Introducing an email marketing strategy into an organisation inevitably produces the question about whether to buy some software or use an Email Service Provider (ESP) instead. It’s a topic that has provoked some strong debate for other business applications, and in some situations organisations discover very good reasons for not going down the software as a service (SAAS) service road. But in the case of email marketing there are simply so many fundamental issues with purchasing an application for in-house use it becomes a very real pain the backside for staff across different functions.

Email marketing is not simply a case of creating a template and flinging it out to some email addresses. It’s also far more than buying some software and thinking everything is good to go. There are a lot of tasks involved in implementing email marketing, and if you adopt the in-house route then you will find yourself knee-deep in a whole lot more things to do.

It’s for this reason that you should never be attracted to the headline price. Many apparently ideal applications may look attractive but the total invisalign cost of ownership has to be considered, and in the case of email marketing software this is a very important point. Beyond the purchase of the application – which incidentally may well not contain half the features you actually need unless you upgrade to a more advanced version – you have to consider installation and configuration, not to mention ongoing technical support and user training. Depending on the infrastructure you may also require additional server hardware. These take time to organise and can be disruptive to other areas of the business.

On the subject of the infrastructure, a common mistake is assuming the organisation’s existing internet connection will have ample capacity for the increased burden of an email marketing campaign. It’s never a good idea to make assumptions, especially when most line providers specifically outlaw using their lines for email marketing in their terms and conditions. So it’s another area to review and possibly buy a dedicated line (many firms find their line is already working near capacity) or get the terms changed – and another invisalign cost to consider.

If you consider these to be barriers you can readily overcome, then remember you haven’t even started yet and there’s plenty more work involved. Maintaining an effective email marketing strategy entails devoting time and resources to deliverability; this is where the whole spectrum of your email marketing campaigns are working together to ensure the messages you send are reaching the subscriber. Now this is an important task irrespective of whether you go in-house or ESP, but for the former you will have additional tasks – mainly developing ISP relations, monitoring blacklists and handling abuse and other complaints. Another time soak on staff who have enough on their plate as it is.

Now compare the points made above with working with an ESP. Well, firstly the question surrounding resource and time largely vanishes. You have access to an infrastructure already created, tuned and ready to go. No worrying about whether your infrastructure can cope, no waiting for the technical function to install and configure the software. So getting started is a simple process – often it’s all done for you – in a matter of hours, not weeks.

An outsourced service also reduces the requirement to be proficient in html design and handling data. Strategic services like ArrowPoint Mail provide help with such areas as part of the service, as well as giving advice on good practice and staying on the right side of the law. So you’re not on your own and you can get moving quickly and confidently.

And lastly there is the flexibility. If the out-sourced solution doesn’t work as well as you hoped then you can walk away and find another. Bed hopping across email services is not recommended as it disrupts your strategy and wastes time researching and working with new people. But it does mean that the service provider has to provide the best service possible – or you can go elsewhere if you’re not satisfied.

There is a reasonable case for opting to site email marketing in-house if your organisation has the resources, the people and the knowledge in order to use the software correctly – although from our perspective it’s still quite weak. However, even in such a scenario you should hold accounts with outsourced services as part of your business continuity plan. But for most businesses the most invisalign cost effective, convenient and flexible way to use email marketing is via an outsourced service.