How to Compare Email Marketing Companies

Comparing email service providers can be complex.

The list of companies providing email marketing platforms seems to grow each day. Choosing the right one involves comparing a wide range of plans to determine which one suits your organization's needs.

Pricing

Pricing plans are normally determined by the volume of emails sent per month. Pay for a plan that allows for sufficient volume, since overages can be quite costly. Discounts are available for nonprofits. Although pricing is important, it should not be the sole determinant of which company is chosen.

Layout Options

Having a wide range of templates is helpful if you have no in-house designer, but much more important is having the option to create a template and import a custom HTML template. Not all providers allow this, though most do. Also, examine image hosting options to determine if there is a fee for the provider to host images.

Metrics

Most email marketing companies provide a dashboard of basic metrics, such as open rates and clickthrough rates. Ensure that the dashboard provides the metrics needed in an intuitive, easy-to-use format.

Deliverability

The number of emails that actually reach inboxes varies by provider. Verify that an email service has high deliverability rates, and continuously strives to keep those rates high, or else marketing emails may never reach a good proportion of subscribers.

References

• Email Marketing Options: Email Marketing Services Comparison
• Email Marketing Reports: Email Deliverability Terms Explained