Email marketing is one of the most effective and affordable ways to reach your audience, build relationships, and generate sales. According to a study by DMA, email marketing has an average return on investment (ROI) of $42 for every $1 spent. That’s why email marketing is a must-have for any business, whether you’re a freelancer, a small business owner, or a large corporation.
But how do you get started with email marketing without breaking the bank? Fortunately, there are many free email marketing tools and services that you can use to create and send professional-looking emails to your subscribers. These tools and services offer various features, such as templates, analytics, automation, segmentation, and more, to help you design, deliver, and optimize your email campaigns.
In this article, we’ll review the benefits of using free email marketing tools and services, how to choose the best one for your needs, and the 3 best free email marketing tools and services in 2023.
The benefits of using free email marketing tools and services
Using free email marketing tools and services has many advantages for your business, such as:
- Saving money: You don’t have to pay anything to use these tools and services, which means you can allocate your budget to other aspects of your business.
- Testing the waters: You can try out different tools and services before committing to a paid plan or a long-term contract. This way, you can find out which one works best for you and your goals.
- Growing your list: You can use these tools and services to collect leads from your website, social media, or other channels, and build your email list from scratch.
- Engaging your audience: You can use these tools and services to create engaging emails that capture your audience’s attention, deliver value, and encourage action.
- Boosting your sales: You can use these tools and services to promote your products or services, offer discounts or incentives, or upsell or cross-sell to your customers.
How to choose the best free email marketing tool or service for your needs
There are many factors to consider when choosing the best free email marketing tool or service for your needs, such as:
- Your goals: What do you want to achieve with your email marketing? Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, nurture prospects, drive conversions, retain customers, or something else?
- Your audience: Who are you targeting with your email marketing? What are their demographics, preferences, behaviors, pain points, and challenges?
- Your budget: How much can you afford to spend on your email marketing? Do you have enough resources to invest in a paid plan or a premium feature?
- Your features: What features do you need for your email marketing? Do you need templates, analytics, automation, segmentation, personalization, integration, or something else?
- Your ease of use: How easy is it to use the tool or service? Do you need any technical skills or experience to set up and run your email campaigns?
To help you make an informed decision, we’ve compiled a list of the 3 best free email marketing tools and services in 2023, based on these criteria.
The 3 best free email marketing tools and services lookinglion in 2023
Here are the 3 best free email marketing tools and services that you can use to create and send amazing emails to your subscribers in 2023.
Mailchimp: The most popular and versatile free email marketing tool
Mailchimp is one of the most popular and versatile free email marketing tools in the market. It has over 12 million users worldwide, and it offers a generous free plan that allows you to send up to 10,000 emails per month to up to 2,000 contacts.
Features of Mailchimp
Mailchimp has a wide range of features that you can use to create and manage your email campaigns, such as:
- Templates: Mailchimp has hundreds of pre-designed templates that you can customize with your own content, images, colors, fonts, and logos. You can also create your own templates from scratch or import them from other sources.
- Analytics: Mailchimp has powerful analytics tools that let you track and measure the performance of your email campaigns, such as open rates, click rates, bounce rates, unsubscribe rates, and more. You can also view reports on your audience growth, engagement, revenue, and ROI.
- Automation: Mailchimp has advanced automation features that let you set up workflows to send automated emails based on triggers, such as welcome emails, abandoned cart emails, birthday emails, and more. You can also use Mailchimp’s behavioral targeting feature to send personalized emails based on your subscribers’ actions or interests.
- Segmentation: Mailchimp has flexible segmentation options that let you group your contacts based on various criteria, such as demographics, location, activity, purchase history, and more. You can also use Mailchimp’s tags and merge fields to add more details to your contacts and segment them accordingly.
- Personalization: Mailchimp has smart personalization features that let you tailor your emails to each subscriber, such as using their name, location, or preferences. You can also use Mailchimp’s dynamic content feature to show different content to different segments of your audience.
- Integration: Mailchimp has seamless integration with over 250 apps and services that you can use to enhance your email marketing, such as WordPress, Shopify, Facebook, Instagram, Google Analytics, and more.
Pros and cons of Mailchimp
Mailchimp has many pros and cons that you should consider before using it for your email marketing, such as:
Pros:
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- It’s free for up to 10,000 emails per month and up to 2,000 contacts.
- It has a user-friendly interface and a drag-and-drop editor that make it easy to create and edit your emails.
- It has a wide range of features and integrations that cover all aspects of your email marketing.
- It has excellent customer support and resources that help you learn and troubleshoot your email campaigns.
Cons:
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- It has limited customization options for some templates and features.
- It has strict policies and rules that may affect your deliverability or account status.
- It has higher prices for paid plans compared to some competitors.
How to get started with Mailchimp
To get started with Mailchimp, you need to follow these steps:
- Sign up for a free account on Mailchimp’s website.
- Create your audience by importing or adding your contacts manually or through a sign-up form.
- Create your campaign by choosing a template or a layout, adding your content and images, setting up your subject line and sender name, and selecting your recipients.
- Send or schedule your campaign by previewing and testing your email, choosing a delivery time and date, and clicking on the send or schedule button.
Sendinblue: The best free email marketing tool for transactional emails and SMS
Sendinblue is another great free email marketing tool that specializes in transactional emails and SMS. Transactional emails are emails that are triggered by a specific action or event on your website or app, such as order confirmation, password reset, invoice receipt, etc. SMS are short text messages that you can send to your contacts’ mobile phones for various purposes, such as reminders, alerts, promotions, etc.
Features of Sendinblue
Sendinblue has many features that you can use to create and manage your transactional emails and SMS campaigns, such as:
- Templates: Sendinblue has dozens of ready-made templates that you can customize with your own content, images, colors, fonts, and logos. You can also create your own templates from scratch or import them from other sources.
- Analytics: Sendinblue has robust analytics tools that let you track and measure the performance of your transactional emails and SMS campaigns, such as delivery rates, open rates, click rates, bounce rates, unsubscribe rates, and more. You can also view reports on your audience growth, engagement, revenue, and ROI.
- Automation: Sendinblue has powerful automation features that let you set up workflows to send automated transactional emails and SMS based on triggers, such as sign-up, purchase, cart abandonment, etc. You can also use Sendinblue’s API to integrate your website or app with Sendinblue and send transactional emails and SMS programmatically.
- Segmentation: Sendinblue has flexible segmentation options that let you group your contacts based on various criteria, such as demographics, location, activity, purchase history, and more. You can also use Sendinblue’s attributes and events to add more details to your contacts and segment them accordingly.
- Personalization: Sendinblue has smart personalization features that let you tailor your transactional emails and SMS to each contact, such as using their name, location, or preferences. You can also use Sendinblue’s dynamic content feature to show different content to different segments of your audience.
- Integration: Sendinblue has seamless integration with over 100 apps and services that you can use to enhance your transactional email and SMS marketing, such as WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento, PrestaShop, Zapier, and more.
Pros and cons of Sendinblue
Sendinblue has many pros and cons that you should consider before using it for your transactional email and SMS marketing, such as:
- Pros:
- It’s free for up to 300 emails per day and unlimited contacts.
- It has a simple and intuitive interface and a drag-and-drop editor that make it easy to create and edit your transactional emails and SMS.
- It has a wide range of features and integrations that cover all aspects of your transactional email and SMS marketing.
- It has excellent deliverability and security for your transactional emails and SMS.
- Cons:
- It has limited templates and customization options for some features.
- It has higher prices for paid plans compared to some competitors.
- It has less customer support and resources than some competitors.
How to get started with Sendinblue
To get started with Sendinblue, you need to follow these steps:
- Sign up for a free account on Sendinblue’s website.
- Create your contacts by importing or adding them manually or through a sign-up form.
- Create your transactional email or SMS campaign by choosing a template or a layout, adding your content and images, setting up your subject line and sender name, and selecting your recipients.
- Send or schedule your transactional email or SMS campaign by previewing and testing it, choosing a delivery time and date, and clicking on the send or schedule button.
Moosend: The best free email marketing tool for e-commerce and automation
Moosend is another great free email marketing tool that specializes in e-commerce and automation. E-commerce is the process of buying and selling goods or services online. Automation is the process of using software or technology to perform tasks without human intervention.
Features of Moosend
Moosend has many features that you can use to create and manage your e-commerce and automation email campaigns, such as:
- Templates: Moosend has hundreds of pre-designed templates that you can customize with your own content, images, colors, fonts, and logos. You can also create your own templates from scratch or import them from other sources.
- Analytics: Moosend has comprehensive analytics tools that let you track and measure the performance of your e-commerce and automation email campaigns, such as open rates, click rates, bounce rates, unsubscribe rates, and more. You can also view reports on your audience growth, engagement, revenue, and ROI.
- Automation: Moosend has advanced automation features that let you set up workflows to send automated e-commerce and automation emails based on triggers, such as welcome emails, abandoned cart emails, product recommendation emails, and more. You can also use Moosend’s AI engine to optimize your email campaigns based on your subscribers’ behavior and preferences.
- Segmentation: Moosend has flexible segmentation options that let you group your contacts based on various criteria, such as demographics, location, activity, purchase history, and more. You can also use Moosend’s tags and custom fields to add more details to your contacts and segment them accordingly.
- Personalization: Moosend has smart personalization features that let you tailor your e-commerce and automation emails to each contact, such as using their name, location, or preferences. You can also use Moosend’s dynamic content feature to show different content to different segments of your audience.
- Integration: Moosend has seamless integration with over 80 apps and services that you can use to enhance your e-commerce and automation email marketing, such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, Zapier, and more.
Pros and cons of Moosend
Moosend has many pros and cons that you should consider before using it for your e-commerce and automation email marketing, such as:
- Pros:
- It’s free for up to 1,000 contacts and unlimited emails.
- It has a user-friendly interface and a drag-and-drop editor that make it easy to create and edit your e-commerce and automation emails.
- It has a wide range of features and integrations that cover all aspects of your e-commerce and automation email marketing.
- It has excellent customer support and resources that help you learn and troubleshoot your email campaigns.
- Cons:
- It has limited templates and customization options for some features.
- It has higher prices for paid plans compared to some competitors.
- It has less deliverability and security than some competitors.
How to get started with Moosend
To get started with Moosend, you need to follow these steps:
- Sign up for a free account on Moosend’s website.
- Create your contacts by importing or adding them manually or through a sign-up form.
- Create your e-commerce or automation email campaign by choosing a template or a layout, adding your content and images, setting up your subject line and sender name, and selecting your recipients.
- Send or schedule your e-commerce or automation email campaign by previewing and testing it, choosing a delivery time and date, and clicking on the send or schedule button.
History of free email marketing tools and services
Free email marketing tools and services for businesses have evolved from previous models or releases to provide improvements, address issues, or otherwise help users in making a purchase decision. Here are some examples of how free email marketing tools and services have changed over time:
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The first free web-based email service was launched in 1996:
Before that, email users had to pay for their email accounts or use the ones provided by their employers or educational institutions. The general public saw it as a novelty and still too expensive for everyday use. On July 4, 1996, Hotmail launched the first free web-based email service. In doing so, they opened up a direct line of communication to potentially 20 million American internet users. This paved the way for more free email services to emerge, such as Yahoo Mail, Gmail, and Outlook.com, and for more businesses to use email marketing as a low-cost and effective way to reach their customers.
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The first spam email was sent in 1978:
Spam is an unwanted or unsolicited email that clogs up your inbox and wastes your time. It can also be harmful, as it may contain viruses, malware, phishing, or scams. The first spam email was sent by Gary Thuerk, a marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corporation, to hundreds of ARPANET users. He was promoting a new product for his company and claimed that the email earned $13 million in sales. However, his email also sparked a lot of backlash and complaints from the recipients, who considered it an abuse of the network. Since then, spam has become a major problem for email users and marketers alike, and various laws and regulations have been enacted to combat it, such as the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 in the US.
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The first email blast was sent in 1978:
An email blast is a mass email that is sent to a large number of recipients at once. It is usually used for promotional or informational purposes, such as newsletters, announcements, offers, etc. The first email blast was sent by Ray Tomlinson, the inventor of email, to announce his new invention to his colleagues on ARPANET. He used the @ symbol to separate the user name from the host name in his email addresses, which is still used today. His email blast was a milestone in the history of email marketing, as it demonstrated the potential of using email to reach a large and targeted audience with a single message.
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The first email management system was developed in 1972:
An email management system is a software application that helps you organize, store, access, and manage your emails. It can also help you with tasks such as composing, sending, receiving, replying, forwarding, deleting, archiving, filtering, sorting, searching, and labeling your emails. The first email management system was developed by Larry Roberts, one of the pioneers of ARPANET. He created an email database that allowed users to list, select, forward, and respond to messages. His system was the precursor of modern email clients, such as Outlook, Gmail, Thunderbird, and Apple Mail, that offer various features and functions to help you manage your emails efficiently and effectively.
Conclusion: Which free email marketing tool or service should you choose?
As you can see, there are many free email marketing tools and services that you can use to create and send professional-looking emails to your subscribers. However, not all of them are created equal, and each one has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Therefore, the best free email marketing tool or service for you depends on your goals, audience, budget, features, ease of use, and personal preference. To help you make the best choice, here are some questions that you can ask yourself:
- What is the main purpose of my email marketing?
- Who is my target audience and what are their needs and expectations?
- How much can I afford to spend on my email marketing?
- What features do I need for my email marketing?
- How easy is it to use the tool or service?
- How reliable is the tool or service in terms of deliverability, security, and support?
Based on these questions, you can compare the different options and choose the one that suits you best. Alternatively, you can try out different tools and services for free and see which one works best for you.
To summarize, here are the 3 best free email marketing tools and services in 2022:
- Mailchimp: The most popular and versatile free email marketing tool
- Sendinblue: The best free email marketing tool for transactional emails and SMS
- Moosend: The best free email marketing tool for e-commerce and automation
We hope this article has helped you find the best free email marketing tool or service for your needs. Happy emailing!
Frequently asked questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about free email marketing tools and services:
What is the difference between free email marketing tools and services?
Free email marketing tools are software applications that you can use to create and send emails to your subscribers. Free email marketing services are online platforms that provide you with various features and resources to manage your email campaigns.
How do free email marketing tools and services make money?
Free email marketing tools and services make money by offering paid plans or premium features that unlock more benefits or functionalities for their users. They also make money by displaying ads or sponsored content on their websites or emails.
What are the limitations of free email marketing tools and services?
Free email marketing tools and services have some limitations that may affect your email marketing performance or experience, such as:
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- A limited number of contacts or emails per month
- A limited number of templates or customization options
- A limited number of features or integrations
- Limited customer support or resources
- Limited deliverability or security
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How can I improve my email marketing results with free email marketing tools and services?
You can improve your email marketing results with free email marketing tools and services by following some best practices, such as:
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- Define your goals and strategy
- Know your audience and segment them accordingly
- Create engaging content and design
- Personalize your emails based on your subscribers’ preferences
- Test and optimize your emails based on analytics
- Follow the rules and regulations of email marketing
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