Email marketing is an effective way to build your
blog, and fortunately, there are a number of online tools that make it
extremely easy to create and send professional email marketing messages
to your email marketing list. Some of these tools are free and others
require a small fee. As your blog grows, you might want to pay for
additional features and functionallity, but you don't have to pay a cent
if you don't want to or need to. Some of the most popular and best
email marketing tools for bloggers are listed below to get you started.
MailChimp
You can use MailChimp for free if you send email marketing messages fewer than six times per month and maintain a list of under 100 addresses. As you grow, so do your choices. For example, for $10 per month, you can send an unlimited number of emails per month as long as your list includes fewer than 500 addresses. Additional packages are available for more money and offering more features. Pay-as-you-go pricing is also available if you don't want to commit to an ongoing fee. MailChimp offers a wide variety of customization options, templates, tracking, and list management as well as Google Analytics integration. MailChimp's plug-ins make it easy for people to sign up for your email list or get automatically included on your email list for a variety of applications such as PayPal, FreshBooks, Wordpress, TypePad, MySpace and more. MailChimp also uses email authentication to boost deliverability rates, and the online tutorials are excellent.ConstantContact
ConstantContact typically offers a free trial, because even the base package requires that you pay a monthly fee. The base option is $15 per month for a list 0-500 email addresses and enables you to send emails, manage your email list, upload up to five images, and track results. ConstantContact provides easy to use templates for customizing your emails but branding requires an extra fee. You can send email messages, surveys and forms using ConstantContact, and online tutorials are available. Also, ConstantContact follows procedures to boost mail deliverability.VerticalResponse
The base price to use VerticalResponse is $10 per month for a list of up to 500 addresses, and you can mail to that list an unlimited number of times. Pay-as-you-go pricing is also available. VerticalResponse offers some customization, easy template modification, list management, tracking, and Google Analytics integration. If you want to send surveys, you need to pay a separate fee. VerticalResponse does use email authentication to increase deliverability rates.Emma
The base price for Emma is higher than the other email marketing tools included in this list, and what you get for that price is also a bit different from what the other tools in this list offer. Emma pricing starts at $30 per month for up to 1,000 emails per month with a $99 one-time setup fee to create your custom, branded template. You can send emails, surveys and forms with Emma. Those fees also give you the ability to can create customized emails, manage lists, track responses, and get help via email and telephone.iContact
iContact usually offers a free trial that you can test before you agree to pay to use the tool. Packages start at $9.95 per month for up to 250 contacts. iContact enables you to send emails and surveys. It offers less free customization than the other tools on this list but does include tracking and list management fuctionality. More premium services are available at additional costs, including the ability to design a custom template, which starts at $395.Source weblogs.about.com
Free and Affordable Email Marketing Tools for Bloggers
