You already know.
Email marketing is one of the most important disciplines within online marketing. But it can be hard to find your way around the systems - because which suits you, your website and your ambitions best?
Several marketing managers find it difficult to convince their management of the importance of e-mail marketing - and that's a shame. This is still one of the absolute best tools.
Today we use several channels, devices and platforms, and if we listen to data it tells us that the average person only pay attention for around 2 seconds. And therefore email should always be part of your marketing budget.
E-mail marketing is the most personal, direct and relevant way to engage your customers and potential customers. If you collect enough data and use it correctly, you will be able to reflect the behavior of each lead and thus ensure that everyone is exposed to tailored communication on target with their specific wishes and needs.
With e-mail marketing, you can collect endless amounts of 1st party data - which is the most valuable knowledge to have as a business owner. This is data that your leads have given you themselves. It can be everything from name and place of residence to shoe size, number of children and preferred car brand.
And if you need further persuasion, tell management that e-mail marketing is often the cheapest channel despite high conversions. Often the only expense, other than your own time, will be a small subscription to the e-mail system that you internally choose to use.
And once it's paid for, you can take advantage of all kinds of functions and options and continuously build up opening rates (here, of course, iOS15 must be taken into account), click rates, conversions, etc.
It is important to choose the right system
Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer to which e-mail marketing system is the best - neither overall nor for you. This is something that depends on your needs and your ambitions for your email marketing, which also can change over time. The fact that you choose one e-mail system now does not mean that you will never need to make a switch.
The range of systems is large, and therefore it can be a jungle to see which system is right for you now and here. However, there are a few considerations that you should always make before your final choice.
Firstly, you need to take a look at your marketing budget and clarify how large a subscription it can accommodate. For smaller and perhaps start-up companies, there may not be the biggest economy, while it may be a different matter for larger organisations.
You can find as many different price ranges and compositions as there are email systems. And of course you will find that the higher the price, the more functions you get.
You must then investigate which e-mail systems have an integration with the CMS you use. When you want to ensure that you get the best and most valid data, it is important to have access to the tracking from your website - it can be, for example, site tracking, event tracking and revenue tracking. And therefore it is advantageous to choose an e-mail system with a direct integration to the CMS you use.
Last but not least, it is important that you decide what you need with your e-mail system. Will it be used solely to send out a weekly newsletter, or would you like to be a bit more advanced with automations? And what about lead scoring, is that something you want to work with? It can also be relevant with dynamic segmentation, tagging, pop-ups, forms, etc.
Let's dive into our 7 favorite email systems
At MCB, we work with range of email systems.
Below we will take a deeper look at the 7 systems we prefer, so that you will have the opportunity to form an overview of options, prices and who each system is particularly suited to.
The systems range widely in relation to B2B and B2C and are based on both simple tools such as MailChimp and more advanced systems such as HubSpot, which contain everything from CRM and CMS to sales.
However, be aware that it is never possible to come up with a definitive answer as to which system suits you best.
The 7 systems we come across are:
- MailChimp
- KLAVIYO
- Drip
- MarketingPlatform
- Heyloyalty
- ActiveCampaign
- HubSpot
MailChimp
Pros:- Possibility of free start-up
- User-friendly interface
Price:
Free for up to 500 subscribers. After this around DKK 250 per month with a maximum of 2,500 subscribers with 'Essentials'.
The price increases as the number of subscribers increases.
Fits:
Start ups and small businesses that need to get started with email marketing and need simple functions.
MailChimp is one of the email marketing systems most used worldwide. This is not necessarily because it is the best system, it is often more an expression of the first choice when companies start with email marketing - especially because of the easy start-up and low price.
With MailChimp you get the most basic functions within email marketing such as automation and CRM. Therefore, it is a good place to start if a simple setup is desired.
MailChimp is easy, fast and cheap (free) to get started with. And the system is extremely user-friendly. Therefore, MailChimp is often also the ideal choice if you are new to email marketing and would like to play around with different options and functions.
If you are already know your way around email marketing, or if you have big ambitions for the channel, we would advise you to look at other systems than MailChimp. This is because you often have to upgrade your subscription to 'unlock' the use of e.g. email automation, and the price will thus often match other email systems that offer the same - and much more.
You can read about MailChimp's different packages and prices here.
KLAVIYO
Pros:
- Integrations to the largest e-commerce CMSs
- Good functionalities within automation, segmentation and personalization
- Clear pricing plans (choose between SMS, e-mail or both)
Price:
Free for up to 250 subscribers. After this €20 per month with a maximum of 500 subscribers.
The price increases as the number of subscribers increases or SMS is purchased additionally.
Fits:
E-commerce and companies that use Shopify or Shopify Plus.
Are you an e-commerce company? Then KLAVIYO might be the right system for you.
KLAVIYO is an email marketing system which is 100% dedicated to e-commerce and especially the CMS, Shopify. This is because Shopify owns KLAVIYO, and there is a fantastic and smooth integration with e.g. tracking, data and dynamic product feeds.
If you don't have a Shopify Shop, KLAVIYO may still be the right choice for you. There are good integrations for the following platforms:
- BigCommerce
- Commerce Cloud
- Magento
- WooCommerce
In KLAVIYO you have the opportunity to load 'Profiles', which cover customers in your shop, which means you will be able to use the system for transactional emails.
Klaviyo offers quite easy and clear functions in both automation, personalization and segmentation as well as reporting and analysis. And if you experience problems or doubts, there are a large number explanatory guides online as well as a chat support.
You can read more about KLAVIYO's various packages and prices here.
Drip
Pros:
- Integrations to the largest e-commerce CMSs
- +100 other integrations. Including for Facebook, Sleeknote and Zapier
- All functions are available from the start
- Sleeknote is part of DRIP
Price:
From $39 per month with a maximum of 2,500 subscribers. The price increases as the number of subscribers increases.
Fits:
Everything from start-ups to medium-sized and well-established webshops
Like KLAVIYO, Drip is a system dedicated to e-commerce.
With Drip, you get a CRM and email marketing system that includes everything from automation and segmentation to personalization. And as you may know, Drip bought the Danish pop-up system Sleeknote in 2022, which means that Drip now also gives you the opportunity to make effective and creative pop-ups for your website.
And for many, this means a financial gain.
Instead of experiencing expenses for both the email system, Sleeknote and possibly Zapier, which you might use to transfer leads from Facebook to your newsletter list, you can settle for the expense of Drip, as Sleeknote is part of the system, while Drip also has a direct integration for Facebook Lead Ads.
At MCB, we see Drip as a strong competitor to MailChimp.
With Drip you get an intuitive system which resembles MailChimp - but you get more than that like better and more advanced options for email automation without the need for additional purchases.
If we make a quick price comparison between MailChimp and Drip, we will also quickly experience a saving with Drip.
You can read more about Drip's various packages and prices here.
MarketingPlatform
Pros:
- Has a server in the EU and is GDPR compliant
- Possibility of lead scoring
- Danish system with Danish support
- SMS Marketing, which works in Denmark
Price:
From DKK 669 per month with a maximum of 2,500 subscribers. The price increases as the number of subscribers increases or more functions are purchased.
Fits:
Both B2B & B2C and companies who focus on being GDPR compliant within EU.
MarketingPlatform is a 'true omnichannel platform' with a built-in Customer Data Platform as well as output for email, SMS, app, web and social.
With MarketingPlatform, you get a system that contains everything from email marketing and SMS Marketing to marketing automation - and lots of data, which is stored on a European server.
In addition to sending individual newsletters, you can set up automations in the system's 'FlowBuilder', which you can tailor via an intuitive drag and drop editor. And in general, the user-friendliness is top notch.
In MarketingPlatform you will also experience an integrated option for SMS sending via automation - these can of course be personalized via individual data.
The system has also made it easy to integrate with both webshop systems, ERP systems, SoMe and various 3rd party tools for lead generation. And you can connect with an API, use Zapier as an integration hub or write code against the system's REST API or SDK.
You can read more about MarketingPlatform's various packages and prices here.
Heyloyalty
Pros:
- Has a server in the EU and is GDPR compliant
- Danish system with free Danish support
- SMS Marketing, which works in Denmark
Price:
Free for up to 200 subscribers. After this from DKK 164 per month. The price increases as the number of subscribers increases or more functions are purchased.
Fits:
Both small and large e-commerce companies and companies who focus on being GDPR compliant.
Heyloyalty is a Danish email marketing and marketing automation platform.
The platform offers functions for personalized and targeted content for potential as well as existing customers - content that can appear via both newsletters and text messages as well as web push, pop-ups and overlays.
And of course everything is designed and set up via a user-friendly drag and drop editor.
Via a 'segment builder' you can segment the data you collect on the contacts. This can be purchase history, interaction with newsletters and behavior on your webshop. You can also use 'and/or segmentation' and include and exclude people from your broadcasts.
And with web push you can communicate directly to your visitors via browser notifications.
The overlay function 'HeyOverlay' is an add-on to Heyloyalty, which makes it easy and fast to create personalized and dynamic sticky bars, landing pages and pop-ups.
You can read more about Heyloyalty's different packages and prices here.
ActiveCampaign
Pros:
- Integrations to the largest e-commerce CMSs
- Can handle both sales and marketing processes
- Advanced options within email automation
- Possibility of lead scoring
Price:
From $15 per month with a maximum of 500 subscribers. The price increases as the number of subscribers increases or more functions are purchased.
Fits:
Both small and large companies within B2B and e-commerce and companies who want advanced functionalities within automation.
With ActiveCampaign you get a system that offers functions within sales, marketing and e-commerce. And you get features to work with customer experience automation (CXA), which combines email marketing, marketing automation, sales automation and CRM.
You only pay for the functions you need, as you choose a subscription form based on your primary needs.
You can choose from the following:
- ActiveCampaign for Marketing (E-mail marketing & Automations)
- ActiveCampaign for Sales (CRM & Sales Automation)
- ActiveCampaign for E-commerce (E commerce e-mail marketing & Automations)
At MCB, we love ActiveCampaign.
It is only the imagination that sets limits to the automations you can build, and the system is particularly suitable for companies with more complex ambitions and wishes for integrated work processes between sales and marketing - especially if you are on a CMS with a direct integration for ActiveCampaign.
In addition, you get a well-developed drag and drop editor and a modern interface.
You can read more about ActiveCampaign's different packages and prices here.
HubSpot
Pros:
- Offers email marketing, CRM and CMS
- Can handle both sales and marketing processes
- Advanced options within email automation
- Possibility of lead scoring
Price:
Free for up to 1,000 subscribers. After this from 41 EUR per month. The price increases as the number of subscribers increases or more functions are purchased.
Fits:
Companies with a need to scale and manage complexity while connecting all activities.
HubSpot is for companies who need more than just an email marketing system.
With HubSpot you get a fully integrated Customer Data Platform that unites marketing, marketing automation, sales, web and customer service. It is the system for company owners, who run an ambitious B2B or B2C company, and who want to work efficiently and data-driven, as well as gather the entire organization and the various work tasks.
HubSpot consists of 5 Hubs; HubSpot Marketing Hub, HubSpot Sales Hub, HubSpot Service Hub, HubSpot Operations Hub and Hubspot CMS Hub.
The different Hubs are strong individually, but if you choose to combine one or more Hubs, you get a strong setup, based on data.
CRM is at the heart of HubSpot, so if you are only looking for a system for email marketing, we do not recommend that you choose HubSpot.
You can read more about HubSpot's different packages and prices here.
Do you still think the choice is difficult?
If you still think it is difficult to choose which system you should commit to, or if you are looking for guidance and help to move forward with the email marketing system you are already using, then we are happy to help you.
We are certified partners with several email systems and therefore offer expert advice and help for everything from sparring and setup to moving between the systems. We are happy to contribute to your integrations, and with several developers, we might be able to build what you need.
