Heads up: There are affiliate links on this page. If you click and buy the tool/subscription then I may be rewarded for helping to connect you with them. But I don't mention these tools purely for the limited financial gain. I've also shared them because I use them, or have used them, and you might find them helpful.
Canva for email images
Canva has been a game-changer for putting graphic design within reach for small business owners. I use it to create:
- email headers,
- images for the body of the email (e.g. book cover images, ebook images)
- graphics for my social posts to promote lead magnets, promote my business, and grow my email list
- lead magnets and lead magnet cover pages
- presentations for webinars...
You get the picture right? While you can do a lot with the free account and I did for ages Canva Pro is a worthy investment for your business. Because eventually you need to invest to buy back time.
One thing I don't use it for is to create all-image emails. That can be bad for deliverability. Also I've used it to provide a visual website plan when I worked in-house for a dietitian private practice. But I didn't use it as the actual website. I'm not sure that will work well for SEO. Email marketing and website platforms are designed with all these things in mind not just a pretty picture.
Email marketing platforms
I started out with Mailchimp but I've used a lot of email marketing platforms over the years like Campaign Monitor, Wix email and Brevo.
Mailerlite (my current email marketing platform)
I use a Mailerlite (Growing business) plan for my email marketing. It allows me to remove the badge, use landing page templates and other advanced features.
I started out with the free plan which is great but they reduced their limit from 1000 free contacts to 500 and it was time to upgrade.
With the tough economic times many small business owners have moved from Mailchimp to Mailerlite and it's a great choice for their free plan that includes automations (e.g. email sequences).
You can setup your Mailerlite account here and we'll both save (currently $20 - not sure if this is USD or NZD).
Mailchimp (what many of my clients use)
This is where I started out and where many of my clients choose to connect with their subscribers. Especially medium sized professional services businesses.
I have a Mailchimp & Co agency account as I have partnered with them.
What I like about Mailchimp is that it's easy to use and the designs are reliable and professional.
You can setup your Mailchimp account here ($30USD credits for both of us). Or for my clients that already have an account reach out and I can send you an invite from my Mailchimp agency account (preferred).
Kit formerly ConvertKit (what some of my clients use)
I've only recently setup my own free Kit newsletter account. It's very popular with creators and coaches.
What I like about Kit is the designs, and the creator option that allows you to grow your list through recommendations without social media or to supplement social media. Anything that reduces my reliance on social media platforms which are managed by algorithms is a positive for me.
I'm not a partner with Kit but you can find out more here.
ActiveCampaign (I'm a new partner)
I've only recently become a partner of ActiveCampaign.
ActiveCampaign is very popular in Australia. And as I'm planning to expand into that market it makes sense. It's great for more advanced automations.
You can find out more and setup your ActiveCampaign account here.
Calendly for scheduling online meetings
I use Calendly for my meeting links. It has great workflows and reminders that help take away some of the admin. I also have integrated with my email marketing platform Mailerlite.
You can set up your own Calendly here.
HubSpot CRM to manage leads
HubSpot is my CRM. I have the free plan and it's been great for managing leads, convesations and tracking. I've connected it to Mailerlite and Google Workspace so that I can understand my subscribers better.
You can set up your own free HubSpot account here.
TryInteract quiz software
If you saw this quiz building tutorial you'll know that I've partnered with TryInteract.
I setup a great quiz to help you identify what is blocking you with your email marketing success. Make sure you take the quiz and get the recommendations to start melting away what's holding you back from more leads and connection with email marketing.
You can set up your own Interact quiz here.
Hnry accounting software
Numbers, GST and provisional tax are not my thing. I'll leave that to the accountants and I know I'll need one sooner rather than later.
I picked Hnry as a sole trader (yes it's just me this is not an agency, at least not yet) because it was affordable and easy to use. I didn't need complicated reconciliations and wasn't sure if I'd make enough to pay an accountant.
I've been warned with some of the challenges as you grow but so far it's done everything I've needed it to.
You can set up your own Hnry account here. We both save $25NZD (win-win).
Other software I use as an email marketing specialist
- Make (my favourite automation platform outside of email marketing)
- A variety of AI platforms to keep learning about how this is going to impact email marketing (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, ChatGPT etc. ). I'm very picky about how I use AI though. You can read more about that here.
- Zapier (another automation platform) to tag purchasers of my digital products to my email list
- The Leap for selling digital products like my Engagement Secrets ebook and workbook.
- Zoom for online meetings scheduled via Calendly
- Trello and Airtable for project management...
..and many many more tools (including social media platforms).
Why picking the right software for your small business matters
These tools help me work smarter not harder, serve clients and manage running a business.
Just to remind you I've shared this to help other service providers. There are affiliate links in here but I've been honest. Integrity is one of my values. If you have a digital tool recommendation then please let me know. Because time is precious and I value saving time and spending it with my family.
