The new ClickMail ESP buyer’s guide 2015 has been released. Its official titel is ‘2015 ESP Selection Guide’ and is a 30-page pdf about selecting an email service provider.
The ESP buyer’s guide is split up in several chapters. Areas that are covered include the following:
- The ESP Platform
- Data
- Deliverability
- Analytics
- One-to-One Marketing
- Omni-channel Marketing
- Mobile Marketing
- Customer service and Support
- Security and Compliance
The ESP buyer’s guide starts with a note by ClickMail CEO Marco Marini that mobile email marketing is one of the most important trends of 2015. Therefor, it is important that the ESP you choose is able to support you with that, and that it has its own chapter in the ESP selection guide.
The guide consists of sets of questions to ask: both your own company and any potential ESP. For yourself, it’s important to look at whether you are able to track ROI, and whether moving to another ESP will have any clear benefits over your current one.
With regards to the plaform, usability, reliability and scalability are important topics. Questions included are for example how intuitive and well-organized the interface is, whether HTML validation tools are built into the platform and what size lists the ESP typically handles.
The 2015 ESP buyer’s guide doesn’t actually compare email service providers, but poses the questions (per area) you should ask your ESP or potential next ESP with regards to your needs and wants. Just looking at email marketing software reviews won’t cut it: you will have to do extensive research and interviews before stepping into a new partnership.
The guide can be downloaded at the ClickMail website via this link.
Regardless of the choice, you should select an ESP that ‘fits’ your company’s goals best: if any typical area is very important, than that should be an area where the ESP really shines. Regardless of whether it is platform scalability or deliverability, ease-of-use, customer support or such: there’s always a few things that you feel are more important than most others. Be sure to keep those in mind when interviewing with an ESP and trying out their platform.
