Email marketing continues to be one of the most effective ways for businesses to nurture leads and drive sales. And with an ROI of $36 for every $1 spent, it‘s no wonder that 87% of marketers use email campaigns to engage their audience.
But to get the most out of email marketing, you need two things: a targeted email list and a reliable autoresponder. Email autoresponder software allows you to build automated email sequences that send the right message to the right person at the right time, without lifting a finger.
In this guide, we‘ll dive deep into the world of email autoresponders. You‘ll learn:
- How autoresponders work and why they are essential for email marketing success
- The top 15 email autoresponder software tools to consider in 2024
- Key features to look for and how to choose the best autoresponder for your needs
- Best practices and examples for using autoresponders effectively
What is Email Autoresponder Software?
At its core, email autoresponder software enables you to send automated email sequences to your subscribers based on predefined triggers and timelines. Instead of manually sending one-off emails, you can create complex email workflows that deliver relevant, personalized content to each subscriber.
Common email autoresponder triggers include:
- A new subscriber joining your email list
- A specific date, such as a subscriber‘s birthday or holiday
- A subscriber action, like clicking a link, making a purchase, or abandoning a cart
- A subscriber milestone, like reaching 3 months since their last purchase
Once triggered, an autoresponder can send a single email or a series of emails spaced out over days, weeks, or months. For example, you could create an autoresponder that sends:
- A welcome email immediately after a new subscriber signs up
- An onboarding email with tips 3 days later
- A check-in email and product recommendations 1 month later
- A long-term nurturing email every 2 weeks
By automating these critical touch points, autoresponders help you deliver value, build relationships, and increase conversions on autopilot. According to Mailchimp, users who leverage automation see up to a 22% lift in open rates compared to bulk emails.
How to Choose an Email Autoresponder Tool
With dozens of email autoresponder tools on the market, how do you find the right one for your business? Here are some key factors to consider and features to look for.
Ease of Use
The best autoresponder software is intuitive enough for beginners but powerful enough for advanced marketers. Look for drag-and-drop sequence builders, pre-built workflow templates, and visual automation mapping.
Email Deliverability
All the automation in the world won‘t matter if your emails don‘t reach the inbox. Choose an autoresponder tool with a proven track record of high deliverability, built-in spam testing, and tools for maintaining a healthy email list.
Segmentation and Personalization
Not all subscribers are the same. To get the most out of your autoresponders, you need to be able to segment your list and personalize your messaging based on subscriber attributes and behaviors.
Look for a tool with advanced segmentation capabilities, dynamic email content, and merge fields for personalization. According to Hubspot, emails with personalized subject lines get 50% higher open rates.
Integrations
Your autoresponder should work seamlessly with the other tools in your marketing stack, like your CRM, e-commerce platform, and website builder. Native integrations will make it easier to sync subscriber data and trigger emails based on customer actions across channels.
Reporting and Analytics
To optimize your autoresponder performance over time, you need detailed reporting on key metrics like opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and conversions. Look for a tool with customizable reporting dashboards and the ability to track revenue and ROI.
Top 15 Email Autoresponder Software for 2024
Now that you know what to look for in an autoresponder tool, let‘s dive into our top picks for 2024. These tools stand out for their automation capabilities, ease of use, deliverability, and range of features.
| Tool | Best For | Starting Price | Free Trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign | Advanced marketing automation | $9/month | 14 days |
| Moosend | Ecommerce autoresponders | $9/month | 30 days |
| Drip | Ecommerce CRM | $19/month | 14 days |
| Constant Contact | Beginner-friendly autoresponders | $20/month | 60 days |
| GetResponse | All-in-one marketing automation | $10.50/month | 30 days |
| AWeber | Simple autoresponder sequences | $16.15/month | 30 days |
| ConvertKit | Creator and blogger automations | $15/month | 14 days |
| Sendinblue | Transactional email and SMS | $25/month | No |
| Omnisend | Omnichannel ecommerce automation | $16/month | 14 days |
| Mailchimp | Basic email automations | $11/month | No |
| Klaviyo | Ecommerce personalization | $20/month | No |
| MailerLite | Affordable autoresponders | $10/month | No |
| Campaign Monitor | Visual journey builder | $9/month | No |
| Autopilot | multi-channel automation | $49/month | 30 days |
| Ortto | AI-powered automation | $29/month | 14 days |
1. ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is a powerful autoresponder tool for businesses looking to scale their marketing automation. Its visual automation builder allows you to create sophisticated email sequences based on subscriber actions, conditions, and wait times.
You can also use ActiveCampaign to automate your sales and CRM processes, with features like lead scoring, site tracking, and SMS messaging. Plus, with machine learning tools like predictive sending and conditional content, you can optimize your messaging for each individual subscriber.
Key Features:
- 125+ pre-built automation recipes
- Goal tracking and attribution reporting
- Split actions for multi-path automations
- Predictive sending powered by machine learning
- Native integrations with 870+ apps
Pricing:
ActiveCampaign offers four pricing plans based on your number of contacts. Paid plans start at $9/month for 500 contacts, with a 14-day free trial available. For full CRM and machine learning features, you‘ll need the Plus plan starting at $49/month.
2. Moosend
Moosend is a user-friendly autoresponder tool built for ecommerce businesses. With features like abandoned cart emails, product recommendations, and AI-powered predictions, Moosend makes it easy to drive more sales with email.
Moosend‘s drag-and-drop sequence builder is intuitive even for beginners. You can choose from recipe templates or create multi-step sequences from scratch based on ecommerce triggers like product purchases and browsing behavior.
One standout feature is Moosend‘s AI ecommerce engine, which uses subscriber behavior and predictive analytics to personalize product recommendations within your emails.
Key Features:
- Pre-built ecommerce automation recipes
- AI product recommendations
- Drag-and-drop email sequence builder
- Countdown timers and dynamic content
- Direct integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other platforms
Pricing:
Moosend offers a free plan with basic automation for up to 1,000 subscribers. Paid plans start at $8/month for 500 subscribers when billed annually, with a 30-day free trial available.
3. Drip
Drip is an ecommerce CRM and autoresponder tool designed to help online stores capture more customers. With deep integrations for popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, Drip makes it easy to trigger personalized emails based on online shopping behavior.
Where Drip really shines is in its visual workflow builder. You can use Drip‘s built-in recipes or create your own multi-path email automations from scratch. Drip also offers a variety of ecommerce-specific triggers, like product purchases, category views, wishlists, and more.
Drip‘s robust audience segmentation tools allow you to group customers by tags, events, custom fields, lead scores, and more. You can even target customers based on their predicted lifetime value and churn risk.
Key Features:
- Visual workflow builder with ecommerce triggers
- Pre-built playbooks for common ecommerce scenarios
- Multi-channel automations across email, SMS, and social
- Advanced segmentation for ecommerce persona targeting
- One-click integrations with Facebook, Instagram, and more
Pricing:
Drip offers a 14-day free trial. Paid plans start at $19/month for up to 500 contacts.
4. Constant Contact
Constant Contact is a full-service email marketing platform with simple, beginner-friendly autoresponder tools. You can use Constant Contact to set up classic triggered email series, like welcome sequences and birthday offers.
One standout feature is Constant Contact‘s branded template builder, which automatically generates a set of customizable email templates based on your website and branding. You can also leverage dynamic content blocks to personalize your emails with subscriber info like name, location, and past purchases.
While Constant Contact may lack some of the more advanced automation features of tools like ActiveCampaign and Drip, it‘s a solid choice for small businesses that are just getting started with autoresponders.
Key Features:
- Customizable autoresponder email series
- Branded template builder
- Dynamic email content blocks
- Subject line A/B testing
- 400+ app integrations
Pricing:
Constant Contact offers two paid plans, Email and Email Plus. Email starts at $20/month and includes basic autoresponders, while Email Plus starts at $45/month and adds automated behavioral and event-triggered series. There‘s also a 60-day free trial available.
5. GetResponse
GetResponse is an all-in-one email marketing platform with robust automation features. Its visual autoresponder builder allows you to create email series triggered by time, actions, conditions, and more.
One of GetResponse‘s most powerful features is its ready-made automation templates. You can choose from 30+ pre-built sequences for lead nurturing, customer engagement, post-purchase follow-ups, and more. There are also templates for specific industries and goals, like nonprofit donation campaigns, travel booking reminders, and course launches.
GetResponse also offers a unique Autofunnel tool that allows you to build automated, multi-channel sales funnels with just a few clicks. You can easily combine email series with landing pages, paid ads, webinars, and more to create complete marketing campaigns.
Key Features:
- 30+ pre-built autoresponder templates
- Drag-and-drop visual automation builder
- Multi-channel Autofunnels for sales and lead generation
- Transactional emails via SMTP and API
- Integrated webinar software
Pricing:
GetResponse offers four plans based on your list size and feature needs. Pricing starts at $10.50/month for 1,000 contacts on the Email plan, which includes basic autoresponders. More advanced automation features are available starting on the Plus plan at $34.30/month. There‘s also a 30-day free trial.
How to Use Email Autoresponders Effectively
Simply having an autoresponder tool isn‘t enough – you also need to use it strategically. Here are some tips and examples to help you get the most out of email automation.
1. Map out your customer journey
Before you start building email sequences, take the time to map out your ideal customer journey from lead to loyal customer. What key milestones and touch points do subscribers need to hit along the way? Common journey stages might include:
- Lead magnet opt-in
- Welcome and onboarding
- First purchase
- Post-purchase check-in
- Repeat purchase
- Lapsed customer re-engagement
By visualizing this journey, you can identify opportunities to support, educate, and convert subscribers with relevant email content.
2. Segment your list for targeted messaging
Not all subscribers are created equal. Increase the relevance and impact of your autoresponders by segmenting your list based on key attributes and behaviors, such as:
- Demographics (age, gender, location, etc.)
- Email engagement (opens, clicks, etc.)
- Purchase history (product categories, order value, etc.)
- Website behavior (pages viewed, time on site, etc.)
- Funnel stage (lead, customer, evangelist, etc.)
"By segmenting your list, you can create more targeted autoresponder series that speak directly to each group‘s unique needs and interests," says Val Geisler, email marketing strategist and founder of Fix My Churn.
3. Use dynamic content for personalization
Personalized emails deliver 6x higher transaction rates than generic emails. Autoresponder tools like ActiveCampaign and Moosend allow you to use dynamic content blocks that change based on subscriber data.
For example, you could display different product recommendations or offers based on a subscriber‘s purchase history or browsing behavior. Or you could include a personalized greeting with the subscriber‘s first name.
Even small personalization tweaks can have a big impact. Experian found that personalized subject lines boost open rates by 29.3%.
4. Set up key transactional emails
Transactional emails are one-off emails triggered by a subscriber‘s action, like placing an order, registering for an event, or requesting a password reset. Because transactional emails are expected and have high open rates, they‘re prime real estate for marketing messages.
Instead of settling for plain-text transactional emails, use your autoresponder tool to create branded transactional templates that reinforce your value proposition and encourage further action. For example, you could use your order confirmation email to cross-sell related products or invite customers to join your loyalty program.
5. Test, measure, and optimize
Like any marketing strategy, autoresponders require continuous testing and optimization to perform their best. Use your autoresponder reporting dashboard to keep an eye on key metrics like:
- Open rate
- Click-through rate
- Conversion rate
- Bounce rate
- Unsubscribe rate
If a particular email or sequence is underperforming, don‘t be afraid to make changes. Try experimenting with different subject lines, content, calls-to-action, and send times to find the winning formula for your audience.
It‘s also a good idea to periodically audit your autoresponder library to check for outdated or irrelevant content. As your business grows and changes, your email strategy should evolve as well.
Putting it All Together
Email autoresponders are a powerful tool for nurturing leads and driving customer loyalty on autopilot. By choosing the right autoresponder software and following email automation best practices, you can deliver targeted, timely messaging that builds relationships and revenue.
Ready to get started with email autoresponders? Check out our top picks for autoresponder software in 2024. Whether you‘re an ecommerce business looking to recover abandoned carts or a B2B brand looking to onboard new users, there‘s an autoresponder tool on this list that can help you achieve your goals.
