konskie, poland june 17, 2018: popular email service providers including gmail, yahoo and hotmail, displayed on a new modern smartphone

When it comes to email marketing, entrepreneurs need to find the right email provider to get the best possible results.

Email providers enable bulk emailing to send emails easily to subscribers. Regardless if you’re running a small or big enterprise, there are many reasons why you may need an email provider, the foremost of which is that it gives you complete control of your email marketing strategy. Other than being cost-effective, it also lets you track your email performance and create highly engaging emails.

However, searching for an email provider can be a little daunting, especially if it’s your first time using one. To make the selection process easier, various things need to be considered, including the following:

Know Your Budget

There’s always an email provider available for just about any business size and budget. While you can use email providers offering free services, there are also enterprise-level and expensive email providers that grant sophisticated functions suited for catering to your best email clients.

If you’re operating a small business, it wouldn’t be practical to consider an email provider that costs a considerable amount of money. You have to note that choosing the right provider isn’t about spending big. Instead, it’s all about the functionalities you need that keep the costs low. Besides, the priciest provider may not always be the best for your enterprise and goals.

While you could be tempted to pay and use an enterprise-level email provider, you might end up wasting your resources if you’re not taking advantage of the extra features. Thus, when deciding, the key is to review pricing schemes. These days, providers have tiered monthly plans where the price increase is proportional to the furnished inclusions and features. If you don’t send emails regularly, you can opt for providers that offer pay-per-campaign or prepaid plans.

Consider The Features You Need

esp email service provider

Features are crucial aspects of choosing an email provider. Businesses would prioritize different characteristics depending on their goals and objectives. Regardless of your email marketing campaigns, the features that you might need include:

  • Templates: These are a primary feature that can help create quality and professional emails in minutes. When your priority is to create emails quickly, look for providers with a variety of customizable designs to suit your stylistic needs, whether it’s a welcome email, newsletter, or a transaction email you’re sending out.
  • Analytics: If you want to know your email marketing progress, the only way to measure it is through analytics. Look for an email provider with an analytics dashboard that shows all the email marketing metrics you should monitor, such as ROI, email opens, unsubscribes, clicks, and engagement. Through this, you can track your campaign’s performance.
  • Automation: Like other digital marketers, you have lots on your plate. You can’t afford to spend a certain amount of time every day just sending emails. That’s why it’s wise to choose the right provider with automation capabilities. In this way, you can set up workflows, and your provider would take care of the rest. For instance, you can just set up every holiday email at the start of the year and wait for the conversations to come in.

Consider Security

When finding the right email provider, your main priority must be to keep your data secure, whether business-related or personal. The reason behind it is that there are instances that emails containing sensitive information may lose such emails. This may result in horrible consequences if your private correspondence ends up in the wrong hands.

Although you can take some preventative measures to ensure your emails’ safety, the right email provider stands its ground on its own in terms of security. So, do your research and always keep this in mind when finalizing your choice.

Check The Customer Support

Customer service must not be an afterthought. There will be cases wherein you’d require a little guidance. In these instances, it’s crucial to reach out to helpful and knowledgeable support representatives who can help with any problem or situation.

One way to check the provider’s customer support is by calling their contact number or sending an email to know how long it takes them to respond. You can also check if the provider’s website offers a dedicated FAQ section or 24/7 worldwide support.

Integrations Compatibility

The more integrations an email provider offers, the better opportunities you’ll have for marketing success. There are many reasons why you should check the compatibility of their integration. One of these is that integrations to CRM or CMS enable you to automate data flow. Integrations also allow you to automatically send contacts and data to your business, transfer data from the subscription forms to your email list and enable users to pay for your products with ease.

Thus, always check if an email provider offers integrations with tools you use and check what can be integrated. It’s best if an email provider offers detailed individual set-up instructions.

Check The Delivery Rates

Not all email providers can ensure that your emails will get delivered at the same rate. Therefore, it’s vital to ask potential providers about their delivery rates and how they work with customers to maintain high rates.

You would want to search for an email provider with at least a 98% delivery rate. It’s best to settle with providers with solid relationships with tech giants. Remember that the delivery rates are a combination of how email providers ensure delivery to the inboxes on the back end and how you use the email service. Thus, ask for the resources they offer on best practices for list and content management.

Conclusion

Email providers’ cost is a primary consideration when choosing one for your business, but it’s essential to think about value for money. Besides, the cheapest option may not always provide you the greatest and latest security protections or the kinds of features you’d use daily. As they say, you get what you pay for, so it’s not a bad idea to spend a bit more if you’re getting quality service.

Other than the cost, it’s also crucial to consider the company’s delivery rates, features you need, and support system. Keep these things in mind when finding the right email provider for your business.