Choosing between email automation providers can be difficult. At SirusDigital.com, we have based automation on Drip (from the folks who brought us LeadPages). Their features and pricing structure make them a great option for a boot-strapping startup like ours. There is an eleven (11) video series that demonstrated their functionality and plenty of support options if you get stuck.
Here is a YouTube video from Rob Walling showing how easy it is to create an email campaign.
Features include:
- Visual Workflow Builder
- Automation Support for nearly 20 Triggers and Actions
- Lead Scoring
- Campaign Analytics
If you are looking for a solid Email Automation option, I would definitely recommend Drip. For new marketers or new online properties, few things are going to be their free trial option. With the exception of their custom 5-day training course & allowances to remove their branding, you get full features at no-cost up to 100 subscribers.
It is simply a tough-to-beat offer!
There are other Email Automation providers from which you can choose as well. I have included five (5) other options below. They are by no means the only choices, but represent well-regarded products used by many online marketers.
Features include:
- Drag and drop email builder (no HTML knowledge required)
- A/B testing
- Automated email nurturing campaigns through triggers/rules
- Behavior-based segmentation tools
- Personalization and dynamic content
For those who follow Ryan Deiss & DigitalMarketer.com, these two are options that he discusses in his training materials.
- Email marketing & automation
- Online marketing tools
- Shopping Cart
- Payment Gateway / Merchant Accounts
- Harness the campaign builder with limitless workflow capabilities and rules
- Leverage the integrated CRM to achieve email personalization
- Build web forms and landing pages without the help of developers
- Track web-visitor intelligence
- Unlock real-time campaign reports
- Seamless integration of email, marketing, and automation
- Audience Segmentation
- Contact / Lead Scoring
- Split Testing
When I was first getting started, I tried using Mailchimp as my Email Automation solution. It has a large base of users and a wide array of extensions / plug-ins. I found it challenging to get started, but that is probably more attributable to my lack of experience than a failing of their product. I am including it here based on its widespread usage.
- Quick to implement automation capabilities
- Numerous integrations with other products and services
- Create landing pages (and other web forms) without developers
- Large active community of users and service providers
This is a small subset of the available Email Automation providers. If you are searching for a solution for your business, take some time to investigate and compare features. Be sure to evaluate that life cycle stage and consider how that will affect your costs.
Above all, take action as your offer and your market are infinitely more important than what provider you choose! Get to customer #1 as quickly as possible. There is no better way to learn and improve than to take action and learn from your results.
