Hello!
As Elephant prepares to take a major leap forward this year, we’ve set ambitious OKRs. One of Elephant Company’s key goals isnone other than “revamping our newsletter”!
In 2024, we grew alongside over 1,000 valued subscribers. In 2025, we’re revamping everything from our platform to our content to deliver valuable insights to even more B2B decision-makers. (To our loyal subscribers, please stay with us! 🙇♀️)
Implementing an email marketing tool, Elephant-style
In B2B marketing, email is not just a communication channel but a key tool for lead nurturing.
We evaluated email marketing tools based on the three criteria Elephant prioritizes most: content quality, customer trust, and data-driven performance measurement. In particular, we carefully compared and analyzed various email marketing tools with our 2025 goal of reaching 5,000 subscribersin mind. As we organized our thought process, it turned into a piece of content!
We hope this article will be of some help to those considering implementing an email marketing tool, and we’re sharing our experience with you.
Key considerations for selecting Elephant's tools: Content, Trust, Data
With so many email marketing tools on the market—such as Stevie, Mailchimp, and Mailly—it wasn’t an easy choice. We carefully compared them based on the following three key criteria.
1️⃣Content: Features that effectively convey B2B insights
2️⃣Trust: Secure customer data and a reliable delivery system
3️⃣Data: Detailed performance analytics and lead tracking features
We’re facing a major challenge this year in particular. Our goal is to grow our subscriber base from the current 1,000 to 5,000 by 2025! (That’s a fivefold increase… just thinking about it gets me excited! ✨) So, we’ve considered not only our current situation but also the features needed at each stage of growth. Focusing on the three keywords above, we’ve thoroughly analyzed the four key items we’ll introduce below. Now, let me share our specific thought process for each item!
1. We’ve made security our top priority to build trust with our customers!
Hearing about data breaches every year has really driven home the importance of security. 🫠 In the B2B sector, a data breach goes beyond mere information loss—it can lead to a breakdown in trust that’s difficult to repair. That’s why I made the security of an email marketing tool my top priority. I wanted to find a platform that could safely protect our customers’ valuable information.
2. I made sure the price was reasonable for the features!
Subscribing to a newsletter means more than just receiving emails—it’s the first sign of interest a customer shows in us. However, the features that are truly essential for email marketing—such as lead scoring and automation—are often only available in higher-tier plans. Since Elephant aims to reach over 5,000 subscribers, we carefully examined how costs vary based on subscriber count and features. In particular, we based our assessment on the actual ongoing costs, which include the core features necessary for customer relationship management.
3. We designed this with usability in mind for both creators and subscribers!
I’ve written newsletters myself, and I’m also a subscriber to various newsletters. Thanks to that, I was able to consider what makes a platform truly user-friendly from both perspectives. First, I signed up for free trials of various email tools, tested them out myself, and compared them thoroughly. From a creator’s perspective, a user-friendly editor is a given, but it’s also essential to be able to find necessary features easily. Some platforms had important features buried deep within their menus, which really hindered workflow efficiency. At the same time, the subscriber experience was crucial. I also checked from the subscriber’s perspective to see if messages were conveyed clearly and if the layout allowed key content to be grasped at a glance!
4. We took a look at performance data tracking features that help you get closer to your customers!
Have you seen the Elephant team introduction page? At Elephant, we believe that all marketing activities should be measured using data. Especially in B2B marketing, email is the most personalized touchpoint, so it requires even more detailed data analysis. Who reads the newsletter, when, and on what device? Which subject lines resonate best? Every single piece of data like this becomes a strategic insight. Beyond simple open rates, you need to understand which content customers engage with deeply and at what point they are nearing a purchase decision.
I tried out these four tools myself and put together this summary!
Based on these four criteria, Elephant tested and compared Mailchimp, Mailly, Salesmap, and Relate! Here’s a detailed breakdown of the features of each email marketing tool we tested! 🔍
1. MailChimp
The first service I’d like to introduce is Mailchimp. Mailchimp is one of the most widely used email marketing tools in the world. It offers a variety of design templates and allows you to easily create newsletters using a drag-and-drop interface. Its automation featuresare a particular strength. You can set up customized scenarios based on customer behavior, and it integrates seamlessly with major services like Salesforce and Canva. However, since it does not support Korean, teams not comfortable with English may need some time to get used to it initially.
✅ 3 Key Features of Mailchimp!
1️⃣ Provides basic design templates tailored to your needs
2️⃣ Integrates with various third-party services (Canva, Salesforce, Typeform, etc.)
3️⃣ Detailed performance data analysis capabilities
2. Maily
The second platform I’d like to introduce, Mailly, stands out among domestic newsletter platforms for its strength in content creation. With an interface similar to Notion, 슬래시(/) 명령어You can create it intuitively using [...]. One notable point is SEO FeaturesThat said, your newsletter content will naturally appear in search engine results, which can drive additional traffic. Plus, the archiving and community features allow you to engage with subscribers through comments, making them great for building relationships with customers! However, it might not be the best fit for those who need large-scale automation or complex segmentation.
✅3 Key Features of Mailly!
1️⃣ A convenient editor optimized for content creation
2️⃣ Natural lead generation with SEO features
3️⃣ An intuitive Korean-style interface
3. SalesMap
SalesMap is a platform that combines CRM and email marketing into a single solution. What’s particularly noteworthy is that youcan use both features at a reasonable price!
As a full-funnel CRM solution, I was very impressed that I could manage everything from lead generation to nurturing and conversion on a single platform. In particular, the email marketing feature allows for flexible personalization settings, making it easy to create targeted content like “Special Insights for the CTO of Company X.” Additionally, the dashboard can be freely customized to align with our company’s KPIs, making it easy to monitor key metrics specific to our email marketing efforts!
The tutorial videosfeaturing CEO Jeong Hee-young of Salesmap and thedetailed guidebookwere also incredibly helpful in understanding the platform! I believe this would be an excellent choice for companies looking to integrate their B2B marketing and sales operations.
✅3 Key Features of Sales Map!
1️⃣ Seamless integration with sales processes
2️⃣ Powerful lead scoring system
3️⃣ Affordable all-in-one B2B solution
4. Relate
Relate is well-known as a B2B sales CRM service. Recently, it launched astandalone email marketing service. Even if you’re not an existing CRM user, you can use the email marketing service independently. You can easily create newsletters using a Markdown editor, and it offers a variety of features essential for lead nurturing! Furthermore, B2B customer databases containing decision-makers’ contact information are highly sensitive assets. Since Relate is an email marketing tool certified under a security framework, you can use it with greater peace of mind. Currently, if you sign up for the Relate Email beta list, you’ll receive a 20% discount and data migration services—making this a great opportunity for B2B companies considering email marketing!
✅3 Key Features of Relate!
1️⃣ B2B-Specialized Lead Management System
2️⃣ Enterprise-Grade Security Certification
3️⃣ Easy-to-Use Editor
Comparison Summary of 4 Email Marketing Tools
We’ve compared email marketing tools from Elephant’s perspective. For marketers considering which tool to adopt, we’ve prepared a summary table based on objective criteria! If you’re thinking about implementing an email marketing tool, please refer to the table below!
So, what did Elephant choose?
Every platform has its pros and cons, but ultimately, the most important factor is how well it fits our company’s email marketing strategy! After much consideration, Elephant has chosen one tool.
You’ll be able to find out which tool we chose in our new newsletter, coming soon! 😉
▶️ Looking forward to Elephant’s first newsletter of the new year, published using our new tool? Subscribe to the newsletter
