So, the answer to whether you need an email marketing tool is yes. Yes, you do. Before you go and start comparing email marketing providers, though, let’s get up to speed on what exactly email marketing providers can offer your business.
What does an email marketing tool do?
Arguably, this is the big question. The uninitiated could be forgiven for thinking that an email marketing tool is just a fancier, subscription-based version of Gmail or Outlook.
In reality, email marketing providers offer extremely versatile and in-depth features that make engagement and nurturing more successful.
For example:
- Email automation: Responding to every customer action and sending out emails manually would take more time in a day than any team has in a month. Email automation lets you set up welcome and nurturing sequences, which kick off with a specific trigger, and reach customers and leads at all hours without fail.
- List management and segmentation: If you don’t keep track of your email list, you’re going to get lost pretty quickly. Using ScoreApp lead magnets, you can segment your email list into groups and target them for stronger results.
- Email templates and drag-and-drop editors: It can be hard to know how to get started. Most email marketing tools have even the greenest of beginners covered, though, with templates and drag-and-drop editors. You’ll have your emails ready to go in no time.
- Analytics and performance tracking (open rates, clickthrough rates, etc.): An email or campaign doesn’t end with hitting ‘send’. You need to monitor the campaign to see how effective it is. Examining open rates, clickthroughs, and other performance metrics will always make your campaigns stronger.
Key features to look for in an email marketing tool
Those are the most common features you should expect from an email marketing provider. But to really get the most out of any email marketing tool, you should be asking whether it offers more advanced capabilities.
- Automation workflows and triggers: Automation is your friend when it comes to nurturing a large list. Workflows can be automated to begin with specific triggers, such as completing a quiz, signing up for webinars or waiting lists, purchases and downloads, or even visiting certain pages. That’s a lot of emails that simply wouldn’t get through manually.
- Reporting and analytics dashboard: Are your key metrics easy to see and interpret? Email marketing tools will present your dashboard differently, so make sure you choose one you can use comfortably and efficiently.
- A/B testing capabilities: A/B testing goes hand-in-hand with analytics. Use what the analytics data tells you to alter subject lines, openings, CTAs and more. A/B testing lets you try out each variation and feeds back on how effective it is so you get the best performance out of your campaign.
- Easy integration with your CRM or website: Having separate aspects of your sales funnel is going to make things messy. Your email marketing tools should integrate with your CRM to keep track of leads, and integrate with your website for those automated triggers to work. Data and tasks should flow easily. That’s why we made sure ScoreApp can be integrated with just about any email marketing provider you care to use.
- Customer support options: Not all customer support options are created equally. Be sure you can access the support and guidance you need, when you need it, or else your own efficiency will be negatively impacted.
- Budget-friendly pricing based on business needs: Your email marketing provider should scale to match your needs. Many will offer free entry level, with payments increasing according to your list and automation needs. Know what you need and how much you can afford to spend on it.
Benefits of using an email marketing tool vs sending emails manually
There’s a chance you’re reading this blog post and are still unsure about why you should buy into email marketing tools. Do you need all the bells and whistles? Couldn’t you just send your emails manually?
Well, here are a few more benefits of using email marketing tools to convince you.
- Efficiency: Automating emails and campaigns has a huge time advantage over manual intervention.
- Personalisation: Along with data from a ScoreApp lead magnet, email marketing tools let you create personalised, scalable, content for each segment of your list.
- Consistency: Keep contact and engagement consistent with very little effort, thanks to triggers and automation.
- Data-driven decisions: Analytics and performance data let you make meaningful changes to your evolving email strategy.
- Compliance: Some email marketing tools help manage opt-ins and unsubscribes, keeping you on top of GDPR and other email marketing regulations.
Email marketing tools bring tangible value, no matter how small your business or email list is.
It’s always best to start saving time and maximising impact with automation now and scaling up when you need to with that knowledge and experience behind you.
Common concerns about email marketing tools
When considering email marketing, our clients will often ask about the particulars.
There are a few concerns that come up regularly, so let’s do a quick spot of mythbusting:
“Isn’t it expensive?” Actually, no! Not when you think of all the time and effort saved. Plus, most email marketing providers offer low-cost or free entry-level tiers. It’s a service designed to scale with you.
“What if I don’t have a big enough email list?” You don’t have to have an email list as long as your arm to benefit from automation. Automation means you can continue to engage and nurture your contacts.
“I’m not tech-savvy.” There are so many email marketing platforms, you’re sure to find one that operates at your level. Providers know they aren’t catering to email experts, and strive for user-friendliness. Most even come with templates to get you started and comprehensive support when you need it.
5 signs you need an email marketing tool
Sometimes, you’ll ask yourself a question when the answer’s staring you in the face. ‘Do I need an email marketing tool?’ for example.
If you recognise any of the following signs, then we’re going to go out on a limb and say, yes, you do need an email marketing tool.
Ready to look in the mirror?
- Your email list is growing and hard to manage manually
First of all, congrats! It looks like your ScoreApp lead magnet is doing the trick and giving you more leads to work with. Of course, the bigger your email list is, the harder it is to manage manually. Email marketing tools help you manage your email list by splitting it into segments and using content tags to ensure the relevant messaging goes out.
- You want to send targeted emails based on customer behaviour or preferences
Targeted and personalised emails are far more effective than generic messaging, but they’re also time-consuming. By integrating ScoreApp with your email marketing provider, you can set triggers based on customer behaviour, and create content that speaks to their quiz answers.
- You’re spending too much time on email follow-ups and newsletters
Imagine following up manually on every action with an email. You’d never have time for anything else. Automation, on the other hand, makes following up immediate and effective. Meanwhile, ScoreApp integration gives you access to content creation tools and templates that make newsletter writing a breeze.
- You need insights into your email performance to improve results
When you’ve put time and effort into an email campaign, you need to know the results and how they can be improved. The analytics you get from email marketing tools will show you your open and your clickthrough rates. Once you have those, ScoreApp’s built-in A/B testing will let you try variations of your content with each group for immediate insights.
- You plan to run email sequences for lead nurturing, webinars, or product launches
Let’s face it, if you’re planning on running email sequences for lead nurturing, webinars, product launches, or anything else, you’re going to need an email marketing tool. It’s the only way to keep on top of all the leads you need to send your emails to – and to make sure those leads stay engaged and moving down the sales funnel. Using behaviour triggers and segmenting your leads with ScoreApp makes keeping track of who receives each sequence and when easy. The more engaged a lead is, the more likely they are to convert.
Using email marketing tools and ScoreApp for better engagement and conversions
Do I need an email marketing tool? That’s the question we started this blog post with. Since you’ve read this far, we don’t need to tell you that the answer is a resounding and enthusiastic yes, of course you need an email marketing tool!
It might feel like a big step to engage an email marketing provider – and to find the right one. If you’re nervous, rest assured there are aspects that rarely change across tools. What separates them is their approach to a specific area, so you’ll be able to find which product best matches what you need.
No matter what email marketing tool you choose, you’ll save time and energy. Automating workflows, segmenting your list, implementing personalisation, and accessing analytics work together to increase success rates and efficiency. And by integrating with ScoreApp, you can take things to the next level with exhaustive lead data and instant A/B testing.
ScoreApp is free to try, so pair it with your new email marketing tool today and see the results for yourself.
