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<\/figure>\nEmail was invented in 1971<\/a>, and since then, it has completely changed how we communicate with people we know and<\/em> those we may not know in person. With the introduction of social media in 1997<\/a> and the rapid rise and evolution of these channels, it was thought email would quickly become extinct.<\/p>\n However, as we know now, this couldn\u2019t be further from the truth!<\/p>\n For those who may still believe email marketing is old and outdated and social media is the only way to go when it comes to connecting with people online, let\u2019s highlight a significant stat provided by our friends at Litmus:<\/p>\n In 2022, an <\/strong>average of 1.5 billion email opens<\/strong><\/a> occurred each month.<\/strong><\/p>\n 1.5 BILLION. And that is a message from you or your company being viewed in prime online real estate \u2013 a subscriber\u2019s inbox. All over the internet, you can find posts and reminders about the impact email marketing can have on the connection with your audience \u2014 and your bottom line \u2014 but all the benefits stem from one thing: your email service provider.<\/p>\n Email service providers (ESPs), also known as bulk email service providers, newsletter providers, email marketing software, campaign generators, and so on, set the foundation for all of your email marketing efforts to come to fruition.<\/p>\n Choosing an ESP, however, can feel like an overwhelming task, as there are many to choose from \u2013 some long-established, and seemingly a new entrant every month! In this blog post, we\u2019ll walk you through the key considerations to remember when choosing your first (or second, third, fourth, etc.) ESP to work with.<\/p>\n The goal of this guide is to help you create a set of guidelines for you to review and evaluate quickly and ESP to determine whether or not you want to start a trial and begin testing. We\u2019ll do our best to keep our opinions out of things, but we are a little biased here at FeedBlitz HQ, so you may see some of that slip in below. (Not too much, though, promise!)<\/p>\n Without further delay, let\u2019s get this ball rolling\u2026<\/p>\n The first step in choosing an ESP? Recognizing you need<\/em> to choose a new ESP. (WILL LINK TO BP)<\/p>\n The second step? Identifying the most essential pieces of the email marketing puzzle. Start by considering these four areas of focus:<\/p>\n Simple enough? Right. Let\u2019s break down each consideration below with questions to ask yourself along the way.<\/p>\n Ask yourself a series of questions focused on your goals, needs, and objectives with email marketing.<\/p>\n Here are a few questions to ask yourself:<\/p>\n A clear picture of what your email marketing strategy will look like and what you hope to accomplish with your efforts is the foundation of your search. If you\u2018re interested in sharing your hobby or life updates, your email needs will be very different than if you\u2019re running a small business or corporate enterprise.<\/p>\n Answering this round of questions first helps you focus on the features and capabilities to support your needs and goals best.<\/p>\n Establishing a budget before<\/em> you begin looking for an ESP is essential, as there are vital details to pricing and costs to watch for when making your selection.<\/p>\n FeedBlitz, for example, charges solely by the number of active, unique email subscribers in your account, with zero limits on how many emails you can send each month. Other providers may charge by subscribers and still cap the number of emails you send<\/em>, leaving you with surprise overages and bills at the end of the pay period.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Pro-tip: If you\u2019re considering annual fees, double-check if you\u2019ll get dinged with an overage charge if your list grows higher than the current pricing tier at the time of signup. FeedBlitz doesn\u2019t charge you for going over your tier mid-annual plan, so you\u2019re free to grow your list to your heart\u2019s content and not worry about an increase in pricing until your renewal comes around. This is different from choosing a pricing plan based on available features. No matter your plan, these overages can be incurred, so it\u2019s best to read the fine print when you see caps on the number of subscribers, emails per month, campaigns, etc., when evaluating providers.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Having a budget in mind will significantly help in your search. By taking the time to think about the above three questions, you\u2019ll be well-prepared when comparing different providers and know what to look for when reviewing pricing and plan pages on their sites.<\/p>\n And here\u2019s our plug: No caps, no overages, no surprises.<\/strong><\/p>\n Learn more about our available pricing tiers, plans, and your free 30-day trial here.<\/a><\/p>\n Not all ESPs are created the same (trust us, we\u2019ve been in the business for nearly 20 years now), and that\u2019s why the reputation of an ESP can hold its weight in gold. And not just word-of-mouth reputation and referrals. While those have a lot of weight regarding user-friendliness and first-person experiences, we\u2019re talking about the reputation of an ESP in terms of deliverability.<\/p>\n Deliverability is the process of getting the emails you send to a subscriber\u2019s inbox.<\/p>\n Receiving internet service providers (ISPs) such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Apple Mail review, judge, and estimate the safety of emails being sent by a particular email address. Based on an ISP\u2019s top-secret set of rules and guidelines, this process ultimately determines whether your email will be allowed or denied.<\/p>\n They assign reputations to ESPs based on the quality of the emails they allow to be sent through their service. The higher the reputation, the higher the deliverability rate you\u2019ll see ESPs talk about having.<\/p>\n FeedBlitz\u2019s deliverability is a consistently maintained 99.8%, by the way.<\/a><\/p>\n Each ESP has its own set of in-house protocols and processes to safeguard and boost its deliverability and reputation. Keep a watchful eye for this information when conducting your search, and it\u2019ll give you a good idea of how diligently the ESP will work to ensure your emails reach their intended destinations.<\/p>\n Pro Tip: If you\u2019re having deliverability issues with your current ESP, consider starting a free trial with a different provider. Then, upload a sample of your email list and begin sending email. This will help you compare the deliverability metrics of each provider and shed light on what\u2019s happening with your campaigns.<\/em><\/p>\n Because it doesn\u2019t matter how great your emails are if they aren\u2019t getting to your subscribers!<\/p>\n Deliverability can feel complicated and technical, but our team put together an in-depth guide breaking everything down, even highlighting some of the things we do for clients. Check out the guide and reach out if you have questions: Pulling Back the Curtain on Email Deliverability<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is often the first item up for consideration when choosing an ESP. Still, if you walk through the first three listed above, you\u2019ll be in an excellent place to evaluate the myriad of features, capabilities, and services each ESP offers!<\/p>\n The list below is incomplete, but it highlights critical elements you may be looking for when choosing a new provider. For specific capabilities of a feature, it\u2019s best to reach out to a provider\u2019s support team to inquire before starting a free trial or plan.<\/p>\n The above feature and capability list doesn\u2019t cover every need you may have, but it\u2019s a good starting point for your initial round of searches.<\/p>\n Also, when it comes to features, it\u2019s important to be mindful when reviewing the features of different providers, as pricing plans may limit them.<\/p>\n FeedBlitz offers all of the above features and more, starting with a free 30-day trial. Choosing the right ESP is a critical first step toward sending successful, engaging email campaigns. Having your strategy, means, providers, and features prioritized leaves you well-positioned to make a decision that aligns with your goals.<\/p>\n While social media channels and other forms of communication may come and go, email is here for the long haul. Be sure you\u2019re hitting send confidently by choosing an email service provider you can rely on.<\/p>\n Are you interested in giving FeedBlitz a try for your email marketing? Head to this page to start your free trial.<\/a> Feel free to reach out with any questions through our Support Page<\/a>. Live support is available Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern, and you can always find helpful information 24-7 at the resources linked here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Email was invented in 1971, and since then, it has completely changed how we communicate with people we know and those we may not know in person. With the introduction of social media in 1997 and the rapid rise and evolution of these channels, it was thought email would quickly become extinct. However, as we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":293064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12032],"tags":[3036,13093,19131,4934],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-293063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-history","tag-choose","tag-email","tag-newsletter","tag-service"],"yoast_head":"\nFour things to consider when choosing an ESP.<\/h2>\n
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1. The Strategy: Your email marketing needs and goals.<\/h3>\n
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2. The Means: Your budget.<\/h3>\n
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<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n
FeedBlitz doesn\u2019t believe in capping or restricting your growth whatsoever! That\u2019s why you\u2019re only charged for active, unique email subscribers. Each plan offers unlimited emails, lists, forms, tags, and more.<\/p>\n3. The Who: The reputation of an ESP \u2014 both online and sending.<\/h3>\n
4. The What: The available features and services a newsletter service provider offers.<\/h3>\n
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Check out all of the available features<\/a> or read through a complete feature comparison by plan<\/a>.<\/p>\nEmail marketing is here to stay.<\/h2>\n