In yesterday’s post, I looked at Vertical Response. Overall, it’s a marketing automation software that will provide law firms with the basic tools they need to improve their email marketing at a reasonable price. Today, I’ll look at AWeber, another email marketing software that has a number of useful tools for law firms.
To read about other email marketing software I’ve reviewed, you can visit our Email Marketing For Lawyers series page.
AWeber’s Main Features
Email templates and responsive design: AWeber has over 700 templates for users to choose from, all of which use responsive design — that is, no matter where users are reading emails from (desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile phone) emails will be correctly sized and easy to read. Like some of the other email marketing software I’ve reviewed, AWeber also has the option to code templates for those interested in doing so. AWeber has a number of color schemes as well as plain text options for those interested in something more traditional. AWeber also provides users with the ability to match email templates to sign up forms.
Email campaigns: AWeber makes campaigns easy to create and modify with their drag and drop editor. The editor gives users the ability to add and delete options such as delayed message sending and applying tags to organize your campaigns. Users can also add campaign triggers such as when a campaign should start or to whom an email should be sent.
Email deliverability: AWeber describes itself as a company that “proactively [seeks] out and [resolves] potential deliverability issues so you don’t have to.” The software examines a number of issues that can impact deliverability and takes those into account to ensure that your content is delivered to inboxes the right way.
Autoresponders: Automated response tools allow users to send emails and follow up messages on the day and time of their choosing. This can help law firms engage with their subscriber list and remain connected to readers.
Email newsletters: AWeber’s email newsletter feature has something for email marketers of every skill level. Users can create messages with a drag-and-drop editor, as well as segmenting subscriber lists based on reader preference. If you’re short on time or know-how, AWeber has a design team who can help you build a customized template for an additional fee.
RSS to emails: If you’ve got a blog with an RSS feed, AWeber can turn your blog posts into emails, regardless of the blog software you use. Additionally, you can indicate to the software how often you want these emails sent to readers.
Subscriber management: If you’re not yet using an email marketing software or you’re switching from another email service provider, AWeber’s subscriber management services may be useful to your firm. They offer users personal assistance with moving contacts to their service and are able to answer questions about importing your contacts. This tool also allows you to create your own sign-up form to help you build your subscriber list.
Analytics: Users can track what’s happening to their emails and also keep track of their subscribers with this feature. AWeber offers its users simple but explanatory graphs that point out who’s opening your messages, what links they’re clicking on, unsubscribes, and more.
Atom app: A particularly useful feature for lawyers on the go, this tool provides AWeber users the ability to add new subscriber information on mobile devices, whether a wireless connection is available or not. Once subscriber information has been entered, users have the ability to immediately send a follow-up message.
A/B (Split) testing: While it appeared that this tool wasn’t clearly featured on their website, I reached out to an AWeber representative who noted that they do, in fact, offer this service. While he said that the split test feature is currently under revision as AWeber transitions to a brand new platform of features, he also said that their current split testing feature is fully functional, even during the transition.
AWeber’s Pricing Structure
Both AWeber’s pricing and features are impressive for any number of subscribers law firms may have. Here’s a breakdown of their pricing structure:
This software is particularly nice in that AWeber offers their full suite of features to users at any number of subscribers. This means that law firms who choose AWeber for their email marketing can reap the benefits of all the available features to reach their audience without being subjected to extra costs if they want to make use of a particular tool that might not be offered in a basic monthly plan.
Advantages for Law Firm Email Marketing
From the pricing to the features, AWeber has a number of advantages for law firms that want to improve their email marketing and cut down on email-related tasks.
Being able to match email templates to sign up forms can help streamline the look of a law firm and create consistency in web presence. Additionally, AWeber’s campaign tools are among the simplest and straightforward that I’ve seen. You can actually test out their campaign drag-and-drop tool without having to download anything or sign up for a free trial — though they do also offer a 30-day free trial.
(Those interested in testing out AWeber’s campaign tool can do so by clicking here.)
Segmentation gives users the ability to reach readers with the content they’re most interested in. This can help keep readers engaged because they’re getting a more personalized, tailored experience. On the note of customizing experiences, AWeber’s analytics tools may help law firms get a sense of what topics interest their clients and what content clients are engaging with. This will help firms customize content to engage their readers.
AWeber’s Potential Drawbacks For Law Offices
One of the few potential drawbacks to AWeber is an issue I’ve mentioned with other email marketing software: choice overload. AWeber gives its users access to more than 700 templates and 6,000 images. If you have a tough time making choices about email template design, this many options may prove difficult for you when it comes time to send your content to readers. However, those who enjoy having lots of options will find no shortage of items to choose from when it comes to the color, layout and images that make up email newsletters.
Summary of AWeber for Law Firms
All in all, this is an impressive software at a great price. Law firms will be able to make use of many of the tools that AWeber makes available to its users, and will likely find those tools easy to implement to improve their email marketing.
