For SaaS businesses, we can narrow down the list of recommended email marketing systems to the following:
- Selzy
- ActiveCampaign
- HubSpot
- SendinBlue (Brevo)
Each of these platforms has special features intended to make it easy for SaaS companies to go through the singular complexities associated with marketing software products. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at these advanced tools and their key features.
Core Features of Email Marketing Tools for SaaS
When choosing an email marketing platform, SaaS companies have different needs. You are not looking for just a tool that can send out newsletters. You need a system that automates the customer journey-from signups and onboarding to renewals and upgrades. Automation is key here. For example, it should be possible for the platform to automatically send a cadence of welcome emails upon user registration of a free trial, followed by either educational content or promotional offers based on the level of that user’s engagement.
Another important feature is lead scoring. Most SaaS companies typically have to deal with a number of customer segments, like free trial users, paying customers, and users that might churn pretty soon. A good email marketing tool must ensure it scores leads based on their behavior-for instance, how often they log in or the features they use-and sends them targeted messages with the intent of keeping them engaged or pushing them toward an upgrade.
Selzy: A Simple, Affordable Option for Early-Stage SaaS
Selzy is the next good choice for SaaS startups or companies that don’t need all the advanced functionality of more costly services. It is easy to work with and includes drag-and-drop emails, basic automation, and A/B testing. You can easily build email sequences in Selzy, which are required for onboarding new users or transactional emails featuring renewals and upgrades.
Probably the most attractive thing that can be said about Selzy is how it prices its service. At any price, in fact, you get all the features of the platform, including unlimited emails. It prices its offerings based on your email list size alone, which is pretty straightforward for companies that need to send lots of emails without tacking on hidden fees. For more detailed pricing, visit Selzy’s pricing page, where you can see how much it will cost based on the size of your contact list.
ActiveCampaign: The Powerhouse of Automation
ActiveCampaign really stands out for SaaS companies when it comes to advanced automation. It’s not just a question of sending a welcome email, but ActiveCampaign will really enable you to create complex, multistep automation based on events that users perform. For example, if a customer hasn’t logged in for a week, you could Stitch together a series of re-engagement emails, reminding them about the benefits of your product or offering a rebate on the next subscription renewal.
Beyond its power of automation, ActiveCampaign also embeds in-app tracking that can pull data from your software in real time, helping you track user activity and fire-off messages that are highly personalized. Visualize automatically emailing users who have yet to use a new feature you just launched. That’s what ActiveCampaign can deliver. Plans start at $15/month, and while not the cheapest, it is extremely valuable due to its feature set for any SaaS company looking to automate and personalize at scale. You can find more information on the ActiveCampaign pricing page to see how their plans scale with your needs.
HubSpot: Best for Larger SaaS Teams
Probably one of the most well-known marketing platforms out there, HubSpot’s Marketing Hub is perfect for SaaS companies with a wider team. HubSpot’s platform is all about its CRM, in which all the data of your customers resides for easy audience segmentation and creating very particular marketing campaigns. You can set up email sequences, for example, for users who recently downgraded their subscription or target power users with offers to upgrade to premium features.
But HubSpot isn’t just email marketing; it’s a fully-fledged SaaS tool that focuses also on other avenues of marketing such as SEO, content marketing, and social media-so very good for those SaaS companies out there with a really diverse set of marketing needs. That said, it comes at a premium. The Professional plan starts at $792/month, and while the tool is feature-rich, the cost is an ultimate deal-breaker for smaller SaaS companies. If you’re curious, you can visit the HubSpot pricing page for more details on their tiers.
SendinBlue(Brevo): Where Simplicity Meets Affordability
SendinBlue is a good choice for smaller SaaS companies or startups seeking a capable and more affordable solution for email marketing. It’s less complex compared to ActiveCampaign or HubSpot but has all the essential features for email marketing, including automation, email templates, and personalization. Perhaps you run an onboarding sequence, and with SendinBlue, automating follow-up emails for new signups couldn’t be simpler.
But probably the biggest selling point of SendinBlue is pricing: the free plan gives you up to 300 emails per day, while its paid plans start from just $8.08/month of the cheapest options for any SaaS company out there. Yes, it does lack some of the more advanced automation features that ActiveCampaign offers, but for the most part, SendinBlue provides enough firepower for small SaaS companies looking to grow their base without breaking the bank. You can explore more details on the SendinBlue pricing page to determine the best plan for your business.
SaaS Email Marketing Tools at a Glance
Here’s a rundown of the best email marketing tools for SaaS in 2024:
- ActiveCampaign: Good for advanced automation in-app tracking.
- HubSpot: Suitable for big SaaS companies that require extensive marketing.
- SendinBlue: Ideal for budget-friendly, smaller SaaS companies.
- Selzy: Highly suitable for early-stage SaaS companies due to being a pretty simple and economical product.
This small list may give you an indication of which platform would serve your business best, based on need and stage of growth. Be it full-featured automation, full-scale CRM integration, or simply a no-frills email solution, there’s something for everyone.
Our Verdict
With so many variants of SaaS email marketing tools, choosing the right tool can really make a huge difference in the level and quality of customer engagement and, more importantly, growth. It may be sophisticated automation by ActiveCampaign, an all-in-one inbound marketing capability of HubSpot, price affordability by SendinBlue, or simplicity by Selzy-each has something unique to offer.
Check business size, what your marketing goals are, and the budget when choosing. For many companies, this means either a free trial or a shopping round of entry-level plans as a means of dipping the toe into the water. Whichever you choose, the right tool will be key in optimizing your email campaigns and retaining customers to scale your SaaS business effectively in 2024 and beyond.
