google email marketing software

How to Really Get the Most Out of Google Email Marketing Software

Google email marketing software is one of the best ways to connect with your audience. It’s a cost-effective way to reach out to current customers and new ones, and it’s an amazing way to personalize and customize your messages. But do you know how to use it?

Google Email Marketing Software

In 2022, marketers have more channels than ever before to reach customers. Savvy marketers use every combination of social media, direct mail, chat, display ads, SMS, web landing pages, and even the metaverse to get their messages in front of consumers. But it may surprise you to learn just how central email is to many successful digital campaigns.

According to recent research from HubSpot, one of our Editors’ Choice winners for email marketing tools, fully 64% of small businesses use email to reach customers—a higher rate than for any other digital channels save social media and websites. And whether it was due to isolation during the global pandemic or for some other reason, 77% of marketers saw increased customer engagement with email in 2021 versus 2020. It’s little surprise, then, that four out of five survey respondents said they’d rather give up on social media than on email.

To succeed at email marketing, however, takes more than a spreadsheet full of email addresses. You’ll need tools to help you compose, send, and track your emails, and even to integrate data from your email campaigns with your other backend systems. Fortunately, plenty of help is available. In this roundup, we tested 11 of the top email marketing platforms and rank the best ones. But what makes them the best? Here are some topics to consider.

What Is Email Marketing Software?
Email marketing software can manage your contact lists, help you design and send compelling emails, and track whether these were opened and read. Options range from text-based template solutions that marketers can quickly make their own to more complex HTML or JavaScript templates. The good news is that it doesn’t cost much to get started, nor is it an arduous undertaking. Many of the solutions in this roundup have affordable starter plans, and some even offer onboarding services for new customers.

Email marketing can take several forms. For example, some businesses might decide their most effective marketing tactic is a value-add newsletter delivered to a gated subscriber community. Others might want to tie their emails directly to their product and sales engines, so they can provide special offers and deals to recipients.

Each approach requires different tools for creating the source email and sending it to recipients. Email marketing tools can also help you segment your subscribers by demographic slices and engagement levels. And you’ll probably want to integrate with other back-end systems, such as the accounting system, the customer relationship management (CRM) system, and the inventory management system.

The Best Email Marketing Practices in 2022
Marketers have many more channel tools available to them these days than they did even just a few years ago. Social media, mobile and text marketing (see below), and even video campaigns compete for marketers’ budget dollars. With all those options available to them, many wonder if it’s time to give email the boot.

Statista global market valuation forecast for email marketing through 2027
(Image courtesy of Statista)
As we’ve said, email remains the most pervasively used communications channel in the world outside of verbal communication. According to market research firm Statista, the number of global email users will grow to about 4.5 billion in 2022, up from around 4 billion in 2021. That trend is reflected in Statista’s forecast of email marketing’s global market valuation through 2027. That forecast projects email marketing to grow to almost $18 billion by 2027. So let’s put thoughts of email’s demise behind us.

However, one important change for email marketing has been the increase in engagement on mobile devices, rather than PCs. Mobile users access emails throughout the day and wherever they are. Thanks to Apple Pay and Google Pay services, smartphones have also evolved as mobile payment solutions. This can make mobile email a one-stop shop allowing customers to go from marketing to purchase in a single session.

The increasing importance of mobile means you should pay special attention to the email designer and analytics sections of any email marketing service. The designer should provide at least a preview of how your email will look on a typical mobile device, and better yet, on several screens of varying sizes. Even better, the designer should also automatically render your email in a responsive format, meaning the HTML will correctly size images and other elements depending on the device used to view them.

You should also be able to segment your audience based on mobile device data. Some tools may force you to create custom reports to see this data, which means you may need to export it to a third-party business intelligence (BI) tool.

That leads us to another modern trend in email marketing tools, which is integration with other systems, most notably CRM. Some of the more advanced email marketing services have even begun to resemble CRM systems. It makes sense, because both types of software deal with managing and communicating with customers. Other email marketing systems will be able to plug directly into your existing CRM.

There is also a rising trend towards third-party e-commerce integration. You’ll find this in several of our contenders, including Editors’ Choice winner Mailchimp. These email marketing services generally offer several different but compatible services. You can create a store, process payments, and move it along with dedicated marketing and sales tools when you combine them.

Getting Creative: Email Plus More
So far, it might sound as though email marketing means the same staid, static messaging that everyone is used to, but this isn’t the case. Today’s marketers are finding innovative ways to combine traditional email marketing with other channels, including mobile and social media.

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For example, SMS marketing is increasingly popular because it exploits an even more personal line of contact with customers. According to recent research, SMS has a 90% open rate compared to straight email marketing, hovering between 20-25%. That’s a clear difference, and it’s making marketers flock to platforms that support it. Email marketing vendors that have it right now include the likes of GetResponse and Mailchimp, among others.

But it’s risky for marketers to approach customers up through a channel they trust but is used mainly by friends and family. Some customers will react badly no matter what, but almost all of them will want to unsubscribe if they suddenly start getting ongoing SMS messages from people or organizations they don’t even know. That’s why savvy marketers don’t simply jump on new channels like mobile or SMS. They carefully consider the form those portions of their campaigns should take and the rules around creating compelling content, especially if it’s headed for smaller screens.

One way marketers can build more trust in their email messages is by incorporating user-generated content (UGC) into them. One popular example of UGC is a customer review of a product, like those you’d find on e-commerce sites like Amazon. However, UGC can also draw from other channels, including social media posts and comments in online forums, including your own support forums. According to a study by digital marketing tools vendor Tint, 62% of consumers say they are more likely to click on an image in an email when it’s a customer photo, rather than an image generated by the brand.

Still, other innovative ideas are being introduced to the realm of email marketing all the time. Take GetResponse, for example. It’s built a one-button live chat feature you can incorporate directly into your emails, which allows customers to go from reading an email to having direct interaction with sales or support people in a single experience.

AI and Email Marketing
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a big part of many digital marketing efforts, especially email. AI improves email marketing mechanics such as A/B testing and more intelligent audience segmentation. This can help you almost immediately since it quickly improves efficiency and lets you make better strategic decisions around building the right campaign for different customers.

AI can also help personalize email content right down to the individual customer level, depending on how much information you can feed it from your CRM and sales systems. With the correct data, AI can choose different content, modify customer experiences on the fly, and even interact directly with customers via an AI-enabled natural-language chatbot. If any of that sounds attractive, you need to look very closely at how a prospective email marketing service has implemented AI and what kinds of features it offers.

Another area where AI can help is with the marketing automation capabilities that most of these email suites offer to some degree. Automation technology is best suited for prolonged, email-based interactions or drip campaigns. But an important aspect here is tracking the customer journey and the various touchpoints customers face from initial contact to closing the sale. AI excels in these scenarios since it can drill down to an individual customer and process the exact data for the vast customer volumes that top global retailers might get.

google email marketing certification

One of the best ways to learn email marketing is to follow an online course. A good email marketing course will help you understand how to use email marketing as the medium to engage with your customers or readers, build a community around your brand, and increase your sales.

We did our research and in this post, you’ll find the best email marketing courses available online.

The courses cover a wide range of topics related to email marketing and are suitable for beginners and experienced marketers. The list includes both paid and free email marketing courses.

Top 10 Email Marketing Online Courses

These are the best email marketing courses you can pursue and get certified online.

1. Email Marketing Course (Reliablesoft Academy)

We added the Reliablesoft email marketing course as the first program on the list because it is a course for beginners in email marketing.

The course starts from the beginning and explains what email marketing is, why it’s an important digital marketing channel, and shows you how to get started with the most critical email marketing tasks.

By the end of this course, you’ll know

• How to create an email list
• Proven techniques you can use to grow your email list fast
• Tips to increase engagement with your emails
• How to get started with email marketing automation
• Cost-effective email marketing tools you can use
• How to reduce your costs as your list gets bigger

Why enroll in this course?

You should enroll in this course if you know nothing about email marketing and want to learn what is it and it works.

You should also consider this course if you want actionable tips and advice on how to perform the most critical email marketing tasks like building an email list, increasing your email open rate, and email automation.

This course comes as part of the Digital Marketing Course Bundle which includes nine more courses that cover all areas of Digital Marketing. This will give you the opportunity to learn how email marketing can work in conjunction with other channels as a part of a unified digital marketing strategy.

Upon completion of the course bundle, you’ll also get a digital marketing certification to add your profile and CV.

You can register for this course risk-free as it comes with a 60-day unconditional money-back guarantee.

• Course Name: Email Marketing Course
• Vendor: Reliablesoft Digital Marketing Academy
• Type: Online Training
• Cost: $119 (Normal Price $600 – 80% Off)
• Duration: Self-paced learning
• Level: Beginner / Intermediate
• Certification: Digital Marketing Certification

2. Mailchimp Email Marketing Course (Udemy)

Mailchimp became a popular email marketing platform because it offers a free plan for up to 2,000 contacts and integrates with pretty much any other online business platform on the market. It’s easy to use and gets the job done if you are just getting started with building your email list.

What makes this email marketing course unique is that it focuses on the Mailchimp platform so that you can hit the ground running when using this platform.

Why enroll in this course?

If you’re just getting started with email marketing for your business and you’ve decided to use Mailchimp as your platform, this is the right course for you.

There are 4.5 hours of video content in this course and modules that include topics like:

• Email Marketing Introduction & Basics
• Mailchimp Set up, Management, & Audience Organization
• Tutorials on Mailchimp Features
• Mailchimp Integrations
• Best Subject Lines
• Email Marketing Analytics
• Resources, Updates, FAQs, & Bonus Material

Because this course isn’t a general email marketing course but, rather, does a deep dive into a specific platform, the $49.99 price tag is justified.

One of the best features of Udemy is its 30-day money-back guarantee. So if the course is not what you were expecting or you’re not satisfied with it, you can get a refund.

There is also a Certification of Completion PDF at the end of the resources section that can be downloaded with no exam required.

• Course Name: Mailchimp Email Marketing Course
• Vendor: Udemy by Course Envy
• Type: Online
• Cost: $49.99
• Duration: 4.5 hours
• Level: Beginner
• Certification: Yes

3. Email Marketing Certification Course (Hubspot)

As a company that exists to help businesses grow using their CRM, marketing, and customer service tools, the Hubspot Academy is a trusted learning platform for online businesses.

There are a total of 9 lessons, 28 videos, 9 quizzes, and just over 3 hours of content in this course. It’s a great way to get a free email marketing certification from a reliable source.

Why enroll in this course?

In this course, you will learn email marketing strategies that will help you grow your business. It teaches the fundamentals of email marketing which makes it a good fit for you if you’re a beginner.

The lessons in this online course are:

• Understanding Email Marketing
• Creating a Contact Management and Segmentation Strategy
• Sending the Right Email
• Creating a High-Performing Email
• Understanding Email Deliverability
• Outlining the Design of Your Marketing Emails
• Analyzing Your Marketing Emails
• Testing Your Marketing Emails
• Developing Relationships With Lead Nurturing

When you’ve completed the course and passed the exam, you can view your free certification, download a printable copy, embed the certification badge onto your website, or add it to your LinkedIn or Upwork profile.

This makes it a great course for those who are digital marketing professionals.

• Course Name: Email Marketing Course
• Vendor: Hubspot Academy
• Type: Online
• Cost: Free
• Duration: 3 hours
• Level: Beginner
• Certification: Yes, with Exam

4. Email Strategy and Optimization Course (LinkedIn Learning)

This particular LinkedIn Learning course was recently released, so you can definitely count on it having current email marketing best practices.

Why enroll in this course?

LinkedIn Learning has a membership style learning library where paying $29.99 per month (or $240 annually) gives you access to this course along with hundreds of other online courses.

However, if you’re looking to purchase just this course, you can do that for a one-time fee of $49.99.

This email marketing strategy and optimization course are for those who already have basic knowledge of the topic and are looking for more advanced strategies.

The topics in this course are:

• Discover the Power of Email Marketing
• Fit Email Into Any Marketing Plan
• Identify All Types of Emails
• Optimize Everything
• Monitor and Revising

This course does offer an email marketing certification upon completion and because this is a LinkedIn platform, it’s simple to add the badge to your profile if you are a digital marketing professional.

There are 19 videos in this course and 1 hour of content. With a 30-day money-back guarantee, this LinkedIn Learning course is worth the investment, especially if you choose the monthly membership route.

• Course Name: Email Strategy and Optimization Course
• Vendor: LinkedIn Learning
• Type: Online
• Cost: $49.99 or $29.99/monthly membership
• Duration: 1 hour
• Level: Intermediate
• Certification: Yes

5. Email Marketing Basics (Google Digital Garage)

Google Digital Garage is an online course library all about digital marketing and more. And although this course is one section in a larger course, it deserved a space on this list because it still has 30 minutes of concise and valuable email marketing tips.

Why enroll in this course?

As part of the ‘Promote a Business with Online Advertising’ course, you will not only have access to this email marketing basics section but to the rest of the course which has 3 hours of content including topics like display advertising, advertising on other websites, Google ads and more.

The modules included in the Email Marketing Basics section are:

• Email Marketing Basics
• Email Marketing Options
• Crafting Great Marketing Emails
• Managing Successful Email Campaigns
• Measuring Success in Email Marketing

Registering for Google Digital Garage courses is as easy as logging into your Google account. This course is easy to navigate with each module consisting of one short video (along with the transcript if you would rather read) and a “Check Your Knowledge” question.

There is no certification for this course, but there is a quiz at the end of the course to be sure you retained the information and are ready to implement your new skillset.

• Course Name: Email Marketing Basics (Promote a Business with Online Advertising)
• Vendor: Google Digital Garage
• Type: Online
• Cost: Free
• Duration: 30 minutes (3 hours for full course)
• Level: Beginner
• Certification: No

6. Email Marketing Free Course (YourPrimer)

YourPrimer is a Google-owned platform with a very large library of online courses. You can only access these free courses through the Google Primer App on your Apple or Android device.

I went ahead and downloaded the app to get a feel of the user experience, and it is a very user-friendly app and a great way to keep your professional growth right in your pocket.

Why enroll in this course?

Other than downloading the app and logging in with your Google account, there is actually no enrollment process. Once you are in the app you will have access to the entire library of online courses.

In this particular email marketing training you will learn:

• Why a Business Email Address is Good for Business
• Keep Customers Interesting with Email Marketing
• Get to the Point: Tips for Crafting Effective Emails
• The Non-Spammy Way to Build an Email List
• Make Email Marketing Your Secret Weapon
• Build Your Email Marketing A-Team
• Get Your Emails in Shape with Multivariate Testing
• Reach Customers, Not Spam Filters

Although this course does not offer certification, it’s an excellent way to gain valuable knowledge on growing your business in many different areas. If you are an entrepreneur building your business from the ground up or an online service provider, going through the steps to have this app on your phone is well worth the effort.

These courses do not have video content but were very quick and actionable. And after I went through this email marketing course, it suggested 5 other more advanced email marketing courses to move onto if necessary.

• Course Name: Email Marketing Free Course
• Vendor: YourPrimer
• Type: Online
• Cost: Free
• Duration: 35 minutes (no video)
• Level: Beginner
• Certification: No

7. Email Marketing Masterclass for Beginners (Wishpond)

Wishpond is a simple website that is easy to navigate and doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of information. They simply exist so that professionals can have access to free online marketing education.

Why enroll in this course?

This email marketing masterclass is a quick 30-minute course taught by a Wishpond digital marketing expert. It includes 7 videos, 1 survey, 7 discussion forums, and 7 downloadable items.

The course covers the following topics:

• Email Campaigns
• Common Email Marketing Mistakes
• How to Create an Email Marketing Funnel
• Growing Your Email List
• A/B Testing Your Campaigns

Enrolling in this masterclass is as simple as creating a Wishpond account. The platform offers many other courses as well as access to user guides like “How to Create a Landing Page” or “Marketing Automation.”

This course is for you if you are looking to gain more knowledge on growing your business online on a budget.

• Course Name: Email Marketing Masterclass for Beginners
• Vendor: Wishpond
• Type: Online
• Cost: Free
• Duration: 30 minutes
• Level: Beginner
• Certification: No

8. Email Marketing Essentials (SkillShare)

SkillShare is always a great option when it comes to online courses, and searching for a great email marketing course is no exception. This course is not focused on an overview of email marketing, but rather, dives into writing effective emails.

Why enroll in this course?

If you already have your list growing and are now wondering what to write, then this course is a great way to learn the details of writing emails that make an impact.

Here are the modules that are included in this course:

• Introduction
• Your Product
• Core Principles
• Voice and Tone
• Written Elements of Email
• What to Write
• Core Types of Emails
• Editing Tips
• Final Thoughts

This course is only 30 minutes long, so it’s a good addition to other courses that you may have taken on this subject matter already. This class is free but does not offer an email marketing certification, so again, it’s another course that works for professionals learning to grow and scale their own business.

In order to gain access, you do have to create a SkillShare account, but you don’t have to upgrade to get premium access. While you’re there on the platform, you can search for other free courses to uplevel your digital marketing skills.

• Course Name: Email Marketing Essentials: Writing Effective Email
• Vendor: SkillShare
• Type: Online
• Cost: Free for 7 days then $14/month.
• Duration: 28 minutes
• Level: Beginner
• Certification: No

9. Advanced Email Marketing Certification Training (SimpliLearn)

SimpliLearn is one of the top leaders in online boot camps and certifications. They offer courses, boot camps, certifications, and they even partner with world-renowned universities to offer postgraduate programs.

Why enroll in this course?

The Email Marketing Certification Training will help you learn tools and strategies that will help you reach your email and digital marketing skills.

The lessons in this course include:

• Introduction to Advanced Email Marketing
• Write Better Subject Lines
• Develop Emails that Drive Results
• Optimize Your Email Content
• List Management Strategies
• Automating Your Emails
• Create Optimal Landing Pages
• Create an Email Campaign Checklist
• GDPR for Digital Marketers

This course is ideal for you if you already know email marketing technology and platforms but are looking for advanced strategies to implement into your business.

With this course being $499, it is a bit of an investment, but its robust content, actionable steps, project assignments, exam, and certification is worth exploring to see if it’s right for you.

To receive the certification for this course you must complete 85% of the course, complete a simulation test with a passing score of 60%, and complete 3 projects.

One thing to know when you go check it out is that you are not able to purchase the course on their site. You are prompted to send in your contact information so that you can talk to a SimpliLearn expert.

• Course Name: Advanced Email Marketing Certification Training
• Vendor: SimpliLearn
• Type: Online
• Cost:$499
• Duration: 20-25 hours
• Level: Advanced
• Certification: Yes

10. Email List Building Blueprint Course (Aweber)

Aweber is a well-known email marketing software service, so when it comes to the topic of email marketing, their online courses are credible and reliable.

This course in particular focuses on the first step of the email marketing funnel which is list building strategies.

Why enroll in this course?

Out of the email marketing courses on our list, this is the only one that concentrates on the list building aspect of email marketing. It will benefit you to add it to your list of courses to explore.

Whether you are building your own list or looking to get more information on list building for your clients as a digital marketing professional, learning these list building techniques is worth the 60 minutes of free course content.

The lessons include:

• Audience research and picking the right topic for your lead magnet
• Choosing a format for your lead magnet
• The start-to-finish plan for creating your lead magnet
• Selecting your sign up form
• Sign up for tools that work for you
• Copywriting and design strategies to make your sign up form convert

Registering is simple with just inputting your name and email in exchange for the course content. Included in the course are 6 video lessons, worksheets, simple homework, lesson resources, and easily digestible education.

This course does not offer certification, but its free and simple registration process along with its unique material make the time investment well worth it.

• Course Name: Email List Building Course
• Vendor: Aweber
• Type: Online
• Cost: Free
• Duration: 1 hour
• Level: Beginner
• Certification: No

Who should follow an email marketing course?

In a digital world that seems to emphasize social media as a core strategy, it’s essential to remember that email marketing is just as important. While a platform like social media has uncontrollable aspects, like algorithms, your email marketing platform gives you more ownership and control of its deliverability.

If you are a digital marketing professional, knowing the best practices for email marketing is crucial in helping your clients plan their strategies.

It is also important to complete one or more of these courses if you are a business owner looking to begin building your email list of prospective clients and customers.

Why are these the best online courses in email marketing?

When we research and compile a list of online courses, we look for ones provided by reputable and credible companies. We also find ones that are diverse in content so that there is an option for all levels. We look for courses that provide actionable steps that are easy to implement.

We also know the value of certification, so each of these email marketing courses, whether paid or free, all offer certification upon completion.

Is an email marketing certification worth it?

Your time and money are valuable. So is getting email marketing training worth it?

There are a few reasons why you should choose this path. These email marketing certification courses can help you learn email marketing fast so that you can implement the different strategies into your business right away.  You can learn how to use email marketing as a sales channel that affects your business’ bottom line.

And if you’re a digital marketing professional, obtaining a certification shows potential employers or clients that you are dedicated, knowledgeable, and qualified.

Conclusion

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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