Once you have decided what type of marketing message you will deliver and to whom, there are many different ways to implement an email marketing program. When considering the approach that is right for your business, it is important to consider how one option differs from another. No matter what avenue you take, there are benefits and pitfalls with each. The key is to recognize the value of what you are doing and to carefully measure the cost of the effort involved along with the cost of the software and infrastructure needed. Sometimes what may appear to be the lowest cost option will be the most expensive in the long run.
 
Do I build it or buy it?
This is one of the first questions one might ask. It is also the one most easily answered. If you have the development team, the time, and the budget, you can build a custom email marketing solution that will fit your specific needs. However, be forewarned that building an email marketing system is much harder than it appears and is that really how you want to spend your marketing budget? A useful email delivery platform must provide critical features like message composition in multiple formats, list maintenance, delivery tracking and reporting, link activation and tracking, effective bounce management and other specialized techniques that are difficult to get right.
 
If I buy it, do I buy software to do it all myself or do I use a service provider?
This question is most commonly answered by how you look at the problem and in what ways you allocate your resources. Are you a “do it yourself” kind of shop, or do you typically pay for the experience and technical know how of a third party? In a sense, an email-marketing provider can be likened to a direct mail shop. In this case, you have the choice to print, address, and stamp your mailing in-house or use the efficiency of the direct mail provider to do it all for you.

 

In addition, when buying a solution there are few options for customization in a "one size fits all" product.  A service provider, on the other hand, should be able to craft a solution that more directly addresses your needs.
 
My existing email program keeps a list of addresses for me. Can’t I just use this email program and my existing Internet connection to deliver my messages?
 
It is quite possible to use an email program like Outlook or Eudora to deliver your messages. The good thing is that the cost is minimal – the email program is already installed and the Internet connection is available at no extra charge. 
 
However, if you are sending more than 25 messages this method is hard to maintain and will cost you a considerable amount of time and effort in the long run. You will need to manage the list yourself, manually enter subscribe and unsubscribe requests, and remove bad addresses. And, there are no reports to tell you how well your efforts are working. Outlook and Eudora also lack support for link activation and tracking and other data-mining features critical to building an effective and measurable marketing campaign.

If you were looking for a low initial investment, this would be the way to do it. However, once your mailing list grows you will inevitably seek a better option.
 
Can’t I just buy a bulk email program and do it all from my office?
There is a wide range of software packages for delivering bulk email. They fall into two categories: inexpensive software programs that run on desktop computers and expensive server based CRM systems. So the question then becomes, what is the size of your list and what is economical for you? If your list is small – under 1000 – you could use the inexpensive desktop package (you’ll spend about $50 - $150). If your list is very large – over 500,000 – you might consider the CRM package (you’ll spend $100,000 or more).
 
In both cases, you are left to manage the entire email marketing process yourself. This means installing and configuring the software. This also means maintaining the infrastructure to support the delivery of high volume emails, tracking and reporting, and subscription management. Inexpensive desktop software has the most limitations in this regard and little or no reporting mechanism. High-end CRM software is the most flexible, but the cost of maintaining and configuring such a system can quickly outpace the initial cost of the software license.

 

To effectively leverage email as a marketing tool, it is critical to have an "always-on" Internet connection to allow for delayed delivery and tracking.  Unless you are in a large corporation, your company's Internet connection may lack the robustness and global connectivity of a dedicated service provider.  In large corporations, hosting a dedicated email server within the existing MIS infrastructure poses its own problems.
 
For some companies an in-house CRM solution offers the most robust and flexible solution. If you can afford it, this may make sense. However, in order to become an economical choice, you need to have a large distribution list. Otherwise you would have a hard time recouping the investment. This is why, in the end, so many companies decide to outsource this function to email marketing service providers – even if they have the capability to bring it all in-house.
 
There are plenty of small business portals and email marketing service providers offering services at $30/month or less, why should I need to pay more?
On the surface most email marketing service companies may look the same. They all include features such as list management, HTML email delivery, and some level of tracking and reporting. In addition, a certain number of email deliveries are included with the base price and more can be purchased as needed.
 
So what don’t you get? Well if you are paying $30 a month you really don’t get anything more valuable than that. This is where the old adage “you get what you pay for” rings true. At this price point there is a limit to the amount of support, training, and custom flexibility available to you. In addition, powerful and sophisticated features such as list segmentation and management, companion micro-sites, detailed subscriber reporting, survey response tracking, personalization and dynamic display rules are often missing from the picture because they are harder to deliver in a simple self-service package.
 
What are the valuable features that come with a professional email marketing service?
Think about your biggest headaches. Think about the hardest technical problems you face. These are the problems directly addressed by professional email marketing service providers. Here are some key things to look for:

When all is said and done, it is up to you to decide which solution makes the most sense for your business. It is also important not to undervalue your email marketing efforts. An email may lack that postage stamp, but this does not mean you should expect your online marketing program to be a free ride. Be prepared to invest in the right email marketing service and you'll start making money at the SAME time you are saving it.