How to Choose an Email Service Provider

Set goals for using the service. Consider your goals for using an email marketing service. Do you just want to achieve a bit of basic email marketing? Or are you planning to send out massive email campaigns to thousands of email list subscribers? Determining your goals wil help you make an informed decision about selecting an email service provider[1]

Choose a provider that matches your budget. You can acquire an email service provider with a variety of price points. While some email service providers cost less than ten dollars a month, others have rates that can climb to hundreds of dollars each month. Keep in mind that you will pay more for premium services. For example, a provider that gives you around the clock tech support will cost more than one that only provides email ticket tech support.[2]

Make sure the company offers adequate tech support. When you are choosing an email service provider, you need to consider how much tech support you will expect from the service. Some services will offer around the clock support. Others may only provide clients with limited ticket support.[3]

Choose a reputable company. It is important to choose an email service provider that is well established and has a good reputation. For example, you should refrain from choosing a new email service provider that has been in business for only a short period of time. Read reviews online and talk to friends, family, and colleagues about their email service provider experiences.[4]

Try out multiple providers. Some email service providers offer free trials. Consider trying out several services that offer free trials. You can then compare the email service providers and choose the one that best suits your needs.

Try a provider that integrates social media. Some email service providers can integrate with social media channels. This can expand your reach and help you meet marketing goals. When choosing a provider, ask about their social media capabilities.[5]

Select a provider that offers efficient subscriber management. Managing your subscribers is one of the most important services an email service provider provides. Research how the provider manages subscription forms, unsubscribe centers, and subscriber content preferences. These are all key to acquiring and personalizing email services for your subscribers.[6]

Choose a provider that will give you a private IP address. The IP address your email service provider assigns you indicated the origin of an email. You do not want to share an IP address with other customers at your email service provider. For example, excessive spam complaints against another client with the same IP address could prevent your emails from being delivered.

Inquire about deliverability rates. Before you decide on an email service provider, ask the company about email deliverability rates. You want to make sure the emails you are sending end up in subscribers' inboxes instead of getting marooned in cyberspace or spam filters.[7]

Pick a provider with multiple Internet connections. Your email service provider should have multiple, high speed Internet connections through several sources. This will ensure reliability should one of the Internet connections fail. For example, if your email service provider's Internet connection goes down, your subscribers won't be able to click links in the emails you send.

Choose a provider that provides detailed reporting. An email service provider provides detailed reporting on your email campaigns. This reporting should include the rates at which subscribers open emails, daily delivery success rates, and the rate at which subscribers click links included in the emails. You should be able to view which of your subscribers completed each of these actions. This will help you measure how effective your email campaigns are.