What are email integrations?
As the name suggests, email integrations are third-party tools that you can integrate with your email marketing tool to boost its functionality.
If you want a more in-depth understanding of this topic, check out the FAQ section below:
Question #1: What are the benefits of using it?
The two main benefits of using email integrations are convenience and, as we have seen in the previous section, added functionality. Let us take a closer look at each one in more detail:
First, it makes managing your relationship with your prospects and customers so much more convenient by allowing you to do everything you need in one place instead of having to jump from platform to platform.
Second, it also make your chosen email marketing platform significantly more powerful by adding functionality such as automation, personalisation, analytics, and scheduling.
Question #2: What can I do with email integrations?
There is virtually no end to the things you can do with email integrations. The only limit is the types of integrations your chosen email marketing platform can handle.
Generally, though, email integrations allow you to do all sorts of useful things, including:
- Connecting your email platform with your online store
- Connecting your email platform with your customer relationship management (CRM) tool
- Connecting your email platform with all other communication channels you use
Let us take a closer look at each one:
First, by connecting your email platform with your online store, you will be able to automatically send emails whenever specific triggers occur, such as:
- A customer makes a purchase
- A customer adds items to their cart but does not checkout
- A customer adds an out-of-stock product to their wishlist
- A customer sends in an inquiry
- A customer leaves a feedback
It does not matter how many times these triggers happen, as long as you have your integration and automation set up, the system will handle every instance for you on autopilot. Just imagine how much time you will save by not having to do everything manually.
Second, by connecting your email platform with your CRM, you will be able to automatically send out timely and relevant emails to both prospects and existing customers. Examples would be:
- Confirmation emails to people who sign up for your newsletter
- Onboarding emails to new users of your platform
- Support emails to customers who need help
In addition, it would also allow you to pass customer information between your email platform and CRM, allowing you to use both to provide customers with a more personalised experience.
Finally, by connecting your email platform with all the other communication channels you use, you make it easier for your entire team to continue conversations with both prospects and existing customers across all available communication channels instead of asking the same questions over and over again.
Question #3: Do I need to use it?
To determine whether or not you need to use it, you need to answer one simple question: do you need functionality that is not already being offered by the email platform you are using? At the end of the day, while email integrations are, without a doubt, extremely useful, if you do not actually need them, then they would only needlessly complicate things for you.
Question #4: What email integrations can I use?
As we have seen earlier, the email integrations you can use would ultimately depend on your chosen email platform.
The good news, however, is that most popular email platforms come with integrations that allow you to easily connect your CRM, online store, and other communication channels. And even if yours does not—or you do not want to pay extra for additional features—you can just use a platform like Zapier to make the automation you need yourself.