Free mailing tools
The essential guide for your email marketing campaigns
Mailing has become an indispensable tool for talking to potential customers and consolidating the relationship with existing subscribers.
However, when taking the first steps, many are faced with the million-dollar question: how to find a solution without spending too much?
Here is where free mailing tools come into play.
Today, we will see how to find the best mailing tools for your business.
- 1 Why should you start working with email marketing?
- 2 But, what are free mailing tools?
- 3 How should you choose the best mailing platform for your needs?
- 4 Examples of free mailing platforms
- 5 Tips to get the most of your free mailing plan
- 6 Advantages and disadvantages of free mailing tools
- 7 Final recommendations
Why should you start working with email marketing?
Before delving into no-cost mailing platforms, it’s worth remembering why email marketing is so relevant to any digital strategy.
Social media and online advertising often take center stage; however, email remains one of the most effective ways to spread promotional messages, nurture leads and generate conversions.
In fact, email marketing has one of the highest returns on investment(ROI) in online marketing, since sending emails is quite economical compared to other tactics, and allows a more direct and personalized communication with users.
It is also easy to measure the result of your email marketing campaigns.
You can find out how many subscribers opened your email, who clicked on links, how many conversions resulted from a particular message, among other relevant metrics.
All of this gives you valuable information to continually adjust and improve your campaigns .
Whether you’re running a small startup, a personal project or a larger ecommerce business, investing time in building and optimizing your email marketing strategy is always a good idea.
But, what are free mailing tools?
Free mailing tools are online applications or platforms that allow you to design, send and analyze emails without spending money.
In most cases, they offer a basic plan that limits the number of emails you can send, the number of subscribers or some advanced features.
However, they are usually more than enough for businesses just starting out, or for those who need to test their mailing strategies before scaling up to a paid plan.
These free mailing solutions can include, among other features:
- Newsletter designers: simple drag-and-drop editors, designed for you to create attractive emails even if you are not a programmer.
- List segmentation: the ability to group your subscribers according to their preferences or behavior, and thus send more relevant messages.
- Basic automations: tools to create automated email sequences that are triggered by user actions (e.g., a welcome email when someone subscribes).
- Performance statistics: information on open rates, clicks and unsubscribes, among other important indicators.
- Subscription forms: facilities to place forms on your website or blog and capture new contacts organically.
If you can use these tools for free, it is possible to have easy access to the universe of email marketing with a limited budget.
How should you choose the best mailing platform for your needs?
With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to choose the ideal tool.
Here are some key factors to consider when making your decision:
- Sending and contact limits: check how many emails you can send per month and how many subscribers are allowed in the free plan. free plan. Make sure that the limits will cover your immediate needs.
- Ease of use: make sure the interface is intuitive so that you don’t spend too much time learning how to use the platform. Also, check to see if they offer tutorials or getting started guides.
- Templates and design: check if the email editor is easy to use and if it has templates that fit your brand identity. An attractive design will make your emails stand out and be remembered.
- Automation: check if the free version includes automation features. If you can schedule autoresponders or sequential mailings, you will save time and increase the effectiveness of your campaigns.
- Support and community: if the tool provides support in your language, active forums or a community with which to share doubts, you will have a plus when it comes to solving problems and optimizing your campaigns.
- High delivery rate: make sure the platform has a good reputation for email deliverability, so that your messages don’t end up in the spam folder.
Examples of free mailing platforms
It is now time to see the most relevant options you should consider.
There are different options, but in this article we will highlight three that have proven their effectiveness and have free plans to start with: Mailrelay, Mailchimp and Acumbamail.
Each of them offers special features to suit different needs and user profiles.
Mailrelay
We start with Mailrelay, a platform developed in Spain and with a very interesting value proposition.
Although it has paid plans, it stands out for its generous free version, which offers tens of thousands of monthly emails at no cost, in addition to allowing a fairly high number of subscribers.
- It stands out for its sending capacity: depending on current promotions and conditions, Mailrelay offers up to 80,000 free monthly emails and 20,000 contacts, a figure considerably higher than the industry average.
- Support in Several Languages: for those who are new to the mailing universe, having a customer service in Different languages is very valuable, as it reduces the learning curve and facilitates problem solving.
- Intuitive editor and automations: with its drag-and-drop editor, creating attractive and professional newsletters is very easy. It also includes list segmentation options and automated email sequences.
- Accurate statistics: it has a dashboard where you can check essential metrics, such as open rate and click-through rate. This information will help you to create even better email marketing campaigns.
Thanks to these features, Mailrelay has become a benchmark among free mailing tools.
Especially for those who want a wide range of monthly campaigns with no hidden costs.
Mailchimp
When we talk about mass mailing platforms, the first name that usually comes to mind is Mailchimp.
This tool is one of the best known worldwide, partly because of its focus on simplicity and its characteristic playful design.
- Free plan adapted to beginners: it allows you to manage up to 500 contacts in its free version (a figure that has varied over time), with a monthly limit of mailings and enough functionalities to get started.
- Extensive template library: Mailchimp has an assortment of pre-designed templates, adapted to different industries. In addition, its drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create original designs.
- Basic automations: the free account allows you to set up automatic welcome emails, birthday greetings or reactivation of inactive contacts, although with certain limitations compared to the paid plans.
- Multi-platform integrations: Mailchimp syncs with numerous web services, plugins and e-commerce tools, making it a versatile option for those who use multiple applications in their business.
However, it is worth bearing in mind that Mailchimp has been restricting its free plans in recent years.
Therefore, it is important to review the current limits and functionalities before deciding on this solution.
Acumbamail
Last but not least, we will talk about Acumbamail, another Spanish platform that has been gaining traction thanks to its free plans and a very intuitive system.
- Attractive free plan: Acumbamail offers a small number of free monthly mailings (e.g. 2,000 emails) for up to 250 subscribers, which can serve as a base for start-up businesses or personal projects.
- Ease of use: its interface is designed to be very clear and accessible, which helps those who have never used software of this type before.
- Automation and segmentation: includes automation and segmentation tools that allow you to send highly personalized messages, although in the free plan they may be limited compared to the paid options.
- Templates and drag-and-drop editor: similar to other email marketing services, Acumbamail has a visual editor that allows you to create professional emails without programming knowledge.
The platform is constantly evolving, and many users appreciate the support in Spanish and the ease of creating efficient campaigns.
Similarly, the main limitation is the number of emails allowed in its free version, so as your business grows, you may need to opt for a premium plan.
Tips to get the most of your free mailing plan
Regardless of the tool you choose, there are certain best practices that can help you maximize the success of your campaigns at no cost:
- Segment your database: Not all contacts are the same. Use the filters available on your mailing email marketing software to group your subscribers according to their interests, geographic location or activity in your mailings.
- Create relevant content: a beautiful design is only part of the puzzle. You also need to offer content that responds to the needs and concerns of your readers. If your emails don’t add value, people will stop opening them.
- Maintain consistency: define an appropriate sending frequency (it can be weekly, biweekly or monthly) and be consistent with it. This reinforces your subscribers’ trust and helps to create engagement, so they will expect your next emails.
- Optimize the subject line and the preheader: the subject line is the gateway to your content. Make sure it is eye-catching, brief and relevant. The preheader (the small description that is displayed after the subject line) can also influence the opening decision.
- Take advantage of automations: setting up mail flows (welcome, reactivation, special promotion) allows you to impact your contacts at the right time, generating a higher conversion rate.
- Analyze results: review metrics such as open rate, click-through rate (CTR) and unsubscribe rate to discover patterns of success and areas for improvement. This analysis process must be continuous.
- Take care of deliverability: avoid terms that can trigger spam filters, keep your database updated by removing inactive contacts and, as far as possible, ask for confirmation of subscription (double opt-in).
Advantages and disadvantages of free mailing tools
Before jumping into using a free mailing tool, it is important to know its positive points and some possible drawbacks:
Advantages
- Zero cost: obviously, this is the main reason why many users decide to get started with these plans.
- Learning phase: they allow users to become familiar with email marketing processes without spending large sums of money.
- Risk reduction: if you are not convinced by the tool, you can always switch to another platform without having invested any money.
Disadvantages
- Restrictions of use: limit of subscribers, emails you can send, automations or advanced features.
- Branding or advertising: some platforms insert their own logo or an advertising footer in your emails, which can detract from their professionalism.
- Scalability: if your contact list grows, you will almost certainly have to move to a paid plan or migrate to another service.
Final recommendations
With all of the above in mind, it is clear that free mailing tools are an excellent gateway to the world of email marketing.
They allow you to put your ideas into practice, learn the dynamics of mailings and analyze how your audience reacts without having to make large investments.
In addition, the three options mentioned – Mailrelay, Mailchimp and Acumbamail –offer plans to take your first steps in a solid way.
To choose the ideal option, you should take into account your current needs, the number of contacts, the key functionalities you need (segmentation, automation, detailed analysis) and your growth projection.
There is no one-size-fits-all formula, so it is advisable to try and see which one best suits your business.
Implement attractive subscription forms, create content of interest to your readers and take advantage of statistics to fine-tune your strategy.
In this way, you will see how email marketing, supported by a good free mailing software, can become an engine of conversions and sales for your project.