5 Email Services to Use for Business for 2021: Picking an email provider for your business can be overwhelming but I’m going to help you through picking which one is best for you, based on easy to learn, cost and so much more!
After being in the online business world almost 10 years now, I’ve seen email providers and services come and go. Some recommended as “THE BEST” or “THE MUST HAVE” for bloggers or online business.
What is an Email Service?
In the beginning, I had no clue what people were talking about when they’d say “email service”. But when you have a blog or an online business, being able to send one email out to all of the people who subscribe to your email list, all at once, can be a game-changer.
So imagine writing one email about your new product that just came out, and with a click of a button, send that email to thousands. Plus, not only that… using an email service, you’ll more than likely be able to see how many people opened that email, who clicked on what link, and depending on the email service you choose… those that click on certain links in the email can automatically be added to another “lists” in the email service, so you can keep tabs on who’s interested in what. (This is a BIG deal in the marketing world when you want to pinpoint things to get a better understanding of who your customer is.)
What You Should Know…
BUT… what you may not realize… is if you’re newer to the online business world… a lot of email providers are only recommended because the “recommender” gets a big fat referral fee if you click on their link and sign up for the email service provider that they’re telling you to get.
What is a referral link?
It’s a personalized link that will tell the newsletter provider that I sent you, and they may, or may not give me a commission if you choose to use them.
Is that what I’m doing? 100% no. Will there be referral links tied to some of the providers that I recommend? Very possible. Why? Because I own an online business too and if I can make an income from the providers that I already use and love, to help support this website to help you in your business journey even more… then why not offer referral links? It doesn’t cost you any more than going to their websites directly!
PLUS… usually when you use an affiliate (or referral) link, the provider will offer a deal for YOU, that you may not see/get if you go to their site directly!
But what you can also count on, is that I only recommend a service if I TRULY believe in it, even if that means that some may have referral links and some may not. Just know that you can always go directly to their websites to sign up if you don’t feel comfortable using the links that I’ve provided below.
I remember what it was like starting out, not knowing who to trust and what I ACTUALLY needed. So I hope you can find that what I recommend truly comes from experience and/or knowledge and that I want the best for you and your business. Because if you do well, find success through something I’ve recommended… you’ll keep coming back to The Creative Business Mentor, right? Right.
5 Email Providers & Services for Businesses
So let’s get with it, shall we? I’ll place them in order based on my experience and favorites, and then will also explain why and what I love (and don’t love) about each.
Active Campaign
PROS: It is ROBUST. And by “robust” I mean it can do a heck of a lot. I’ve used ActiveCampaign for my lifestyle blog, Fantabulosity, for almost 3 years and haven’t even BEGAN to touch what all it can do.
Why I love it: It works every single time and I never question it. I can count on it when I need an email campaign to go out each week, or when I’ve set for an email to go out on its own anytime someone subscribes to an “automation” (fancy word for automatic emails that go out when I tell it to, based on when someone subscribes).
It has the ability to “tag” certain contacts, it will segment lists (another fancy term for, dividing and organizing contacts based on actions that they take, like clicking on certain links in emails, etc.), connect/communicate with other software to take tasks off of my plate (like removing the need of manually having to enter names and emails in to the email software after a customer purchases products) and so much more!
CONS: It’s pricey. There are more affordable email providers out there and trust me… I like saving money and cutting costs more than you know. BUT, after comparing platforms, realizing how much time it saves me by keeping the systems that I have set up with it in place, and hearing some of the “cons” of other platforms I can’t help but stay with them.
Flodesk
PROS: It’s affordable and it has BEAUTIFUL templates. Flodesk is all the rage right now and I know so many bloggers and business owners either switching to Flodesk or signing up for this from the get-go. If you use my referral link, you can get 50% off of the subscription, making it only $19/month.
CONS: It’s newer and there are a lot of kinks that need worked out. I’m part of a Facebook group for Flodesk users and the amount of troubleshooting and problems I’ve read, make me a little nervous about making the switch to a more affordable email platform. But what new company doesn’t have kinks in the beginning? I sure don’t know of one. So if you’re not relying on automations or any big technical qualities and mainly sending out weekly emails… then Flodesk should be a good option.
Get Flodesk Here (my referral link that can get you 50% off)
ConvertKit
PRO: Oh how I wish I had a referral link or “deal” for you for this one, but I don’t! So why am I still recommending it? Because I told you in the beginning of the post that I’d give it to you straight and not just recommend programs that I can get a “kickback” from.
So the pros? It has been around a long time and the BIG “guys” use this one a lot! Like Active Campaign, it has bells and whistles that can do a lot for you. It’s also free for up to 1000 subscribers and that’s always nice, especially if you’re business is just starting! So why am I not using it since it does a lot of the same as ActiveCampaign and is cheaper? Because, based on following Facebook groups and reviews, I’ve found that Active Campaign actually performs better for most than CovertKit.
CONS: It’s pricier than some other options and possibly more robust than a new business needs starting out.
MailerLite
PROS: I’ve had clients use MailerLite from the get-go and they’ve been happy with it. It’s free up to 1,000 subscribers and it does automations (for example: sends specific emails out automatically when someone subscribes) and it also connects to other software for the convenience to automatically add customers/clients to email lists when they purchase something from you.
CONS: As with others, I’ve recently heard of some switching away from MailerLite due to minor frustrations with deliverability and them automatically upgrading your plan when it reaches a certain subscriber limit… and switching because they’ve found more affordable options like Flodesk. Do I think it’s a bad email provider? Absolutely not. I think every platform has its “cons”, it’s just a matter what fits right for what you need.
MailChimp
PROS: I love starting new bloggers out on this platform and it’s what I use as well for the new blogs and websites that I start for myself. It’s free for up to 2,000 subscribers and in my opinion, easy to use. It also provides automations like automatic “abandoned cart” emails that (if you’re selling things online) you’ll really love.
CONS: If you want more than one list (say you sell products and you want to separate out those who buy certain products, have a main newsletter list, etc. you’ll want more than one list) then it can get pricey, with the more subscribers that you have.
Closing Thoughts
Don’t get me wrong. There’s NO perfect email platform. They all have their pros and cons. It’s about what works for YOU and what you need in your business.
- Is it the most affordable? Then something “free” in the beginning like MailerLite or Mailchimp may be the best option.
- Want convenience and more options to customize your customer’s/subscriber’s journey? You should love ActiveCampaign or ConvertKit.
- Want emails to be pretty more than anything? Flodesk may be your answer.
I hope that looking over my pros and cons for the above email providers, helps you make your decision. I’ll try to keep this updated as often as I can, if my views change or differ from what I’ve shared!
Have experience with any of the platforms I’ve mentioned? Please take a second to let us know in the comments so others can see what you think!
Love a different platform that I didn’t mention here, let us know which one!
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