Free Email Marketing Options

There’s a common misconception that successful email marketing is really expensive, but this is simply not the case. There are a multitude of free email marketing options available on the market, but before you go download the latest software and start working to build your list, you should consider a few things first.

Paid vs. Free Email Marketing Software

Although there are a handful of free email marketing programs available for download, should you trust them? The answer to this question depends entirely on your goals and needs.

Pros: Free Software

Obviously, the one great thing about free software is just that, it’s free! No credit cards, bank accounts or businesses expenses to worry about, simply get the program and you’re ready to start sending emails right away. Also, these programs are, in general, easy to use. Adding your list, typing emails, and even segmenting your list in basic ways can be accomplished. Also, the software will reside on your computer, so you can prepare emails and campaigns offline if you happen to lose your Internet connection.

Cons: Free Software

OK, so “free” email marketing software actually does come with some costs. Firstly, there is absolutely NO technical support, and often very limited training on the program itself. I mean…why should the creator provide support if he/she isn’t making any money? Likewise, you won’t be finding any software updates regularly. Some of the programs claim that you don’t need software updates, but term “need” is used loosely in my opinion. I guess if you never change your operating system, email account providers never change and SPAM laws remain consistent, this would be true. Also, a downside for many people is the fact that you have to have software on your computer. This means that every time you want to distribute mass emails, your computer will have to do all of the work, and when your list gets big this can take quite a while. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, you don’t get to be on the SPAM white list. What does this mean? Basically, paid email providers work closely with ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to ensure that the servers they use to send your mass emails don’t get marked as SPAM. In other words, by using free email marketing software, you have a significantly higher chance of your emails being blacklisted. This makes it so that none of the emails you ever send will make it to your subscriber’s in-box. Many of the paid email marketing products include SPAM checkers, which review your emails and provide tips to ensure your messages stay out of subscriber’s SPAM boxes. With free software, however, it is more of a guessing game. All it takes is for multiple subscribers to mark your message as SPAM, and you have to start all over.

A Great Alternative: Extended Free Trials

Some of the paid email marketing providers offer very generous free trials of their programs, some even lasing up to 60 days! After that, many programs include monthly subscriptions as low as $10, which is less than a Netflix subscription and will actually make you money. Plus, if you find that it’s not worth it, just let your free trial expire and you never pay a dime anyway.

To compare email marketing companies and to sign up for a few free trials, see our email marketing reviews and our best email marketing software page for the one we recommend.