Ever wondered which CRM is the best for email marketing? With so many options out there, finding the right one can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. The best CRM for email marketing should seamlessly integrate with your campaigns, making it easier to manage leads and boost engagement effectively.
In this blog post, we’re diving into the top CRM platforms that stand out for their email marketing features. We’ll explore options like HubSpot, Freshsales, and Zoho and help you understand why they might fit your business perfectly.
Keep reading to discover which CRM can transform your email marketing efforts and make you a pro in no time.
11 Best CRM for Email Marketing in 2024
Here are our top picks for the best CRM software for email marketing in 2024. Each product is categorized by its greatest strengths.
- ActiveCampaign: Best for Automation
- EngageBay: Best for Affordability
- Brevo: Best for Ease of Use
- Salesmate: Best for Multichannel Marketing
- Drip: Best for E-commerce
- Zoho CRM: Best for Customization
- Keap: Best for Customer Support
- Thryv: Best for Small Businesses
- Monday.com: Best for Team Collaboration
- HubSpot: Best for Integration
- Freshworks: Best for AI-Powered Features
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is a popular choice for businesses seeking comprehensive email marketing and CRM solutions. It offers reliable automation, detailed analytics, and an integrated customer relationship management (CRM) system, making it a useful tool for various marketing needs.
Pros & Cons
- Comprehensive automation features
- Integrated CRM system
- High email deliverability rates
- User-friendly WYSIWYG editor
- Detailed analytics and reporting
- Steeper learning curve for beginners
- It can be pricey for small businesses
- Limited phone support
Our Experience
We have found ActiveCampaign to be highly effective for managing email campaigns and customer relations. The automation features let us personalize emails based on customer behavior, enhancing engagement.
The CRM integration helps us track customer interactions across different channels, providing a holistic view of each customer. The WYSIWYG editor makes it easy to design emails, and the analytics give us clear insights into campaign performance.
However, the platform can be challenging for those new to email marketing. Setting up advanced automation requires some learning. Also, while email support is responsive, limited phone support can be a drawback for urgent needs.
Pricing Plan
ActiveCampaign offers multiple pricing tiers to cater to different business sizes and needs. The Lite plan starts at $29 per month and includes basic email marketing and automation features. The Plus plan costs $49 per month and adds CRM functionality and other advanced features.
For larger needs, the Professional plan is priced at $149 per month and offers even more advanced automation and analytics. Finally, the Enterprise plan is available for $249 per month and provides custom solutions tailored to large businesses.
Pricing varies based on the number of contacts, so it’s essential to review their website for the most current rates and features.
For more details on their offerings, visit the ActiveCampaign email marketing page or check the Forbes review for a detailed analysis.
EngageBay
EngageBay offers an all-in-one CRM platform with various tools for email marketing, sales, and customer service. Its user-friendly interface and reliable features cater to both beginners and experienced users.
Pros & Cons
- Free CRM and email marketing tools
- User-friendly interface
- Advanced automation features
- A wide array of integrations
- Limited features on the free plan
- Learning curve for advanced tools
- Occasional slow performance
Our Experience
We found EngageBay to be a comprehensive solution for small to medium-sized businesses. The platform’s free CRM is a significant benefit, allowing users to access various features without upfront costs.
The email marketing tools are straightforward to use, making it easy to create and track campaigns.
However, we did encounter a learning curve with some of the more advanced tools, such as automation and project management features. Despite this, once we were familiar with the platform, we could streamline our workflows effectively.
We also appreciated the variety of integrations available, though the platform occasionally experienced slower performance during peak times.
Pricing Plan
EngageBay offers several pricing plans to suit different needs:
- Free Plan: Includes basic CRM, email marketing, and customer service tools.
- Basic Plan: Starts at $12.74 per user per month. Offers advanced CRM, email marketing automation, and more storage.
- Growth Plan: Priced at $42.49 per user per month. Includes everything in the Basic Plan plus more detailed reporting and advanced features.
- Pro Plan: This plan costs $84.99 per user per month and provides full access to all features, including custom reporting and advanced customer service tools.
Each plan allows businesses to scale according to their needs, starting with essential tools and moving up to more advanced features as needed.
Brevo
Brevo, formerly known as Sendinblue, is an all-in-one email marketing and CRM platform that offers a range of features suitable for businesses of all sizes. Known for its user-friendly interface and affordable pricing plans, Brevo enables businesses to manage customer relationships through various communication channels like email, SMS, and chat.
Pros & Cons
- Free plan available with 300 emails/day
- Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- Multiple communication channels: Email, SMS, Chat
- Advanced segmentation capabilities
- Unlimited contacts on the free plan
- Good selection of templates and automation workflows
- Limited CRM functions
- Campaign automation primarily focused on email
- No live support is available
- Some advanced features require a paid plan
Our Experience
We found Brevo to be very user-friendly and have an intuitive dashboard. Setting up email campaigns was straightforward, and the selection of templates helped streamline the process. The automation workflows work smoothly, which is great for keeping audience engagement high.
The platform’s segmentation capabilities allowed us to target specific audience groups effectively. However, we did notice that the CRM functionalities are somewhat basic. It may not be sufficient for businesses requiring extensive CRM tools. We also missed having live support for immediate assistance.
While Brevo handles email marketing tasks well, the lack of more advanced features without a paid plan and the focus on email for automation might limit some users.
That said, the platform is still a solid choice for small to medium-sized businesses looking to enhance their email marketing efforts.
Pricing Plan
Brevo offers a variety of pricing plans to fit different needs:
- Free Plan: 300 emails/day, advanced segmentation, and unlimited contacts
- Starter Plan: Starts at $25/month, includes 20,000 emails/month
- Business Plan: Starts at $65/month, additional advanced features, better automation
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing includes a dedicated account manager, priority support, and more advanced tools
These plans provide flexibility and scalability, making it easier for businesses to choose a plan that aligns with their goals and budget.
Salesmate
Salesmate is a comprehensive CRM tool that is highly regarded for its ease of use and features. It offers email marketing, pipeline tracking, and task management, making it a strong choice for businesses looking to improve their sales and marketing efforts.
Pros & Cons
- Easy to use with an intuitive interface
- Effective email tracking and analytics
- Customizable email templates and signatures
- Comprehensive contact and deal tracking
- Reliable mobile app
- Affordable pricing
- The deal page layout could be improved
- Limited customer service experience
Our Experience
We have tried numerous CRMs, and Salesmate stands out for its practical features and usability. The platform is straightforward, making sending and receiving emails easy, tracking contacts and deals, and creating tasks.
Setting up Salesmate was quick and hassle-free, and every feature worked as expected. This is different from other CRMs, where features often need workarounds. For instance, the email tracking feature is precise and timely, unlike other tools that give false reads on email opens.
One minor issue is the layout of the deals page. While it’s functional, a better design could enhance user experience. That said, this is not a major drawback and doesn’t outweigh the many benefits we experienced.
Pricing Plan
Salesmate offers flexible and competitive pricing plans to fit different business needs. Here are the current plans:
- Starter Plan: $12 per user per month, includes basic CRM features
- Growth Plan: $24 per user per month, adds advanced sales automation and email marketing tools
- Boost Plan: $40 per user per month, includes advanced analytics, multiple pipelines, and more
They also provide a free 15-day trial with full access to all features, allowing businesses to test the platform before making a commitment.
For more details, you can explore the Salesmate pricing plans.
Drip
Drip is an email and SMS marketing platform tailored for e-commerce businesses. Known for its user-friendly interface and powerful automation tools, Drip helps companies streamline their marketing campaigns and enhance customer engagement.
Pros & Cons
- Easy-to-use interface
- Strong automation features
- Excellent customer support
- Integration with popular e-commerce platforms
- Pricing can be high for smaller businesses
- Limited templates available
- Occasional bugs during peak times
Our Experience
We have found Drip to be an excellent tool for managing our email marketing campaigns. The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create visually appealing emails without needing extensive design skills.
The automation features, such as workflows and triggers, allow us to set up complex marketing sequences that run seamlessly in the background.
One highlight is the integration with e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce. This integration enables us to track customer behavior and tailor our emails based on their interactions with our store.
However, we have noticed that Drip can be pricey, especially for smaller operations.
Customer support is responsive and helpful, guiding us through any challenges we face. While there are occasional bugs, particularly during high-traffic periods, these issues are typically resolved quickly.
Pricing Plan
Drip offers several pricing plans based on the number of contacts.
- Starter Plan: $19 per month for up to 500 contacts.
- Basic Plan: $49 per month for up to 2,000 contacts.
- Pro Plan: $99 per month for up to 5,000 contacts.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for larger businesses.
Each plan includes email support, e-commerce integrations, and access to all automation tools. The plans scale up based on the number of subscribers, making them flexible options for growing businesses. For detailed information, visit their official website.
Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is a powerful tool that integrates well with email marketing platforms like Mailchimp and Zoho Campaigns. Its features offer extensive data synchronization and campaign management capabilities.
Pros & Cons
- Two-way synchronization: Syncs contacts and campaign data.
- Integrations: Works well with popular email marketing tools.
- User-friendly: Easy to navigate interface.
- Analytics: Comprehensive reporting tools.
- Customization: Limited customization options.
- Learning curve: Slightly steep for beginners.
- Customer support: Response times can be slow.
Our Experience
Overall, our time with Zoho CRM has been positive. The integration with email marketing tools like Mailchimp makes managing campaigns straightforward.
The two-way synchronization allows our team to access and organize contacts and campaign data from a single platform, which has improved our efficiency and communication.
However, Zoho CRM does have its drawbacks. Customization options are somewhat limited, which can be a challenge when trying to tailor the system to specific needs.
There is also a noticeable learning curve, particularly for those new to CRM systems. Finally, customer support, while generally helpful, can be slow at times.
Pricing Plan
Zoho CRM offers several pricing plans to meet different needs:
- Free Plan: Basic features for up to 3 users.
- Standard Plan: $14 per user/month, including sales forecasting and reports.
- Professional Plan: $23 per user/month, adds Email Integration and Workflow Automation.
- Enterprise Plan: $40 per user/month, adds Zia AI and advanced customization features.
- Ultimate Plan: $52 per user/month, includes all features plus advanced BI and enhanced storage.
These plans provide various levels of access and functionality, making it feasible for businesses of different sizes to find a suitable option.
Keap
Keap is a powerful CRM that integrates sales automation and email marketing into one platform. It is known for its user-friendly interface and effective tools that help small businesses manage customer relationships and marketing campaigns seamlessly.
Pros & Cons
- Combines CRM with sales and marketing automation
- High email open and click rates
- Intuitive interface
- It can be pricey for small businesses
- Steep learning curve for beginners
Our Experience
We found Keap to be a solid tool for managing customer relationships and automating marketing efforts. The platform is very intuitive and easy to navigate. Its clean interface allowed us to set up automated workflows quickly, which saved us time.
The email marketing features are exceptional, offering higher-than-average email open rates of 20% and click rates of 13%. This made our campaigns more effective. The CRM capabilities also helped us manage contacts and leads efficiently.
However, new users might find a steep learning curve, especially when setting up advanced automations. The initial setup takes some time, and while their support team is helpful, getting everything fine-tuned requires a bit of patience.
Pricing Plan
Keap offers various pricing plans that cater to different business needs:
- Lite: $129 per month for up to 500 contacts
- Pro: $199 per month for up to 500 contacts
- Max: $299 per month for up to 500 contacts
Each plan includes features like CRM, automation, and email marketing, with the higher tiers offering more advanced functionalities and support. While these prices can add up, especially for small businesses, the value provided by the tools and integrations can justify the cost if used effectively.
Thryv
Thryv is a great CRM platform that is ideal for small- to medium-sized businesses. It offers a range of capabilities, from email marketing to social media management. Its user-friendly interface and varied pricing plans make it accessible to many users.
Pros & Cons
- Multiple marketing tools in one platform.
- Excellent customer support.
- Email marketing features.
- Limited sales-oriented features.
- It may be less suitable for large enterprises.
- Some users find it too multifaceted for specific needs.
Our Experience
Using Thryv, we appreciated the ease of managing our email marketing campaigns. The interface is intuitive, making it simple to navigate through various tools. Their customer support stands out and is always ready to assist when needed.
Thryv’s email marketing features excel in customization and automation, allowing us to create tailored campaigns for different customer segments. The system integrates well with other Thryv tools, such as social media management and invoicing.
However, it falls short in specialized sales features. While it’s a jack-of-all-trades, its lack of focus on deep sales metrics might be a drawback for highly sales-driven businesses. That said, Thryv serves those looking for a supportive CRM well.
Pricing Plan
Thryv offers a range of pricing plans to suit different business needs. Prices are typically structured in tiers:
- Starter Plan: Around $199 per month, offering basic CRM tools and limited email marketing options.
- Professional Plan: Priced at about $299 per month, includes enhanced marketing tools and increased storage.
- Ultimate Plan: Typically $399 per month, providing the full suite of features, including advanced customization and increased limits on emails and storage.
These plans ensure flexibility depending on the size and needs of your business. For more detailed information and the latest updates, check out Thryv’s pricing details.
Monday.com
Monday.com is widely recognized for its user-friendly interface and powerful features, making it a popular choice for businesses of various sizes. It offers tools for managing both CRM and email marketing, allowing for streamlined operations.
Pros & Cons
- Easy to use and customize
- Excellent customer support
- Centralized location for team information
- Efficient task and lead management
- Comprehensive template library
- Occasional lag in the user interface
- The desktop version for Mac can be troublesome
- Hard to prioritize jobs
- It doesn’t integrate well with some external software
- Some features require manual setup
Our Experience
Using Monday.com has been a transformative experience for our team. The platform’s flexibility allows us to create boards for various purposes, from client management to project planning.
The intuitive interface has made onboarding new team members smooth. Setting up workflows and automation, although initially time-consuming, has paid off in efficiency.
We did encounter some challenges, particularly with the desktop version for Mac, which lagged compared to the online version. Customizing the software to fit our needs involved a learning curve, but the customer support team was always available to help us resolve issues quickly.
Overall, despite these challenges, Monday.com has helped us streamline our business processes and improve team collaboration.
Pricing Plan
Monday.com offers several pricing plans to accommodate different business needs:
- Individual: Free for up to 2 seats, includes basic features.
- Basic: $10 per seat/month, billed annually. Includes unlimited boards and over 200 templates.
- Standard: $12 per seat/month, billed annually. Adds timelines, calendars, and guest access.
- Pro: $20 per seat/month, billed annually. Offers advanced reporting and automations.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for large organizations. Includes advanced security and compliance features.
These plans allow businesses of all sizes to choose the features and functionalities best suited to their needs.
HubSpot
HubSpot is an intuitive CRM solution ideal for businesses of all sizes. It offers a unique set of features across its free and paid plans, making it a flexible choice for companies looking to streamline their customer relationship management.
Pros & Cons
- Comprehensive free plan with extensive features
- Scalable and modular solutions
- Intuitive and easy to use
- Excellent customer support for paid plans
- Extensive integration with over 1,400 other apps and tools
- AI-powered writing tools for marketing and sales emails
- Complex pricing structure if purchasing individual hubs
- The free plan lacks live customer support
Our Experience
Using HubSpot has been a largely positive experience. The platform offers a wide range of features, even on the free plan, which is packed with functionalities that many paid CRMs don’t offer.
The drag-and-drop tools for creating emails, landing pages, and forms made it easy to get started quickly.
One downside is the complex pricing structure. While the flexibility is great, it can be confusing to figure out the most cost-effective bundle. Despite this, the user interface is intuitive, and the extensive online knowledge base is a life-saver when tackling more advanced tasks.
Overall, our hands-on experience showed that HubSpot excels in ease of use and integration capabilities, making it a strong contender for any growing business.
Pricing Plan
HubSpot offers several pricing options:
- Free Plan: Includes basic CRM features, unlimited users, up to 1,000,000 contacts.
- Starter Bundle: Starts at $20 per month, includes all hubs with basic marketing, sales, customer service, and operational tools.
- Professional and Enterprise Plans: More advanced features with customizable options, pricing varies depending on selected hubs and the scale of implementation.
The flexibility in their pricing allows businesses to customize their plans according to specific needs, making it budget-friendly or feature-rich depending on what you opt for.
Freshworks
Freshworks offers a CRM and email marketing solution, making it a top choice. Their platform combines various tools to help manage sales and marketing in one place.
Pros & Cons
- User-friendly Interface: Easy to navigate for both beginners and experts.
- Comprehensive Features: Combines CRM and email marketing tools.
- Automation: Simplifies lead nurturing and customer segmentation.
- Integration: Works well with other software and platforms.
- Support: Offers quick responses to user inquiries.
- Complexity: Some features require training to understand.
- Language Support: Limited languages available, mainly English.
- Template Management: Managing multiple email templates can be challenging.
- Customization: Creating custom properties can be time-consuming.
Our Experience
We’ve found Freshworks’ suite highly beneficial for our sales and marketing activities. The integration of CRM and email marketing in one place allows us to streamline our processes. Creating customer journeys and marketing campaigns is straightforward, and automation features save us time.
However, there are areas needing improvement. The interface, while user-friendly, sometimes requires training to utilize fully. The lack of support in multiple languages can be a barrier for non-English speaking users.
Despite these hiccups, Freshworks helps us manage our sales pipelines effectively and keep track of customer interactions seamlessly.
Pricing Plan
Freshworks offers various pricing plans to suit different business needs. Plans range from basic to advanced features:
- Growth Plan: $29/month per user, billed annually.
- Pro Plan: $99/month per user, billed annually.
- Enterprise Plan: $199/month per user, billed annually.
Each plan offers different levels of features and support, allowing businesses to choose based on their specific needs. These prices ensure businesses of all sizes can find a suitable option without overspending. For more details on these plans, visit their pricing page.
Final Thoughts
After exploring various CRM options, we can confidently say that HubSpot is the best CRM for email marketing.
HubSpot offers comprehensive support for email campaigns, lead tracking, and automation.
Its user-friendly interface makes it accessible even for those new to CRM systems.
HubSpot also excels in lead nurturing, helping businesses develop strong relationships with potential customers.
For businesses seeking an all-in-one solution, HubSpot offers tools beyond email marketing. Sales tracking, customer service capabilities, and analytics are also included.
HubSpot is the ideal choice if ease of use, comprehensive features, and support are priorities.
Our Selection Process
We began by scouring the market for the best CRMs with excellent email marketing capabilities. After reviewing many options, we narrowed down our list to the most promising candidates.
Our selection process included products like Freshsales, SageCRM, Engagebay, Act!, and Maximizer CRM.
Criteria
We tested these CRMs based on several key criteria:
- Ease of Use: User interface and setup process
- Features: Email automation, contact management, and analytics
- Pricing: Cost-effectiveness for various business sizes
- Support: Quality of customer service and available resources
Testing Methodology
First, we set up each CRM to evaluate its ease of use. We assessed how quickly we could navigate the interface and configure essential features.
Next, we explored the features. We tested email automation, campaign scheduling, and overall effectiveness in managing large contact lists.
Afterward, we analyzed the pricing. We compared the cost against the benefits provided, focusing on how suitable each CRM is for small, medium, and large businesses.
Lastly, we evaluated the support options. We contacted customer service teams to gauge their responsiveness and helpfulness and reviewed available documentation and resources.
By following this meticulous process, we ensured a thorough and unbiased assessment of each CRM for email marketing.
What is CRM Email Marketing?
CRM email marketing combines the power of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) with email campaigns. It involves using a CRM system to manage, automate, and track emails to current or potential customers, making our email marketing more organized and efficient.
CRMs store all customer information in one place, including contact details, interactions, and purchase history. When we use CRM email marketing, we can use this data to create personalized email campaigns.
We can segment our audience into different groups based on their behavior. For example, we might have one group for new subscribers and another for repeat customers. This allows us to send targeted messages that are more likely to be relevant to each group.
CRM email marketing also helps automate repetitive tasks. We can set up email sequences to be sent automatically based on triggers like a customer signing up for our newsletter or making a purchase. This saves us time and ensures consistent communication.
Another key feature is tracking. We can see who opened our emails, clicked links, or made a purchase after receiving an email. This data helps us measure the success of our campaigns and make improvements.
Using CRM email marketing can increase our sales and improve customer relationships. We can engage our audience more effectively by sending the right message to the right person at the right time.
What to Consider When Choosing a CRM Email Marketing Software
When choosing a CRM email marketing software, it’s important to focus on several key factors to ensure it meets our needs.
1. Usability: We should look for software that is easy to use and understand. The interface should be intuitive so our team can learn and use it effectively.
2. Integration: Compatibility with our existing tools is crucial. The CRM should integrate seamlessly with our email marketing software, social media platforms, and other tools we use daily.
3. Automation: We must consider automation capabilities. Features like automated email sequences, follow-ups, and lead nurturing can save us time and improve our marketing efforts.
4. Analytics and Reporting: Having access to detailed analytics helps us understand how our campaigns are performing. Look for software that offers comprehensive reports on open rates, click rates, and conversions.
5. Scalability: As our business grows, our CRM should grow with us. It’s important to choose software that can scale to meet our expanding needs.
6. Customer Support: Good customer support can make a difference. We should ensure the CRM provider offers reliable support, whether through chat, phone, or email.
Factor | Importance |
---|---|
Usability | Easy to use for quick adoption |
Integration | Works well with existing tools |
Automation | Saves time, boosts efficiency |
Analytics | Tracks campaign performance |
Scalability | Grows with our business |
Customer Support | Provides reliable help |
Taking these factors into account will help ensure we choose CRM email marketing software that best suits our needs, making our marketing efforts more efficient and effective. Tools like Salesmate, Freshsales, and Hubspot each offer different strengths in these areas.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best CRM for email marketing automation?
The best CRM for email marketing automation is often considered HubSpot CRM. It provides powerful automation tools, making it easier to manage email campaigns and follow-ups.
Which CRM has the best email marketing features for small businesses?
For small businesses, Zoho CRM stands out. It offers excellent email analytics and features without costing a fortune.
How does CRM help with email marketing?
CRM systems help with email marketing by streamlining contact management, automating campaign workflows, and providing analytics. This ensures that emails are targeted and effective, leading to better engagement and higher conversion rates.
What is the best free CRM for email marketing?
EngageBay is a great free option. It combines CRM and email marketing tools, allowing smaller businesses to begin email marketing campaigns without initial costs.
Which CRM integrates the best with email marketing platforms?
Copper CRM is highly effective when integrated with Gmail. This integration makes it easy to manage emails directly within the CRM.
How do CRMs improve the effectiveness of email marketing campaigns?
CRMs improve the effectiveness of email marketing campaigns by providing detailed analytics, enabling precise targeting, and automating personalized responses. This leads to higher engagement, better customer satisfaction, and increased sales.