What Email Marketing Service is Right for Your Practice?

Matt is WebPT’s email marketing specialist. His monthly column covers all things email marketing and how it can help your clinic.

Picking the right email marketing service is a bit like buying a car. Some are going to look great on the outside, but pop the hood and you’ll find a mess. And sometimes going with the older model is the smart decision, instead of getting that brand new, foreign sports car.

The only way to know for sure is to do your research, check out all the options, and test drive a few. And this is exactly what you should do when picking an email marketing service.

In the past few months, I’ve gone over whether or not email marketing makes sense for your clinic, how to create great marketing emails, and how to improve your emails. But before you can even get the ball rolling with your email marketing efforts, you first need to figure out how you’re going to send your marketing emails. The service you pick largely depends upon the size of your clinic or company, and while most services will scale to fit your needs, this blog post includes services I feel will best serve small- and medium-sized clinics.

Here’s a handful of the most popular email marketing services, in no particular order:

AWeber

AWeber is an email marketing solution with a number of notable features. Additionally, the service offers most of the basic features you’d expect out of any modern email tool (such as subscriber management, signup forms, and templates).

Pros:

• 30-day moneyback guarantee
• Phone, email, and chat support Monday through Friday during business hours as well as Saturday

Cons:

• More expensive introductory price

Constant Contact

In business since 1998, Constant Contact is the classic car in this list. With more than half a million small business clients, it’s a proven commodity.

Pros:

• 60-day free trial (for up to 100 email addresses)
• Discounted pricing for prepayment

Cons:

• Limited pricing options

iContact

iContact is another service that offers everything you’d expect, all at a low monthly fee.

Pros:

• Lots of flexible pricing plans
• Monthly and annual payment options

Cons:

• Limited file storage

MailChimp

MailChimp sets itself apart in this list as the more hip alternative. With a free option and plenty of features, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Pros:

• Free plan for up to 2,000 subscribers, but with limited features and a cap of 12,000 emails per month
• Pay-as-you-go options

Cons:

• No phone support

If none of these services grab your attention, don’t fret—there are dozens of others out there. The most important thing to remember is not to rush your decision. Just like a car, an email marketing solution is a significant investment of time, resources, and money.

What email marketing service do you currently use? Do you recommend it? Share in the comments below.