Happy first week of June, spa owners! Let’s make this summer a fantastic one, both personally and professionally.

Now, for the month of May I talked at length about why spas need to up their email marketing game right now (regardless of whether you’ve reopened or not!), the difference between newsletters and email marketing, and how to use email marketing to mine existing client opportunities. So what am I going to round off the topic with? My top six email marketing platforms for making spa marketing as easy as can be, of course!

Now, I’m a firm believer that email marketing is one of the best forms of marketing in terms of getting the best bang for your buck (and time put in!); however, I know that not all spa owners out there are tech-savvy, so the emphasis on email marketing may be leaving some of you feeling a little dizzy… which is why I recommend you whip out your notebook (or, even better, bookmark this page) and jot down these six email marketing platform recommendations.

First Things First: What to Look For

Finding the right email marketing platform can be a struggle, especially if you’re a spa owner who is just dipping their toes into email marketing; with so many different options, how are you supposed to make a decision?!

That’s why it’s vital to not only pick an email marketing platform that will bolster your ROI but is also easy to use. After all, let’s face it: if you don’t like the email marketing platform you’re using chances are you’re, well, not going to use it!

To pick the most user-friendly email marketing platform, look for one that has one or more of the following:

• Easy drag and drop editing (which means you don’t have to be a graphic designer to churn out fantastic-looking content!)

• List segmentation capabilities

• Integration with your spa’s CRM

• Automation

• Templates

• Specialization (whether that be content strategies, funnels, eCommerce, or anything else you’re leveraging for your spa business)

Now, without further ado: my top six email marketing platforms for spa owners.

#1: Mailerlite

I’m starting out with one of my highest-ranking picks: Mailerlite. 

As a platform that I’ve both worked with personally and used for my social media marketing clients, I love Mailerlite for its easiness: in the hustle-and-bustle of everyday life we want something that is short, snappy, and to the point, which Mailerlite is to a T.

Mailerlite is the perfect email marketing platform if you are the owner of a small spa or a solopreneuer; its free plan offers drag-and-drop features and automation, has a superbly easy-to-use interface that even the most beginner of email marketers will feel comfortable with, and even includes landing page design if you’re integrating funnels into your spa’s email marketing. However, be aware that most email platforms that offer landing pages will have limited design capabilities for more sophisticated sales funnels. 

When would Mailerlite not be for you? If you need more complex segmentation, keep reading!

#2: Constant Contact

One of the “grandmas” in the email marketing platform world, Constant Contact is the ol’ reliable email marketing option: outfitted with social media campaigns, eCommerce, and event integration, as well as great segmentation options.

Why is segmentation such a huge deal? While there are lots of ways to segment your email marketing audiences, segmentation, in a nutshell, ensures that the right people are receiving the right marketing; after all, why market your new facial to your eyelash extension clients? Optimizing segmentation means maximizing audience interest (and email open rates!), so if you haven’t looked into segmentation already it’s a must-do!

Lastly, Constant Contact is a paid subscription— which isn’t the preference, I know, but the big perk of paid subscriptions is that their tech support is more hands-on than free services.

#3: Aweber

Next in the email marketing platform that I use for my own email marketing: Aweber! Another “oldie but a goodie”, Aweber shines in its auto-newsletters, timely tech support, easy-to-use scheduling interface, and template library.

One of the best parts? Their provided phone number! Nothing feels better than just being able to pick up the phone and get your questions sorted in five minutes instead of trying to wade through the issues yourself for hours (or days!) And to be honest, having this kind of tech support is what’s kept me with Aweber for 5 years. 

#4: Convertkit

Ideal for bolstering your content strategy, Convertkit is another wonderfully easy drag-and-drop builder that is very reminiscent of Aweber. The biggest difference? Their templates extend beyond just email marketing to funnels!

Specifically designed for those looking to delve into sales funnels, blogs, and just fleshing out their content strategy in general, I’ve been recommending Convertkit to spa owners in my private spa owners-only Facebook group, Spa Business Mastery, who are taking COVID-19 as the opportunity to drive traffic where it’s most needed.

#5: Drip

Listen up, eCommerce-oriented spa owners: this one’s for you.

Drip specializes in eCommerce which means that, if you’ve had the epiphany that your spa business needs to shift into eCommerce, Drip is the email marketing platform you should be picking. Drip provides behavioural customer tracking, comparable insights, cross-channel automations, and purchase-oriented segmentation to get the most out of your eCommerce (alongside offering the regular drag-and-drop, easy-interface features of the other options on this list!)

#6: Send in Blue

Technically an honourable mention, Send in Blue has both email and SMS capabilities… meaning that you can send out scheduled texts to your clients! Talk about a whole new level of personalization, right?

Chock full of segmentation options, retargeting capabilities, signup form templates, drag-and-drop builders, automations, CRM integration, and website chat functionality, I’d be remiss not to mention Send in Blue despite not having had the opportunity to use it yet myself!

But Kirsten, What About One of the Most Talked-About Email Platforms, Mailchimp?

Ah yes, Mailchimp; while I still think it’s a great place to start (and I’ve used it myself!), it’s getting to be a bit of a squeaky wheel.

What do I mean by that? Limitations out the wazoo is what I mean by that: they’re pulling back on their free plan options to the point where it’s becoming mandatory to switch to their paid plan, and, because of Mailchimp’s clunky drag-and-drop options and boring landing page templates, it’s way more worth your while to jump to one of these other email marketing platform options. 

Tired of Trying to Figure Out Your Email Marketing Strategy and Implementation?

Reach out today to learn how outsourcing to my team can simplify your life; between our email marketing, ghost-blogging, and social media services, we ensure that you’re creating the content your consumers need and making sure it gets distributed in the most effective way possible. The result? Hello, brand focus and sales!

As always, let me know which of these platforms you’ll be trying out for yourself; I can’t wait to hear how your foray into email marketing goes!