Email Marketing Companies

Evaluation Process of the Best Email Marketing Companies

We handpicked each of the agencies listed on our website through a carefully established methodology. The methodology uses special tools and techniques to analyze each aspect of a given company.

Specifically, we consider:

• Area of expertise and clients
• Customer reviews and user ratings
• Ability to offer precise targeting
• Methods for tracking progress and providing campaign analytics
• Portfolio
• Quality to price ratio

Compact Details of our Evaluation Process

In a nutshell, we evaluate email marketing companies by analyzing them from multiple aspects. For one, we examine the expertise of each agency, its ability to use different marketing strategies, and the team behind the concept. 

Also, we evaluate the company’s portfolio and reports. Last but not least, we analyze the user ratings and rely heavily on them because we consider it crucial to hear the opinion of real users who’ve had first-hand experience with particular email marketing services.

What Do Email Marketing Agencies Offer?

Email marketing can range from a monthly newsletter to a sophisticated and engaging workflow targeting different types of potential customers. Some agencies are specialized in one area of email marketing, while others can incorporate all important approaches into an effective strategy that will get you the best results while also saving you time and money.

Email List Growth

An email marketing campaign is nothing without a full-fledged list of subscribers.  You may already have loyal customers and returning site visitors, but it’s important that the agency is savvy in lead generation and building a list of contacts interested in your business. This means that apart from using bulk services on the existing list, email marketing firms should create a list of new, potential customers that could eventually lead to an increase in sales.  

Email Marketing Content

From subject lines to useful information, the agency needs to be skilled in creating content that will have a great impact as per the standards of digital marketing specialists, making your readers take action. It should contain company news and other personalized topics, such as information about special events, discounts, blog post notifications, and more, depending on the preferences of each customer segment.

Testing

An email marketing consultant knows that testing takes up a great part of a marketing campaign and that it’s crucial for its success. The team behind the agency needs to determine which subject line works best, what call to action looks most encouraging, and when the email should be sent.

Reporting

Transparency is the key to a successful partnership. Thorough, accurate reporting that gives you the insight needed to improve is crucial. Renowned email marketing companies are driven by results and are consequently focused on creating campaigns that generate maximum ROI.

Template

An email is the most direct way of reaching customers; hence, the email’s visual appeal is just as important as its content. To engage the audience, the template should be responsive, and its design needs to be eye-catching and tailored to your business. Many agencies use specialized software that allows personalizing emails by name, content, and graphics, as well as video marketing. A commitment to a quality template design will differentiate your email from the thousands of others your audience receives.

How Do We Determine Which Agencies Will Be Listed on Our Website?

A qualified agency can effectively convey your message, thus increasing your return on investment. Take a look at these crucial aspects that need to be considered before giving a firm the green light.

Email Marketing Services vs. Email Marketing Agencies

Email marketing services will provide you with all the tools needed to create and carry out a campaign. Namely, the templates, design tools, and contact management solutions you will need to create and store a customer client list. It also includes analytics that monitors the success of your campaign.

Although standalone services come at a lower cost (sometimes you can even get free services for a month or more, like a trial period) and the tools are generally easy to use, designing and executing the campaign will be your responsibility.

The agencies, however, will work with you to create an effective strategy that fits your business’s needs. The staff will take care of the design and distribution, as well as all contact management, such as building an email list and ensuring it’s always up to date. Email marketing consultants usually work within agency teams, making them more beneficial than standalone services with the strategic thinking they provide. An agency’s task is to ensure customers receive targeted, segmented, and helpful communications that engage them with a proven record of success.

The Company’s Portfolio

Every professional email marketing specialist should have a portfolio. Browsing through their portfolio means getting to know the company better. Make sure to check whether the agency’s creative team has successfully understood the business goal and getting the pulse of your target audience.

Customer Reviews

The next step is to gauge customer satisfaction. We look for customer reviews on social media, Google, and other sites like Clutch and UpCity. Reviews from real customers who have real experiences with the agency can be a highly valuable asset and are often a deciding factor in whether or not to include certain agencies in our selection of the top email marketing companies.

The Team

The best outfits typically maintain an experienced team. By experienced, we mean a team of people who have worked on relevant campaigns and have driven success. Getting to know the team is very important as they will be the ones who will create your email campaign.

Tracking Progress & Providing Campaign Analytics

Demonstrating results is crucial. The email marketing company should track the progress of a campaign regarding how many people are opening the emails and which clicks are being used. The campaign analytics enable you to see to what extent your message is resonating with your target audience and whether there is something that needs to be changed.

Expanding the Possibilities

Ideally, email marketing specialists can develop a strategy comparable to the methodology of SMM firms. This usually includes creating a social media marketing campaign with the unique goal of expanding your target audience. We especially appreciate agencies that can make your emails social media-ready. This can be done by embedding social media buttons in the email, which essentially combines the best of both worlds. Or they can include references to the latest email marketing news on your social media accounts, thus reinforcing the message.

The Goals of Your Email Marketing Campaigns

First and foremost, before shortlisting email marketing agencies, you need to know your goals. By doing so, you’ll find your match easier. If, for example, you want to drive sales, the agency should be able to focus on developing a strategy for creating, distributing, and tracking different kinds of promo emails, welcome letters, customer surveys, and more. On the other hand, if you need digital invitations to be sent, the company should create appealing invitations and track RSVPs. The bottom line is, the agency you opt for will have to have corresponding expertise.

Search for Vendors Near You

Believe it or not, the physical location of an agency is a very important factor. The business location should be well-defined and found somewhere on their website’s homepage. This shows that the company can be easily traced, adding to its credibility. So, before starting your search, try googling an email marketing agency in New York, for example. Then, check the offers for that area and see whether some of those companies are listed as one of the best here. 

Establish a Budget 

Determine how much money you are willing to invest and look for the best email marketing companies within that frame. However, note that this should be a long-term partnership that will help you achieve your goals faster. As pricier doesn’t necessarily mean better, you should also look into the aspects below.

Find Experts in Your Field

There are many fantastic email marketing agencies out there; however, it’s crucial to your success to choose the one that has prior experience in your field. Verify your potential agency has a track record of successfully doing work for similar brands like yours. That will give you an idea of whether your partner will be able to maximize your ROI and make your life easier.

Hire a Culture

While highly subjective, this is an incredibly important factor. If you want to build a long-term relationship with email marketing companies, you need to be confident about them. Are the team members passionate about your project? Will they be there to answer your questions and involve you in the work process? You need to trust your gut for this one and go with the agency that feels like the right partner.