Email marketing has quickly become one of the most effective tools companies use to sell their products and services, especially in 2021. The rise of the Internet ensured that emails would become the way of the future. As of November 2020, email marketing was the third most influential source for business-to-business (B2B) customers.
Interestingly enough, studies show that 86% of all businessmen and women prefer to email for their communications now, given its level of convenience and speediness. And, email marketing is now an essential marketing method, despite what people might have thought thirty years ago when emails were another invisible communication tool.
There are several essential components to email marketing, especially in the world of WordPress. Some success comes down to timing, such as when the user sends the email to the subscriber base. Studies show that Tuesday is the best day to send an email campaign. However, several bloggers and websites have explained how to create a successful email campaign, but here are the basics for those who are not familiar.
First, the WordPress user should create a signup widget for their site so that subscribers have a place to turn to receive more content. It should be relatively visible, but not obstructing, and colorful or vibrant enough to attract attention. Some of the software mentioned below would assist you with this first step in email marketing.
Next, the user has to decide if the emails will be sent from the website or a third-party SMTP provider. It is much easier to send emails from a third-party SMTP provider in nearly all scenarios because they are more likely to reach their destinations without any issues.
Finally, it is time to create your email campaign. Find the best template, format, font, images, or content that you want to send. You can schedule it, send it to your entire subscriber base, or even make it recurring if set up as a welcome letter. Of course, this process repeats itself, over and over again. But, one of the most important decisions to make is what program to use based on its features, feasibility, cost, and whether or not the user can afford it.
There are several email marketing programs now, ranging from Constant Contact to MailChimp, so it can be challenging to decipher which program will be the best to suit your WordPress website. However, some people are well versed in the art of email marketing, while others need more feasibility and less complexity to their email campaign creation.
And, in this amazing article, everything has been made super easy for you to choose the best email marketing software for WordPress. Fortunately, every type of WordPress user on this list is something for every type, even some that were not included here. Here’s a list of the best, in no particular order, to help you find what will work best for your site’s needs.
7 Leading Email Marketing Software For WordPress
- MailChimp – best for multiple integrations with other tools
- Mailster – best for simplicity
- OptinMonster – best for WordPress beginners
- Newsletter – best for newsletter and list building
- Sendinblue – best for user convenience and expansion
- Email Subscribers & Newsletters – best for manual email campaigns
- Sumo List Builder – best for simplicity and convenience
» MORE: How Effective Is Email Marketing?
1. MailChimp – best for multiple integrations with other tools
Over the years, this company has gone from relatively unknown to being one of the most popular programs that WordPress users have within their toolbox. Now, MailChimp offers capabilities that extend to plugins, which the user can adjust on their main webpage and allow people to opt into their email communications. It is effortless to sign up, and once you create an account, all you need to do is install the plugin for use.
However, there are several benefits to using MailChimp. The program is user-friendly and mobile-optimized, allowing people to access this plugin at any point and on most devices. Additionally, it is extraordinarily developer-friendly, and the support team is quick and helpful when handling some of the issues that arise while using this software.
Another interesting feature is the user can choose any number of subscription forms at no additional cost, and it even can translate the message into multiple languages. MailChimp is one of the best software options for email marketing because it truly helps the user navigate any challenges that arise while making it extremely accessible for future subscribers.
» MORE: Best Cheap Email Marketing Software
2. Mailster – best for simplicity
Dubbed the best email marketing tool for WordPress, Mailster is another program that WordPress users can use for efficiency and simplicity. The program offers some of the same features as MailChimp, yet Mailster also allows for more customization. The user can decide if the subscribers have to opt-in in totality or not. WordPress users can also create a web version of their email campaigns, increasing accessibility and feasibility in use. In many cases, these web versions help the subscriber base to access the email if it won’t load on their email or that they would like to view it on the Internet instead.
One of the only downsides seen with Mailster is that the translation option is limited compared to MailChimp. While many users would not see this as an issue, this could likely produce more challenges for those who are not English speakers or of the other languages offered.
Additionally, unlike MailChimp that offers a free option, this costs a one-time fee of $59. Once you pay this, there are no recurring fees, and you have access to the program for life. Regardless of some of these drawbacks, Mailster is a viable option for anyone looking for more customization with their WordPress email marketing.
» MORE: Best Cheap Email Marketing Software
3. OptinMonster – best for WordPress beginners
OptinMonster is also as well known as MailChimp when it comes to WordPress users. Their plans range from the most basic to professional, starting at merely $9 per month. Like MailChimp and Mailster, they are optimized for mobile use. There are over 65 different templates that the user can choose from to make their offer or email campaign. The program is extremely versatile and has a lot to offer people, especially WordPress beginners!
Their website also offers a lot to experienced email marketers who want to partner with the software. Their ease of A/B testing allows for targeted marketing, adjustments in real-time, and a whole host of other benefits that help to grow people’s audiences over time. Understanding these analytics, especially for the experienced user, is one of the most significant parts of email marketing successfully on WordPress. This barely scratches the surface with OptinMonster, as it is truly an all-around beneficial program to use for your WordPress site, no matter what your content is or your experience level.
» MORE: Best Affordable Email Marketing Software
4. Newsletter – best for newsletter and list building
Newsletter is one of the best email marketing software for WordPress. It’s very suitable for users who love to create and send out newsletters as part of their email marketing. Appropriately named, Newsletter is a program that helps the user create stunning newsletters, send them out with ease, and track the analytics associated with their most recent campaigns.
Best of all is that the program is free with no additional costs necessary from the user. And, there are no limitations to the newsletters sent or the number of emails added to the subscriber base. Analytics are tracked from start to finish to give a clear idea of that particular Newsletter’s success and help the user plan for the future if a campaign did not work out as they had previously planned.
So, if anyone is looking for a cheap but versatile program, this is one of the best ones found for WordPress users. It fully functions as a plugin and helps grow your audience without breaking your bank in advertisements or email marketing programs. This program has much more value than they are choosing to sell it for. All in all, this is one of the easiest ways to learn more about email marketing with less financial risk than with other programs that have recurring fees or even one-time fees.
» MORE: Best Email Marketing Services For Newsletters
5. SendinBlue – best for user convenience and expansion
SendinBlue is more than just email marketing, but we’ll stick to discussing its benefits with email marketing for this article. This plugin is one of the most popular and used in the WordPress world because it is increasingly convenient and expansive. Like some of the other software mentioned, there’s an unlimited contact list. So, no matter if you start with a dozen subscribers or more than a thousand, you’ll be able to handle your customers and audience without issues. Yet, it might take a little bit of cash to ensure that you’re able to reach your customers and audience.
SendinBlue, like MailChimp, is free if you have less than 2,000 contacts that subscribe to your site every month. But, once you surpass this number, any amount of contacts up to 20,000 contacts is $25 per month for one targeted email. It can then reach as high as $99 for one email per month to nearly 100,000 contacts. For most WordPress users, this is not a financial decision that they are ready to make, but it could be an option for the future. For the beginning WordPress user or even for the most successful user, this program can help either person continue to grow their audience and save money in the future.
» MORE: Outbond Email Marketing
6. Email Subscribers & Newsletters – best for manual email campaigns
This plugin has been featured on numerous websites because it is a true beginner’s favorite. Available as a plugin, this feature would most often be seen as a subscription box on the webpage that the user has created and allowed to be visible. The user can create manual email campaigns or send them based on triggers that occur because of the customer or the activity on the website. There’s even the option to customize welcome emails for new users to properly welcome them to your WordPress site.
However, there are some downsides to this program. It is straightforward when comparing to some of the other sites, meaning most analytics will reflect this simplicity. This plugin will only allow people to see email statistics rather than some of the desired target market data to create better campaigns. And, there is a significant limitation to the analytical data that the user can access with this program.
Furthermore, the program also costs up to $9 per month when the user needs more features. However, in the final analysis, this is an excellent program for beginners to learn more about email campaigns before purchasing other programs and plugins.
» MORE: What is a Good Open Rate for Email Marketing?
7. Sumo List Builder – best for simplicity and convenience
Sumo List Builder is one of the best email marketing software for WordPress. It’s a beginner-friendly program and plugin that WordPress users can use. Like Email Subscribers and Newsletters, this program focuses on simplicity and convenience. Most of their program is focused on the pop-ups that the audience sees and then can subscribe to if they so choose. Also, there are unique templates, features, and formats that the user can choose from to make the pop-up more attractive and tailored to their site’s interests.
Like some other programs, their analytics are also important when assessing the value of the plugin. There is the opportunity for A/B testing with this plugin, which is vital to email campaigns to decide which one would yield the best results for their marketing goals. Unfortunately, this would have to be coupled with an email marketing program.
However, Sumo List Builder is mainly the beginning of the email marketing chain rather than the complete machine. When combined with another program, this has the potential to be extremely successful for any WordPress user. Otherwise, this would not be useful for the ordinary user looking for more of an all-in-one packaged deal.
» MORE: What is the Best Time to Send a Marketing Email?
Bottom line
Email marketing is one of the best ways to contact people nowadays, and it isn’t going away anytime soon. People will continue to use email because it is the most convenient and accessible way of communicating. Hopefully, the programs and software options listed above give you a great idea of where to start when it comes to researching what program and plugin will be best for your site’s needs. However, if you switch from one program to the next, there’s no reason to panic either! Updating software and learning more about email marketing on WordPress will continue to give you more tools for success.
WordPress Beginner (WPBeginner) is a great site to check out for more details for those looking for more information on email marketing. Most importantly, no matter what you choose, the goal is to continue to learn, adapt, and critique your email marketing campaigns. Changing the methods to tailor the audience will only yield great results in the months to come. Again, with the help of some of these programs listed above, it is only a matter of time before your subscriber base grows exponentially!
So far, you’ve discovered the best email marketing software for WordPress. Now, it’s time to make the perfect choice while considering your site’s needs and the software with the best features for it. And to get all things right, it’s important to know the standard way of writing good email campaigns and the most appropriate time to reach your audience.