It should be pretty clear by now that your mortgage business should have email marketing in its arsenal. If a channel has a potential of earning $38 per each $1 spent, you need to be there. One thing that baffles many beginners is how to approach the logistics of the process. Do you write emails in WordPad? Do you manage your lists in Excel or Google sheets? Do you send each email manually from your Gmail? Luckily for us, it’s 2020 out there, and you have plenty of automation options to pick from. These advanced tools will save you a lot of time and will help you to get the most out of your marketing efforts.

HubSpot is a powerhouse brand in the world of marketing automation. HubSpot offers suites for marketing, sales, and customer support automation, as well as content management software for websites. They also offer a free email automation tool, which integrates seamlessly with their other products. HubSpot Email Marketing features a convenient drag-and-drop email builder and a built-in library of templates, which allows you to create visually stunning emails even if you have no designer in your team. HubSpot Email Marketing is free if you send out up to 2,000 emails per month. If you need more, their paid plans start at $40/month.

Mailchimp is another well-known name in the world of marketing automation. Mailchimp offers a pretty robust free plan, with one audience, one-step automations, basic reporting, and pre-made email templates. The free plan includes up to 2,000 contacts and 10,000 emails per month. If you need more, their paid plans begin at $9.99 per month. If you have a WordPress site, Mailchimp has integration for that too.

Pulse Mortgage CRM we can’t help but to include our own service in the list, Pulse CRM. While not as well-known as the previous two services, Pulse CRM is designed to cater to the needs of those in the mortgage business specifically. With Pulse CRM you’ll get things like a streamlined lead management process for mortgage loan officers; automated loan status alerts; automated, customizable pipelines; automatic workflows, and, of course, extensive email marketing capabilities. Pulse CRM is priced at $49 per user per month.

While not a tool specifically for email marketing, Grammarly will make your writing better, and good writing is essential if you want your campaigns to be effective. It features a nifty free plan, with fixes to your grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If your writing needs a bit more, Grammarly has a premium plan starting at $11.66 per month.

Another great writing aide, Hemingway App, tightens your writing and makes it easier to read and understand. And when it comes to email marketing, you WANT to be understood. Hemingway grades your text in terms of readability, marks your adverbs (which are often redundant), excessively long sentences, and passive voice. In the end, you get a simpler, more comprehendible text. This tool costs $19.99 for a standalone desktop app, but it also has a free web version. The latter should be enough for your writing needs.

As you’ve seen, there are plenty of tools out there that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. With affordable entry-level monthly plans and even free offers, you should be able to put out your first email campaign in no time. As your list and the need for more emails grows, you may eventually upgrade to a paid plan, or even consider a 360° marketing solution, like Pulse Mortgage CRM.