What we'll cover
Email advertising is a vital part of any virtual advertising approach today.
With e-mail open prices as much as 3x better than social media, it`s one of the maximum ROI advertising channels available.
But with masses of e-mail advertising gear on the market, simply choosing the proper software program for- your commercial enterprise can feel overwhelming.
In this post, we will stroll through the ten most vital elements you have to don't forget before making an investment in an e-mail advertising platform.
Remember, taking the time to assess those key factors will help you pick out the proper answer matched to your unique wishes and install your email advertising success.
1. Define Your Goals and Objectives
Before you begin searching out e-mail software, take the time to define your desires and targets for e-mail marketing.
Are you specializing in developing your listing of subscribers, growing e-mail deliverability, growing click-through and engagement rates, immediately growing SaaS sales, or something else entirely?
You can find platforms with the required feature sets and tools by clearly defining your goals and expected results.
For example, if your main goal is driving online sales, you'll want robust e-commerce tracking and detailed sales attribution analytics. If list growth is your priority, things like customizable opt-in forms, lead flows, and integrations with landing page software will be key.
Consider using an email marketing platform that provides seamless e-commerce QuickBooks integration to improve your e-commerce efforts even more. This will enable you to manage your online store's finances effectively in addition to your marketing campaigns.
You should outline two or three objectives that you hope your email marketing campaign and the chosen software will help you achieve. You'll focus your search on tools that will produce the best outcomes by doing this.
2. Consider Your List Size and Growth Projections
The subsequent element you ought to do is make the effort to evaluate how huge your present-day e-mail listing is and create practical improvement objectives for the subsequent one to a few years.
Many e-mail provider vendors base their costs on the number of emails dispatched every month, the quantity of contacts, and the general quantity of subscribers. This is a crucial consideration for a B2B marketing firm aiming to scale their operations efficiently.
Consider the desired state of your subscriber engagement KPIs and list size after a period of 12 to 24 months.
You can avoid quickly outgrowing the features or capabilities by choosing a platform that is in line with those growth expectations.
Alternatively, don't overinvest in enterprise-level software if you have a smaller list or slower growth planned.
Instead, start with tools that meet your current needs and upgrade as your audience expands.
3. Set Your Budget
One of the most important things to consider when choosing email marketing software is the pricing.
Today, email marketing software ranges from completely free or freemium to start up to full-featured paid plans, usually starting around $10–$30 per month. Higher-end enterprise tools can be $300+ monthly.
At this point, you need to be honest about what you can afford to invest in email marketing software right now. More importantly, you need to account for any add-ons you may need, like increased contacts, additional emails per month, expanded analytics, more robust automation, etc.
Many platforms charge extra for those capabilities beyond basic plans. So, setting a clear budget will narrow the field down to reasonably priced solutions that still offer the features you need.
4. Make a Must-Have Features and Integrations List
Now, it's time to make a detailed list of the crucial built-in features the platform must have, like:
-
Professional email templates and drag-and-drop editors
-
A/B testing for subject lines, content, layouts, etc.
-
Intuitive workflows and email automation
-
Segmentation and custom audience targeting
-
Email scheduling and calendars
-
Campaign analytics and reporting
-
Deliverability and inbox placement tools
-
List management and hygiene options
You'll also want to account for any vital integrations required for key platforms you use, like:
-
E-commerce or online store
-
UGC Platforms
-
Website and landing pages
-
Payment and checkout processors
-
Analytics programs
Having your must-haves defined upfront makes quickly identifying compatible tools much smoother.
Whatever you do, at no cost should you compromise on the features and integrations that are essential for how you work.
5. Assess Ease of Use
For an email marketing platform you'll interact with daily, ease of use and simplicity are significant factors.
That’s why it is recommended to look for software providers that invest heavily in UX design and optimization.
To do this right, you need to test out demos and free trials to evaluate:
-
Overall navigation and workflow
-
Creating broadcast and automation campaigns
-
Email and template editing
-
Accessing subscriber analytics and reports
Ideally, the platform should be intuitive enough that any team member can be trained quickly.
6. Review Deliverability Factors
Now for a critical consideration: deliverability.
Email deliverability is basically the percentage of your outgoing marketing emails successfully reaching your subscribers’ primary inbox.
The deliverability factors in email marketing software help your emails reliably reach subscriber inboxes instead of getting blocked or sent to spam.
There are various technical and reputational components that impact overall deliverability and inbox placement rates, including:
-
The platform's domain and IP sending reputation
-
Built-in spam testing and inbox preview tools
-
Warm-up processes for new IP addresses
-
Feedback loops and ISP monitoring capabilities
-
Inbox placement guarantees (if offered)
-
Options to preview messages across different email providers
Before choosing email marketing software, be sure to assess the provider's overall domain health and deliverability standards.
Remember, poor inboxing rates will tank your email marketing results. So, you must always choose a quality email marketing software provider that ensures optimum deliverability.
7. Evaluate Automation Options
Workflow automation is essential for streamlining repetitive tasks and driving engagement through personalized experiences.
For best results, go with an email marketing tool that offers extensive automation features like:
-
Welcome and onboarding email series
-
Re-engagement and win-back campaigns for inactive subscribers
-
Lead nurturing and follow-up sequences with integrated sales decks
-
Behavioral and event-triggered emails
-
Anniversary, loyalty, and milestone campaigns
-
Personalized product recommendations
-
Appointment and payment reminders
-
Cart and browsing abandonment emails
-
Churn reduction and retention campaigns
Having these automation features can let you execute coordinated, multi-layered sequences without constant manual oversight. Plus, the more you can automate, the more you can focus on strategy and content.
8. Review Analytics and Reporting
One key advantage of digital marketing channels is the wealth of data available.
However, it is important to choose email marketing software that provides robust email analytics and reporting on metrics like:
-
Email open and click-through rates
-
Geographical data
-
Conversions and sales directly attributed to sending
-
Engagement and behavior tracking
-
Link click heatmaps
-
Bounce and unsubscribe rates
-
Spam complaints and blacklisting events
-
Real-time performance monitoring as campaigns are deployed
On top of these, the software you choose must offer easy export options so that you can integrate your email data with your other systems.
The reason for this is simple: this level of actionable insight is vital for continually improving your campaigns and demonstrating ROI.
9. Assess Security and Compliance Standards
Security and compliance are paramount today. So, you must take enough time to thoroughly evaluate each provider's security measures, like:
-
Encryption protocols and data transfer methods
-
Server locations and sustainable data centers
-
Breach response policies and protections
-
GDPR, CAN-SPAM, and other compliance certifications
Furthermore, it is also essential to understand how each provider handles securing your customers' data as well as any sensitive company information.
10. Compare Support Options
Believe it or not, even the most well-designed software has a learning curve.
This is the reason why you must select email marketing software that offers multiple customer support channels, such as:
-
Phone and email
-
Knowledge bases and documentation
-
Blogs, communities, and events
Robust customer support makes getting up to speed with a new tool much less daunting.
Plus, having quick access to experts who can answer questions and troubleshoot issues will make your experience far smoother.
Choose Your Email Marketing Software Wisely
A crucial investment for the success of your business and marketing is choosing the appropriate email marketing platform.
It's critical to carefully weigh your needs and the available possibilities in order to make the best choice. By doing this, you may select software that will assist your email marketing campaign both today and in the future with ease.
Above all, ensure that the programme fits in with your email marketing strategy, target market, and business objectives.
You can elevate your marketing efforts by creating eye-catching, compelling emails, automating campaigns, and analysing results with the correct email marketing software.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this post has provided a helpful starting point for evaluating email marketing software.
The 10 factors we covered are some of the most important to consider before making a purchase. The platform you land on will have a major impact on your workflows and results, so invest the time upfront to ensure it's a good fit.
Most importantly, remember that features and integrations alone don't guarantee success. You still need smart strategy and quality content. Your platform just helps facilitate the process.
