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Email marketing remains one of the primary tools of the digital marketing mix and is the quickest way of delivering relevant information to specific customers. Email campaigns are crucial techniques used in relational marketing management for businesses looking to build long-term customer relationships.
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According to a report by Litmus, email marketing has an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent, which makes it one of the most effective marketing communications tools in the current scheme of things. However, this does not mean all email marketing campaigns are identical.
Your email content must be overwhelmingly influential in convincing readers to open and click on a link within your email. This is the prime reason why selecting customizable templates for Mailchimp becomes crucial. You can’t rely solely on pre-designed templates.
Although Mailchimp has internal templates, third-party providers will provide more choices, superior usability, enhanced customization, and a better design match because of the abundance of choices and customization services.
In this blog, we will discuss Mailchimp’s best email template providers. We will also discuss the features of those providers so that you can choose the best one for your email campaigns. Without any further ado, let’s dive right in.
Why You Need a Specialized Email Template Provider for Mailchimp
Businesses widely use Mailchimp because of its ease of use and features, but the built-in email templates are somewhat restricted and may not fit all brand requirements. While Mailchimp offers many templates for designing email campaigns, it may often be limiting for businesses that want to design customized and professional end-to-end email campaigns.
Here are a few reasons why you must look for a third-party email template provider that can create and curate customizable templates for Mailchimp.
- You don’t have an option for extensive customization. Mailchimp offers basic customization with a drag-and-drop editor.
- You get access to basic design features that can create straightforward emails, but you will fall short if you want to add advanced animations or custom fonts.
- Mailchimp doesn’t have advanced marketing features to run a comprehensive email marketing campaign.
That’s why you need third-party email template providers to do the hard work for you. You will have access to talented designers and developers who will custom-design email templates that perfectly fit your needs and branding requirements.
Now, let’s discuss the prerequisites of choosing the best email template provider for your business.
Key Features to Look for in an Email Template Provider
Choosing the right email template provider is an absolute must if you want your email marketing campaigns to be effective and yield the desired results. Here are a few key features you must look for in your email template provider.
- Compatibility and Seamless Integration with Mailchimp
Compatibility with Mailchimp is one of the most important features to focus on while looking for an email template provider. For a smooth workflow, you need seamless integration that does not produce any technical hitches. When your provider does that, you don’t have to import Mailchimp templates and lists or struggle with your campaign without needlessly making any efforts or committing errors. This will save you time and resources.
- Design Flexibility and Customization Options
Design flexibility is another important aspect when designing memorable templates to engage customers. Again, it would be highly desirable for the templates to allow one to get closer to one’s brand and include elements that could make customers’ communications feel unique and engaging. The providers that will come in handy will be those who offer pre-designed templates and editing tools in the form of drag-and-drop interfaces and coding interfaces.
- Mobile Responsiveness and Cross-Device Compatibility
According to a HubSpot report, around 46% of all emails are opened on smartphones. That’s why emails should be designed with a mobile-first approach. Layouts created specifically for the desktop view might force visitors to scroll sideways or click through multiple pages on smartphones or tablets, which could drastically decrease the interaction rate.
A good provider should provide a preview feature so that you can assess how your email will appear on different devices before sending out the message to ensure that there are no display issues and that the email experience on the different devices is uniform.
- User-Friendly Interface and Customer Support
Another aspect one should consider is a user-friendly interface because some people will have no experience using email marketing services. The interface’s simplicity and the navigation panel’s easy-to-use nature help users create and design new emails without explaining how to do it. Ideally, choose those services that provide basic explanations, have an intuitive interface, and have all the necessary tools on the dashboard—WYSIWYG editors, FAQs and guides, etc.
Top Email Template Providers for Mailchimp Integration
Here are the fab four hand-picked email template providers that help you seamlessly integrate with Mailchimp and carry out your email marketing campaigns with ease.
1. Email Uplers
Email Uplers is an online agency that specializes in email design and coding. It provides hundreds of professionally designed, cross-device responsive, customizable email templates and comprehensive email development services.
Specializing in designing highly engaging and interactive email templates, Email Uplers serves businesses that seek to improve their email outreach by providing new fashionable and attractive email templates.
Key Features and Benefits
- Email Uplers offers many editable and optimized email templates for all major email clients and marketing campaign tools, such as Mailchimp, Hubspot, Salesforce, and more.
- Their templates are meant to provide businesses with effective and appealing corporate email communications in the quickest time possible without needing an in-house graphic designer.
- The degree of customization and flexibility offered by Email Uplers is one of the biggest strengths.
- Users can opt for the custom designs provided or contact specific services for the ones that capture the company’s image and the campaign’s objectives.
- Email Uplers also includes special services with their team of skilled coders, who can hand code the emails required for the business and help integrate those emails for perfect performance on every device and every email client.
Pricing Plans and Suitability
Pricing is another unique aspect of its services since Email Uplers adapts its rates to the amount of work needed for the specific services. Although they do not provide a basic and free plan like many other platforms, the pricing is quote-based, depending on the client’s needs. You pay for only what you need. The custom-coded email templates cost as low as $59 per template.
2. BEE Free
BEE Free is one of the most used email template builders. It provides several design features and integrates with other platforms, including Mailchimp. This makes it a perfect tool for any company that wants to design good-looking emails but lacks technical expertise.
Key Features and Benefits
- BEE Free has a drag-and-drop editor, which allows you to design professional-looking emails in minutes.
- The user-friendly design allows you to upload content and change the position and style of the text, pictures, and buttons.
- It is also fully compatible with Mailchimp, which allows you to export templates in a few clicks.
- BEE Free offers collaboration, which allows several people to edit a similar project. This feature is most useful to marketing teams working on email designs and campaigns.
Pricing Plans and Suitability
BEE Free offers several pricing plans, including a free version with basic features and paid plans starting at around $15 monthly.
3. Stripo
Stripo can also be considered one of the leading tools in the email template niche, with an extra focus on flexibility and interactivity. It is widely used by companies that want to produce appealing emails with various multimedia components.
Key Features and Benefits
- Stripo offers countdown timers, image carousels, and the hover effect, making your email look more creative.
- Stripo is fully compatible with Mailchimp, so you can easily import your templates to use in it.
- Stripo is also very flexible in its design capabilities. It offers a vast array of ready-made templates, enabling users to select the one that suits them.
- Stripo also has a code editor for people who want to adjust their layout to more exact lengths. This versatility ensures that the clients can apply the necessary changes to make their email brand suitable for the overall outlook they intend to create.
Pricing Plans and Suitability
Stripo offers a range of plans, from a free version for basic users to a more advanced plan at $12.50 per month.
4. Litmus
Litmus is a comprehensive email marketing tool known for its robust testing and analytics features. It helps businesses ensure their emails look perfect on every device and platform.
Key Features and Benefits
- One feature that sets Litmus apart is template testing across the multi-channel, which reveals how your email will look on various devices and clients. This is very important, especially when promoting programs /activities to obtain higher click-through rates.
- Litmus offers features for tracking your email’s performance, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
- Litmus is also compatible with Mailchimp, so users can import and consolidate their campaigns and view the statistics from the Mailchimp interface.
Pricing Plans and Suitability
Litmus offers different pricing plans, starting from $99 per month, which includes access to its full suite of testing and analytics tools.
Key Takeaways
Before you choose your email template provider, consider your specific needs and marketing goals. Whether you require elaborate tools that test and analyze or something as simple as a basic drag-and-drop editor, the choice must align to get the best outcome. You are encouraged to look for these providers and then try to know what they can offer and which one will suit you well.
So, if you are ready to upgrade to the next level of emails, you might want to use any of these providers for the next campaign. Below, you will find recommendations on developing interesting, appealing, and professional email creation that will be interesting for consumers.