Choosing and using tools for email campaigns email automation work?

Email automation is a programmed sequence of emails. Messages are sent by robots according to predefined triggers and times. Marketers create a series of emails, setting up autonomous interaction with the audience. The technology takes care of greetings, order confirmations, thank you notes, reminders about abandoned shopping carts, and announcements of new products. The result: an influx of interested customers, strengthened buyer trust, and increased loyalty.

A significant number of tasks are solved without the involvement of employees. The introduction of automation ensures constant contact with the customer base without manual intervention. The consequences: increased productivity, minimization of errors, freeing up time for strategic tasks, and an overall increase in efficiency. Below are additional arguments for implementing specialized software.

Selecting the optimal email tool: a practical guide

The variety of solutions on the market requires a clear understanding of your goals. Specific tasks determine the choice of platform. The algorithm for selecting a service consists of several steps.

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Step 1: Clear goals

Without clear KPIs, choosing a service is meaningless. Examples of real business tasks:

• reducing customer churn rate;
• building relationships with a new audience;
• improving customer experience (CX);
• increasing retention rate.

The wording affects the search: the functionality of platforms varies greatly. A list of goals eliminates unsuitable options, saving the team's budget and time.

In fact, ignoring this goal-setting stage guarantees ineffective investments. At the same time, it is worth focusing on priority types of communication:

• launch transactional emails (confirmations, delivery details);
• implement drip campaigns to run them on leads;
• use various email newsletters for brand news;
• find combined solutions for complex scenarios.

Otherwise, you may end up with irrelevant functionality and lose a lot of money during its implementation/launch.

Step 2: Type of mailings

When implementing specialized software, it is important to know the priority communication format:

• transactional emails: order confirmations, delivery details, password resets (require specialized services);
• drip chains (drip campaigns): for lead generation, product promotion, running the audience;
• Mass marketing mailings: brand news, announcements, blog updates (a basic feature of most platforms);
• Combined solutions: for complex scenarios.

To implement a comprehensive approach, you need a universal service that includes all types of mailings.

Step 3: Critical functionality

Before analyzing the market, it is worth compiling a checklist of essential features:

1. Template library: speeds up the creation of professional emails (layout/design adaptation to the brand).
2. A/B testing: comparison of the effectiveness of different versions of emails (headlines, CTA, content).
3. HTML editor: code editing for custom solutions.
4. Multichannel: integration with messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) for a unified funnel.
5. Mailing limits: number of emails per month.
6. Technical support: speed and quality of response.
7. Drag-and-drop builder: required if you don't have programming skills.

The actual list of features is determined by the specifics of the project: it can be compiled individually at the start.

We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the overview of  tools for marketing and communications automation.

Step 4: Create a test group

When automating mailings, it is worth gathering employees with experience in email marketing. The team should include people who understand the budget, technical requirements, and specifics of the platforms. This applies to both full-time and freelance specialists.

Step 5: Shortlist of solutions

You can jointly compile a list of suitable services.

Selection criteria include alignment with goals and the availability of critical features. Each platform should be accompanied by notes on key capabilities, unique features, pricing (availability of a free plan), and pros/cons.

Step 6: Practical testing

When testing a specific tool, use free trials to check:

1. Create a test contact database.
2. Write an email from scratch/adapt a template.
3. Add multimedia (videos, images, PDFs).
4. Test the builder (ease of use of the interface).
5. Check reporting (opens, clicks, conversions).
6. Record a screencast of the process for team evaluation.

It is advisable to test several solutions recommended by the team. The analysis of the leading platforms in the next section will help you narrow down the list.

Step 7: Start with free plans

If in doubt, you can start with free plans. This minimizes the risks when learning a new tool. Most services (Mailchimp, Sender, Sendinblue) offer free quotas.

Choosing a platform requires analyzing dozens of parameters. Next, we will provide an objective analysis of the top solutions for email automation, comparing them in terms of pricing policy, depth of functionality, interface convenience, quality of analytics, and integrations.

A detailed review will help you choose a solution tailored to the specifics of a particular project. Making a final decision without a detailed, structured comparison of all alternatives based on key parameters exposes your business to the unjustified risk of overpaying or functional insufficiency. Choosing a platform that best meets the company's current operational needs, budget constraints, and strategic ambitions, with a clear understanding of the path to future scaling, is the essence of a balanced approach.