As email grows in complexity and effectiveness, so do the technologies and services that power it. But the email service providers (ESPs) and even the in-house solutions can’t be expected to provide for every need an email marketer might have. Yet the need exists, and in a game that’s sometimes measured in half a percentage point, every little detail counts.
Enter niche email marketing solutions. Nimble and savvy businesses are popping up to fill the voids others can’t, by providing hyper-focused solutions that help companies improve on even the finest points of their email marketing campaigns or operations.
BlackBox
It’s not just the email marketers who need some specialized products. Even the email service providers need a little help now and then, and niche email products can offer it. Consider BlackBox, a product we first launch nearly four years ago. BlackBox helps ESPs find potentially problematic customers, before the damage is done, by allowing ESPs to preemptively score the level of permission in their senders’ lists and manage those senders more effectively. It reduces risk, expedites new customer vetting and improves email deliverability.
FormSwell
On the other side of the fence are the email marketers, who are doing more with less as email gets more complex but budgets stay the same. Several products stand out as big solutions to little problems. Only think of all the little pieces necessary to a full-blown email marketing campaign. One niche product stands out, even though it’s still in beta: FormSwell is an easy way for email marketers to create powerful email signup forms without coding or cumbersome integrations.
EDMdesigner
Another favorite niche product of mine is EDMdesigner, for creating custom, responsive email templates without coding. Even though most people view their emails on a mobile device, not many emails work well on the small screens. It takes responsive design to make emails look good no matter the device, but that requires some special skills—and a lot of time. EDMdesigner takes away the need for the skills and makes it easy, to save you time. Best of all, like FormSwell, it’s available for integration into any SaaS system.
Subject Line Gold
This last one is defines the spirit of niche email products because subject lines are so often overlooked. Seriously, one of the most important pieces in getting your email open is usually written in a last minute, haphazard way. But Touchstone’s Subject Line Gold is may take away any excuses around bad (i.e. ineffective) subject lines by making it so easier to analyze subject lines.
ESP Integrations
In addition, ESPs are providing even easier ways to create and access niche email products, for example MailChimp’s Integration Fund. The future is bright and niches are popping!
About the Author: Scott Hardigree is Founder of Email Industries (the folks behind Indiemark,BlackBox, FormSwell and Email Critic). Connect him everywhere, here.
Great post! Also checkout Email Insights: See emails and mailing habits of your competitors.
http://www.emailinsights.com
Emailium also offers personalized company tracking (for internal or competitor use) and TONS of design inspiration. Great for holiday designer’s block! http://www.emailium.com