9 Best Email Automation Software for Small Businesses

Sneha Chatterjee
BySneha Chatterjee

13 mins read

Email marketing is the easiest and most budget-friendly marketing channel that can give you the highest return on your investment. But the problem is, you still need to invest some amount of time and money on it. And being a small business, you wouldn't want to spend your budget on a tool that doesn't fulfill your needs.

Let's help you choose the best email automation software for small businesses to streamline your efforts and stay in constant contact with your customers. But before that, let's also take a look at what email automation is, why it is beneficial for a small business to opt for an email automation strategy, and what aspects of your email marketing you can automate.

What is email automation?

Email automation is a technology that allows businesses to automatically send emails to their subscribers or customers based on specific triggers and predefined criteria. This process helps streamline communication, improve engagement, and enhance overall marketing effectiveness without manual intervention.

Now that we know what email marketing automation is, let's look at why you, as a small business, should consider email automation.

Benefits of email automation for small businesses

By leveraging email marketing automation, small businesses can enhance their marketing efforts, maximize efficiency, and nurture new prospects. Email automation offers several key benefits. Here are some of them:

1. Time efficiency: Automating email campaigns reduces the time spent on repetitive tasks, allowing you to focus on more creative and strategic initiatives.

2. Cost-effectiveness: Automating your email marketing-related tasks can be more affordable than hiring additional staff, making it a cost-effective solution for small businesses. These tasks could include following up with leads, sending emails, and tracking the performance of your email campaigns.

3. Personalization: Automation enables personalized communication with customers based on their behaviors, preferences, and demographics, which can increase engagement and conversion rates.

4. Consistent communication: Automating email campaigns ensures that communication is regular and consistent, helping to maintain customer relationships and brand awareness. It also helps in customer retention.

5. Improved customer engagement: Automated follow-ups keep your audience engaged without requiring constant manual effort, nurturing leads through the sales funnel. Targeted, timely emails can lead to higher conversion rates by delivering the right message at the right moment.

6. Scalability: As a business grows, email automation can easily scale to handle larger lists and more complex campaigns without requiring significantly more resources.

Some aspects of email marketing you can automate

Here’s a list of various ways in which you can implement automation in email marketing:

Email list building and segmentation

You can use sign-up forms on your website, social media, or during checkout, etc, and have them added to specific lists. So, you set it up once and the leads keep rolling in. Additionally, you can categorize your subscribers based on demographics, customer behavior, or interests (e.g., new customers, returning customers, and leads). You can also set up dynamic segmentation that segments your subscribers in real time.

Automated workflow

You can set up automated workflows for your subscribers that send targeted content based on user actions, such as browsing behavior or previous purchases. A good example of this is a welcome email workflow that sends a series of emails to your new subscribers after every interval, introducing them to your brand, and your website and nurturing them over time.

Email personalization

Set up automations that allow you to insert dynamic content that changes based on recipient data which enhances personalization. For example, you can customize subject lines, greetings, and body content to reflect the recipient's name, preferences, and past purchases. Additionally, you can also display content that gets updated in real time.

Send time optimization

Send time optimization is a great feature that automatically analyzes the best time to send an email to a specific recipient based on past data and then sending it at that time automatically. It’s a must-have feature if your email list has recipients from multiple locations.

Features to look for in an email automation tool

Before choosing the right tool for your business, you need to know what features to look for. I'll walk you through the most important features you should consider when choosing email automation software for your marketing campaigns:

  • Easy-to-use interface without a steep learning curve

  • Drag and drop email editor to send beautifully designed interactive emails without a designer

  • Bulk email sender with options to segment and create multiple targeted campaigns with personalization

  • A/B testing and in-built analytics to track what's working best

  • Integrations with other tools like a CRM for collecting and processing more data

  • Other factors like pricing, ratings, and customer reviews

Best Email automation services for small businesses: Comparison table

We have curated a list of the best email automation software for small businesses by considering the aforementioned attributes. Let’s take a look at them.

Email automation tool Free plan/trial Paid plans start from G2 rating
Mailmodo 21-day free trial $38.44 4.6
Zoho free plan $3 4.3
Mailchimp free plan $4.61 4.4
Moosend free plan $9 4.7
Omnisend free plan $16 4.5
MailerLite free plan $9 4.7
Get Response 30-day free trial $15.6 4.2
Brevo free plan $25 4.5
ConvertKit free plan $9 4.4

Now, let’s dive deep into the nitty gritty of each of these email automation software.

Best email automation software for small businesses

Choosing the right email automation software can be tricky, especially when there is an array of options. To narrow down your search, let’s look at the following product recommendations capable of accommodating small businesses:

1. Mailmodo

An image showing email automation in mailmodo

Maintaining regular email campaigns is difficult, especially for small businesses. However, most email marketing software requires hefty investments without fitting scalability.

So, if you have a small business with limited cash flow, Mailmodo is your perfect companion to roll out ROI-driven email campaigns. From template builder to contact management, this nifty tool is the best email marketing software offering every necessary email marketing solution and beyond.

With Mailmodo, you can create dynamic, engaging, and shareable content and retain and even attract new customers. This email automation tool makes your emails interactive with elements like forms, calendars, carts, and widgets. Thanks to the multi-step forms, your subscribers can even submit their responses via email.

  • Mailmodo offers over 400 AMP and HTML templates for you to use and get inspired.

  • With its drag-and-drop builder and AI-automated content generation, you can cut down your email creation time to half

  • The platform’s email gamification elements like wordlemail, spin the wheel, and calculators make your emails more engaging and impactful.

Rating: 4.6/5 stars on G2

Pricing: Mailmodo offers you a 21-day free trial to test out all the features. Apart from that they have the following plans:

Plans Pricing
Lite $38.44/Month
Pro $76.89/Month
Max $144.17/Month

2. Zoho

An image showing email automation in zoho

Zoho campaign is another popular email automation tool among small businesses for email marketing needs. Here, you can build forms, embed them in your emails, and automate email sequences with ease. You also get responsive email designs, trigger automated workflows, and contact management solutions.

  • Zoho offers you features to add or import contacts and track user behavior for better personalization

  • It also comes with a customizable drag-and-drop email builder that lets you craft an email journey specific to your email cycle.

  • As a small business pinpointing the best time to send your emails can be a struggle. Zoho comes with a send time optimization feature which will help you stay on top of your subscriber’s inbox.

However, Zoho Campaign users often complain about its clucky interface and longer adaption time.

Rating: 4.3/5 stars on G2

Pricing: You can use the Zoho Campaign's free plan. It also offers the following paid plans with more advanced features:

Plans Pricing
Standard $3/Month
Professional $4.50/Month

3. Mailchimp

An image showing email automation in mailchimp

Another fan-favorite email automation tool is Mailchimp. Here, you will get automated and advanced multi-channel tools to create highly personalized content and send the right email at the right time.

  • With MailChimp you can send product-specific emails to customers according to their search history. However, the AMP approval takes longer than the alternatives.

  • They also have a centralized dashboard to keep all your marketing data in one place and manage your email campaigns holistically

  • Mailchimp also analyzes hundreds of millions of data points and gives you suggestions for crafting better-performing emails.

Rating: 4.4/5 rating on G2

Pricing: Mailchimp offers you a free version. The paid subscriptions include:

Plans Pricing
Essentials $4.61/Month
Standard $6.88/Month
Premium $137.48/Month

4. Moosend

An image showing email automation in moosend

Moosend is another affordable email automation software that comes with a variety of features for an effective email marketing strategy. And if you don't want to invest in it right away, you can opt for their free 30-day trial to see if this fits your needs.

  • Moosend offers you features like building lists, customizing their pre-designed templates, and creating newsletters within minutes.

  • Their automation will help you track important data and analytics like open rates, click-through rates, purchases, etc. Based on this you can understand what makes your audience buy from you.

  • All of their plans come with features that can help you increase your conversion rates drastically like A/B testing, exceptional segmentation filters, email heatmap analytics, etc.

Rating: 4.7/5 stars on G2

Pricing: Apart from the free plan, let’s look at Moosend’s paid subscriptions:

Plans Pricing
Pro $9/Month
Enterprise Customizable

5. Omnisend

An image showing email automation in omnisend

As the name suggests, Omnisend is one of the best email automation tools for omnichannel marketing. And the best part is, their free plan is loaded with generous features. What can be better for a small business on a tight marketing budget?

  • Omnisend comes with an email builder that has hundreds of templates that you can personalize as you want.

  • They have powerful segmentation features. So you can create targeted campaigns as per your customer data and improve conversions

  • They also offer robust automation and pre-built workflows to help you perform better. And you can even get performance reports for each campaign.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars on G2

Pricing: Omnisend offers a free plan. You can also choose its paid subscriptions according to your requirements:

Plans Pricing
Standard $16/Month
Pro $59/Month

6. Mailerlite

An image showing email automation in mailerlite

As a relatively new email marketing platform, Mailerlite packs impressive automation features suitable for small businesses. From welcome emails to abandoned cart reminders, here you can create email marketing campaigns based on customers’ buying behaviors.

Mailerlite also delivers advanced marketing workflows in the intuitive automation builder. However, there are some issues with the verification process on the platform.

  • You can create engaging emails that accommodate unique customer needs with Mailrelite’s interactive content blocks and drag-and-drop editors.

  • The platform offers triggers to send automatic and targeted emails across specific email lists.

  • Mailerlite also offers A/B testing for subject lines, content and send times. It allows up to 3 workflow variations without test limits so that you can leverage the best possible email sequences.

Pricing: Mailerlite offers a free version, which makes it a convenient tool if your budget is limited. Now let’s see its paid subscription plans:

Plans Pricing
Growing Business $9/Month
Advanced $18/Month
Enterprise Customizable

7. GetResponse

An image showing email automation in getresponse

Another affordable but effective email automation software is GetResponse. Here, you can nurture subscribers with AI-generated and highly personalized email content.

Besides email automation, a small business also needs the right performance insights to grow. GetResponse’s marketing analytics will help you here by tracking your email campaign performance. However, report customization on this platform is limited.

  • With Getresponse, you can collect contacts signup forms, popups, landing pages, and native integrations.

  • This email automation tool offers a data-driven segmented list. Every email will be relevant to the recipient’s needs and help you retain your subscribers.

  • With GetResponse’s timely popups, push notifications, and live chats, you can make your CTAs more impactful and turn subscribers into customers.

Pricing: GetResponse offers a free trial for you to test out its services. Its paid plans include:

Plans Pricing
Email Marketing $15.6/Month
Marketing Automation $48.4/Month
E-com Marketing $97.6/Month
GetResponse Max $999/Month

8. Brevo

An image showing email automation in brevo

Small businesses often struggle to expand their clientele. But Brevo and its smart email automation will not only convert subscribers but also create lasting relationships with them.

Here, you can use Brevo’s free templates or create your unique email design effortlessly. The platform will also segment your contact list and send out the right emails at the right time.

  • Brevo’s servers are designed to get you the best deliverability so that every email gets your recipient’s attention.

  • The plans are based on email volume, not on the number of contacts. So if you are a small business owner, Brevo is a very cost-effective email marketing service option for you.

Pricing: Brevo offers a free plan with basic email marketing features. The paid subscriptions include:

Plans Pricing
Starter $25/Month
Business $65/Month
Brevo Plus Customizable

9. Convertkit

An image showing email automation in Kit

Last but not least, ConvertKit is another popular email automation platform among small businesses. The platform offers great automation capabilities like intuitive email editors and powerful sales funnel tools that will help you enhance your conversion rate. It also offers automated email sequences and wins your subscriber’s attention easily.

However, the platform sends emails to the recipient to confirm their subscription which may affect your campaign’s effectiveness.

  • With easy email templates and a clutter-free writing experience, ConevrtKit will make email marketing a cakewalk for you

  • This email marketing tool segments your subscribers so that you can deliver highly targeted emails.

  • With ConvertKit, you can build single or multiple entry point automations. This will ensure that your audiences go across the pre-built customer journeys you created for them.

Rating: 4.4/5 stars on G2

Pricing: Convertkit offers a free plan. You can also choose one of the following paid subscriptions.

Plans Pricing
Creator $9/Month
Creator Pro $ 25/Month

Takeaway

A good email automation software can help your business tremendously. From nurturing your prospects, and increasing conversions, to engaging with your customers, you can do it all without spending loads of money.

So before you choose one, create a list of all the features that can fulfill your business needs. After that, go through the features of the tools mentioned above, and check their pricing. If you need to, send an email or book a call with their team for further questions. And I would personally suggest you first sign up for a free trial to test it out. That's the best way to make sure you're not wasting your budget on the wrong tool.

FAQs

If you want to use Mailmodo to set up email automation for your small business, please book a call with us and our experts will reach help you with the process. For other tools, check out their website for further steps.

That depends on the tool. Some have a higher learning curve, while some are very user friendly and easy to use like. Take a free trial and use the tool to know that.

It can help you nurture your prospects, lead them down the sales funnel, and increase your sales. Email automation can also help you increase their loyalty towards your brand by keeping them engaged and happy.

The ideal software would vary from business to business based on their specific needs. However, Mailmodo is the perfect email automation tool for small businesses with limited cash flow, enabling ROI-driven campaigns. It offers an easy-to-use template builder, contact management, and interactive elements like forms and calendars, helping you create engaging content to retain and attract customers.

What should you do next?

You made it till the end! Here's what you can do next to grow your business:

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Get smarter with email resources

Free guides, ebooks, and other resources to master email marketing.

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Do interactive email marketing with Mailmodo

Send forms, carts, calendars, games and more within your emails to boost ROI.

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Consult an email expert

30-min free email consultation with an expert to fix your email marketing.

Table of contents

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What is email automation?
Benefits of email automation for small businesses
Some aspects of email marketing you can automate
Features to look for in an email automation tool
Best Email automation services for small businesses: Comparison table
Best email automation software for small businesses
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