Questions to ask when choosing mass email software

1. Do I need a managed service from my ESP (Email Service Provider)?

   A self service option makes more sense as it places control directly in the hands of your marketers and will increase your ROI (email marketing has consistently achieved ROI of between 3 and 5 times). But always ask what support and training is available with your self-service choice – both initially and ongoing?

2. What about deliverability?

   Email deliverability is a key area. You should ask about authentication and delivery methods – to ensure your emails aren’t wrongly identified as spam, particularly if you plan to send high volumes. You want to know how reputation is managed. How are bounces handled? Are spam feedback loops used and spam complaints reported by campaign?

3. Does the ESP purely focus on email?

   You obviously need a provider that expert in their field so look to see how long they’ve been around and whether they market their own software or resell someone else’s. But you also need a provider that can grow with you, offering a broad range of digital services – for example, how easy is it to build a microsite for a specific campaign? What about SMS or extending your marketing reach using social networking?

4. What about data and reporting?

   Once you’ve got your email service up and running you will need to demonstrate its effectiveness internally and use the metrics it can provide you with to produce increasingly targeted communications and campaigns. How good are the reporting and analysis tools? And as your use of email newsletters, digital lead generation initiatives, online sales platforms, on and offline marketing integration… increases, you’ll have an increasingly sophisticated approach to data application. Will your ESP keep up with you?

5. 3rd party, SaaS (Software as a Service) or inhouse?

   You can buy email marketing software, and then run and maintain it on your own servers. But this inhouse option can take up significant internal resource, plus there’s the issue of keeping software up to date. Before SaaS came along the other option was a 3rd party application service providers, but users still needed inhouse expertise. SaaS is an on demand option where the same software is essentially run across many customers from the same server. It’s very secure but offers improved economies of scale and quicker start up.

6. How often is the technology updated?

   And email is a fast changing area so you need technology which is not only best in class now but will continue to be so. So, how often are updates issued (this process is also a lot more seamless with a SaaS service). Also, who’s creating these updates? Does your provider have in-house software design and build skills? Often email marketing software is provided by resellers with no technical expertise.

7. How does your solution help me create effective campaigns?

   To stand out in already overstuffed email inboxes you need tools that help you to create relevant messages:

   • automatically personalise email Subject lines and email content with more than a name
   • dynamically add additional content when relevant to the recipient
   • extend the customer profile / create a custom preference centre to collect information
   • a ‘non-techie’ way to create queries to help with segmentation
   • run tests automatically – eg to create the best Subject line?

For more information on how we help you to answer these questions call +44 (0) 207 965 6050