The best email service provider for your business might not be an ESP. It might that be an agency, consultant or VAR (Value Added Reseller) can serve you better. Such a third party can act as a reseller, so you\u2019re still using email marketing software, but you\u2019re not buying directly from (or dealing directly with) an ESP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why go this route? Because it just might be cheaper, faster and better compared to buying directly from the ESP. Here\u2019s why\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
When you use an ESP through a third party, you still get all the powerful features that ESP platform offers. However, you also benefit from dealing with the smaller size agency that can offer personalized service in a way a large ESP can\u2019t. Which leads me to the next reason\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anecdotally, organizations switch email service providers every two or three years due, in large part, to poor customer service. And really, ESPs aren\u2019t in the business of customer service: They are in the business of software. For many ESPs, offering services is just a necessary evil<\/a>. They try to offer the service you\u2019ll need<\/a>, but it\u2019s simply not their core business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what if you didn\u2019t have to put up with poor customer service? You don\u2019t, when you skip the ESP and go with the third party. Working with a smaller agency means you could get better service, and also more personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fewer people on staff means you\u2019re more likely to talk to the same person each time you call with an issue. Think how much time you\u2019ll save if you get to talk to someone who already knows you, your email marketing program, and any issues that you\u2019re dealing with, rather than having to explain everything all over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While you\u2019ll have to meet a minimum to work with a bigger ESP–as in minimum pricing or send volume–you shouldn\u2019t have such a minimum when working with a reseller. The reseller already has enough size because they are reselling the use of the ESP platform to several clients: They can justify the cost and volume. That gives you access to a top-tier ESP without requiring that you pay the top-tier price or email at that kind of scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your email marketing program might be smaller, but that doesn\u2019t mean you won\u2019t want to take advantage of the power offered by a large ESP\u2019s platform. Buying through a third party lets you to do just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ESPs are very good at what they do\u2026but that also means they must stay focused on what they do: the development and constant improvement of their platforms. When you choose the third party access to the ESP rather than buying directly from the ESP, you have access to a degree of expertise you\u2019d otherwise have to pay for separately\u2014increasing your costs, but also complicating matters because the outside consultant won\u2019t be an integral part of your email marketing program from the start. Start with the consultant first, and they will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Does anyone look forward to an ESP migration? I doubt it. Migrations can be time-consuming hassles<\/a> and seriously slow down your email marketing momentum until you\u2019re fully up and running on the new platform. When you go through a third party instead, however, a lot of the migration work will be done for you. In addition, it will be done by people who have done multiple migrations and implementations, making them much faster at it than you\u2019ll ever want to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you buy directly from a top-tier ESP then find you need customization<\/a>, you could be in for a very long wait. When you buy through a reseller, however, your needs are a higher priority because you a) have fewer clients competing for limited resources, and b) the reseller is not consumed with the management of the platform the way an ESP\u2019s team is. It might not be the agency that does the customization, but the agency can help make it happen\u2014on a much faster schedule than an ESP can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you choose to work with a third-party vendor rather than buy directly from an ESP, you save yourself time and hassle because you can skip the cumbersome RFP process. Imagine all those hours spent putting the RFP together<\/a>, combing through responses, coming up with a short list, meeting with ESP salespeople. Now imagine getting all of those hours back and being able to devote them to generating email ROI instead. Do you still want to do an RFP?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some third-party vendors such as agencies and consultants will let you take an ESP for a test drive<\/a> to make sure it\u2019s a good fit. Although ESP interfaces are in general easy and intuitive to use, you\u2019ll still benefit from an actual hands-on trial run\u2026not a demo version. An agency or consultant can offer that trial run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If all of these benefits have you convinced that you might be better off with a consultant, agency or VAR, the next question is, how do you choose one? Just as ESPs differ, so do the vendors. If you haven\u2019t yet chosen an ESP, look for a reseller that can help you choose one. Does that reseller represent ESPs in the right size for your organization (i.e. top tier, SMB, mid market). Do they resell more than one ESP? You want a vendor that will set you up with the best fit for you<\/i>, not them. Do they publish guides or whitepapers to help with ESP selection? Is the pricing lower than you\u2019d pay buying directly from the ESP? Will you have a dedicated account manager?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider the skill set of the reseller, whether you have an ESP picked out or not. Although your situation might require a different list of capabilities, in general you\u2019ll want proof of expertise in: In addition, you might have particular needs in areas such as SMS or international email marketing. Obviously, you\u2019ll want to ask about those capabilities as well.<\/span>You get access to a bigger ESP\u2019s platform<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>You get industry expertise<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, an agency, consultant or other kind of reseller has the time (and the need) to be experts in the field, keeping up with constantly changing technologies and trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>You get smoother, faster, easier implementations<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>You get those customizations finally<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>You can skip the RFP process<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>You might get to do a trial run<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Tips for choosing that third-party vendor<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve already chosen an ESP, ask which certifications the vendor has related to that ESP. Also ask for specific examples showing how that VAR or agency made a difference for a client.
Review the Service Level Agreement<\/a> (SLA) and, of course, ask for references. Find out if the vendor has a different way in to the ESP platform than you would have as a client.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
o Strategy
o Deliverability
o Deployment
o List management
o Customization and integration
o Design
o Testing
o Segmentation
o Personalization
o Dynamic content
o Automation
o Analytics
o Compliance<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to ESPs, you have a lot of choices, although only a few are likely to be a good fit. Increase your likelihood of success by considering working with a reseller instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n