Hello!
This year, Elifunt has established ambitious OKRs as we prepare for an even bigger leap forward. One of Elifunt's key goals is the 'Newsletter Revamp'!
In 2024, we grew together with over 1,000 valued subscribers. For 2025, we are preparing everything anew, from the platform to the content, to deliver valuable insights to even more B2B decision-makers. (To our reliable subscribers, please stay with us! 🙇♀️)
Implementing Email Marketing Tools Like an Elifunt
In B2B marketing, email is not just a simple communication channel, but a core tool for lead nurturing.
We reviewed email marketing tools based on the three criteria Elifunt considers most important: content quality, customer trust, and data-driven performance measurement . In particular, we thoroughly compared and analyzed various tools while keeping in mind our 2025 goal of reaching 5,000 subscribers . Organizing that thought process resulted in a complete piece of content!
We are sharing our experience in the hopes that this post will be of some help to those considering adopting email marketing tools.
Elifunt's Key Keywords for Tool Selection: Content, Trust, Data
With numerous email marketing tools on the market such as Stibee, Mailchimp, and Mailly, making the choice was not easy. We carefully compared them based on the following three keywords.
1️⃣ Content: Features to effectively deliver B2B insights
2️⃣ Trust: Customer data security and a stable delivery system
3️⃣ Data: Detailed performance analysis and lead tracking features
We are facing a major challenge this year, in particular. Our goal is to increase our current subscriber count from 1,000 to 5,000 by 2025! (That's a whopping five times... just thinking about it makes me excited! ✨) So, we considered not only our current situation but also the features needed for each stage of growth. Focusing on the three keywords mentioned above, we have analyzed the four key items introduced below in detail. Now, let me share our specific thought process for each item!
1. We have made security our top priority to build trust with our customers!
Watching the news of personal data breaches every year, I realized the importance of security once again. In the B2B sector, customer data leaks can go beyond simple information loss and lead to an irreparable collapse of trust. That is why I made the security level of email marketing tools my top priority. I wanted to find a platform that could safely protect customers' valuable information.
2. I checked if the cost is reasonable compared to the features!
Subscribing to a newsletter means more than just receiving emails; it is the first signal of interest a customer shows us. However, the features truly essential for email marketing (such as lead scoring and automation) are often hidden within higher-tier plans. Since Elifunt aims for over 5,000 subscribers, we carefully examined how costs change based on subscriber count and features. In particular, we based our criteria on the actual maintenance costs that include the core features necessary for customer relationship management.
3. We considered usability for both the author and the subscribers!
I have experience writing newsletters and am also a subscriber to a variety of them. Thanks to this, I was able to consider what would be a truly useful platform from both perspectives. First, I signed up for free trials of various email tools and thoroughly compared them by testing them firsthand. From a writer's perspective, a convenient editor was a given, and I needed to be able to easily find the features I needed. On some platforms, important functions were hidden deep within menus, which lowered my work efficiency. At the same time, the subscriber experience was also important. I checked from the subscriber's point of view to see if the platform could be structured so that the message is clearly conveyed and key content is visible at a glance!
4. We looked into performance data measurement features that allow you to get closer to your customers!
the Elifunt team introduction page ? At Elifunt, we believe that all marketing activities must be measured by data. Especially in B2B marketing, email is the most personalized touchpoint, requiring even more detailed data analysis. Who reads the newsletter, when, and on what device, and which headlines resonate most! Every single piece of this data serves as a strategic insight. We need to go beyond simple open rates to understand which content customers respond to deeply and at what point they get closer to making a purchase decision.
I personally tried out four tools and summarized them!
Based on the four criteria above, Elifunt personally used and compared Mailchimp, Mailly, SalesMap, and Relate ! We are revealing every detail of the features of each email marketing tool that we actually tested! 🔍
1. Mail Chimp
The first service I would like to introduce is Mailchimp. Mailchimp is one of the most widely used email marketing tools worldwide. It offers a variety of design templates and allows you to easily create newsletters using a drag-and-drop method. Its automation featuresare also a particular strength; you can set up customized scenarios based on customer behavior, and it integrates seamlessly with major services such as Salesforce and Canva. However, since it does not support Korean, teams that are not fluent in English may need some time to adapt initially.
✅Mailchimp's 3 Key Features!
1️⃣ Provides basic design templates tailored to your purpose
2️⃣ Integrates with various services from other companies (Canva, Salesforce, Typeform, etc.)
3️⃣ Features for analyzing specific performance data
2. Mailly
The second platform I would like to introduce, Mailly, stands out among domestic newsletter platforms for its strengths in content creation. With an interface similar to Notion, you can write intuitively using slash (/) commands . A notable feature is its SEO functionality ; newsletter content is naturally exposed to search engines, allowing you to expect additional traffic. Additionally, the archiving and community features enable communication with subscribers through comments and are useful for building relationships with customers! However, it might fall a bit short for those who require large-scale automation or complex segmentation.
✅Meili's 3 Key Features!
1️⃣ Convenient editor optimized for content creation
2️⃣ Natural lead acquisition through SEO features
3️⃣ Intuitive Korean-style interface
3. SalesMap
Sales Map is a platform that offers CRM and email marketing as a single solution. What is particularly noteworthy is that you can utilize both functions 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 within a single platform. In particular, the email marketing feature allowed for flexible personalization settings, making it easy to create targeted content such as "Special Insights for the CTO of Company OO." Additionally, the dashboard can be freely configured to match our company's KPIs, allowing us to easily monitor key metrics specific to our email marketing. Furthermore,
the guide videos and detailed guidebooks personally explained by Sales Map CEO Jung Hee-young were a great help in understanding the platform. I believe this would be an especially good choice for companies looking to manage B2B marketing and sales in an integrated manner.
✅3 Key Features of Sales Map!
1️⃣ Perfect integration with the sales process
2️⃣ Powerful lead scoring system
3️⃣ Affordable all-in-one B2B solution
4. Relate
Relate is well-known as a B2B sales CRM service, and it has recently launched a separate email marketing service . Even if you are not an existing CRM user, you can use the email marketing service independently. You can easily create newsletters using a Markdown editor, and it provides various features necessary for lead nurturing! Furthermore, B2B customer databases containing decision-maker contact information are particularly sensitive assets. As Relate is an email marketing tool certified by a security framework, you can use it with greater peace of mind. Currently, if you register for the Relate Email beta list, Relate is offering a 20% discount and data migration services , making this a great opportunity for B2B companies considering the adoption of email marketing!
✅Relate's 3 Key Features!
1️⃣ B2B-Specialized Lead Management System
2️⃣ Enterprise-Grade Security Certification
3️⃣ Easy-to-Use Editor Function
Summary Table of 4 Email Marketing Tools
We have compared email marketing tools from Elifunt's perspective. For marketers considering adopting email marketing tools, we have prepared a summary table based on objective criteria! If you are contemplating implementing email marketing tools, please refer to the table below!
So, what is Elifunt's choice?
While every platform has its pros and cons, the most important factor is ultimately how well it fits our company's email marketing strategy! After much consideration, Elifunt has selected a single tool.
You will be able to find out which tool we chose in our new newsletter, which will be released soon! 😉
▶️ Looking forward to Elifunt's first newsletter of the New Year, published with a new tool? Subscribe to the newsletter
