Let’s Break Down the Cost
Marketing automation utilizes software to automate certain repetitive marketing activities, such as sending personalized emails, posting to social media, and even SMS marketing tasks. Marketing automation is not only efficient, but it can also easily provide more personalized engagement with subscribers. Automation software also allows you to track valuable data while earning a high return on investment (ROI).
In this post, we will discuss the costs associated with email marketing automation software. If you are currently searching for an email automation tool you have likely noticed that there are lots of options out there with varying pricing structures.
We’ll help you find the email automation software that’s right for you.
What is email marketing automation software?
Email automation offers the ability to send relevant information to subscribers through emails that are triggered by either time or action. This type of marketing tool is useful for a variety of marketing purposes. Whether facilitated by some user action, a milestone like a user’s birthday, or a new post published to your blog, these trigger emails will make your email marketing campaigns more efficient, keep the emails personalized, and help keep your business or brand relevant.
Using a marketing automation tool for email campaigns is the most efficient way to engage both prospective and existing customers. With automated emails, you will broaden your opportunities to generate leads, sales, and revenue.
Factors that impact the cost of email marketing automation software
Whether you have 50 subscribers or 500,000, using email automation software as part of your marketing strategy is one of the best ways to succeed. When looking for the right email marketing automation platform to fit your marketing budget, three factors impact the cost of email marketing software:
- The size of your contact list.
- The specific features you wish to utilize.
- The number of messages you send.
Email marketing automation software that is priced based on contact list size
Your total number of subscribers will be one of the most important factors when determining which email marketing tool is right for you. In most email marketing automation solutions, package prices will be based on how many subscribers are on your contact list. The larger the list, the more expensive the plan.
For example, the Constant Contact “Email Plus” email automation service offers a tiered pricing system based on the number of contacts. The package starts at $45 per month for up to 500 contacts. It’s capped at 50,000 contacts. With that many subscribers, you’ll pay a monthly fee of $335.
AWeber caps its service packages at 25,000, but its pricing is lower. Automation packages for lists of up to 500 subscribers start as low as $16.15 per month.
The rasa.io email marketing platform has two tiers for users to choose from. The Plus plan starts a $140 per month with a contact list of 10,000 or more. And finally, the Pro plan starts at $499 per month for up to 25,000 contacts. All tiers include unlimited newsletter send frequency and plenty of source connections (though the higher the tier, the higher the number of sources you can connect). They all include domain authentication, multiple users, standard integrations, and access to the huge Content Library.
Part of your marketing strategy is to build your subscriber list. Be sure to choose an email marketing automation service that will remain cost-effective as your list grows and your needs change.
Email marketing automation software that is priced based on access to specific features
For some marketing automation software tools, the price of your plan is based exclusively on your marketing goals and the marketing automation features you need to attain those goals.
Take Emma, for example. Emma allows up to 10,000 contacts in all three of the packages it offers. In this case, it’s not the number of contacts that determines the price, but your marketing goals. Emma’s lowest price option starts at $89 a month and features drag-and-drop editing, reporting and analytics, segmentation tools, and built-in integration. Emma’s $159/month mid-range option brings your marketing plan to the next level by adding multiple users, unlimited automation workflows, a landing page builder, and custom event API automation.
The Hubspot marketing tool offers a similar automated marketing pricing plan based on features, but also according to the number of contacts on your list, with a limit of 1M subscribers.
Email marketing automation software that is priced based on messages sent
While many packages offer unlimited emails, some email marketing tools limit the number of email messages you can send.
MailChimp offers a free plan that allows up to 2,000 contacts and up to 12,000 email sends per month.
If that’s not enough, MailChimp’s “Essentials” paid plan starts at $9.99 and allows up to 50,000 contacts with a monthly sending capacity of 500,000. The tool is flexible and allows you to choose pricing tiers for smaller contact lists. If you pay for up to 10,000 contacts, you can send up to 100,000 emails per month. This is a great option for small to medium-sized subscriber lists that you email twice a week.
There’s a lot to consider when choosing the best top email marketing software for your company
There are many variables to consider when searching for the right email marketing automation solution for your automated campaigns, especially when the cost is a driving factor. Many of these email marketing platforms offer free trials for their products that you can take advantage of. Taking email marketing software for a spin before committing is always advisable.
