Question

Topic: Other

Email Service Providers-esp's-for Large Businesses

Posted by jeff.johnson on 10/3/2018 at 2:07 PM ET 250 Points
Hi,

I am looking for an affordable ESP that can hold at least 500,000 contacts and can send around 1.5 million or more emails per month. The current ESP we are using is charging over $2,000 per month and cannot hold all of our contacts. Are there any Email Services Providers you would recommend based on our needs?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by mgoodman on 10/3/2018 at 4:59 PM Moderator
    You can try Emma -- www.myemma.com. If they can't handle that load, they can probably tell you who can. Best if you can talk with a rep live.
  • Posted by steven.alker on 10/3/2018 at 5:44 PM Member
    Hi Jeff
    I am sourcing an ESP who can do the job for you. My reservation is that by handing the management of a mailing to an ESP, you are losing control. Just let them send it.

    Would you consider sending the email text and addresses from your own CRM and then having the ESP only execute the mailing and provide feedback directly to the CRM for action and analysis?

    What you have described, and I realize that you may not have had the time for a full description, sounds like you are not benefiting from fine controlling the mailing yourself and letting the ESP do what they are good at. Sending 1.5 million emails without being blocked. There will also be a ton of metrics that you might be missing.

    I will come back to you with the ESP once Melanie has done her work. Sometime tomorrow morning, I think. (UK time and US Eastern Seaboard Time.

    Steve Alker
    CEO, www.iSimutron.com
  • Posted by steven.alker on 10/3/2018 at 6:03 PM Member
    Jeff: It will be after 12:30 UK time before I have an answer. It requires a consultation with a specialist. Your requirement is right at the top end of being possible with most ESP's but we have a few. Just need to check the specifics. Handling the mailing from your own CRM makes things a lot easier and you can then have a greater choice of ESPs. It is not terribly expensive and should improve your conversion and close rate through data analysis and automated actions.
  • Posted by steven.alker on 10/3/2018 at 6:07 PM Member
    Mike Goodman: You know me and CRM systems and emailing strategies well. I am back at it again, here - I cannot believe it!! Do you think that I am on track or do you think that from Jeff's description, I am making heavy weather of what could just be a very large mass mailing?

    Jeff, what is your current open rate, read rate, action rate, and conversion rate? I need to know.
  • Posted by jeff.johnson on 10/4/2018 at 9:48 AM Author
    Our current open rate is between 3-7% and the click rate is around 1% when mailing to about 20,000 subscribers. Our emails are typically trying to get people to attend events, which is why the click rate is not very high. We don't have the option to not use an email service provider at our business, so we really just need a recommendation on what ESP service would be able to handle at least 500,000 contacts and around 1.5 million email sends per month at a price less than 3,000 per month.
  • Posted by jeff.johnson on 10/4/2018 at 9:57 AM Author
    I just checked out myemma.com and it looks like they would be a little too expensive. Based on their pricing of $729/month for 75,000 contacts it would be around $4,680 per month which is outside of our budget. We really need to find something that is $3,000 or less per month. Preferably less than or around $2,000.
  • Posted by steven.alker on 10/4/2018 at 11:07 AM Member
    Jeff: Thanks for the clarification. Working on it. Currently, the answers are the volume too high or prices too high. I will find a solution from our partners, I just have to look under the right rock!!
  • Posted by mgoodman on 10/4/2018 at 4:05 PM Moderator
    steven.alker: It is starting to look like Jeff just wants to pay hamburger prices for steak.

    Jeff: Did you talk to someone at Emma? They may have some pricing flexibility.
  • Posted by jeff.johnson on 10/4/2018 at 5:15 PM Author
    Where can I find this hamburger you speak of? - And no I just looked at their pricing online, but I am in contact with other more flexible services.
  • Posted by jeff.johnson on 10/8/2018 at 4:02 PM Author
    Have we found any solutions? Or do we just not have the funds for an email service provider? If we don't have the funds, it would be nice to know what the average cost is for 500,000 contacts with 1 million to 1.5 million sends per month. (A rough estimate would do!) Then we can at least know the amount of money we need in the future. We are all pretty new at this, so your help is much appreciated.

    Thanks.
  • Posted by jeff.johnson on 10/9/2018 at 2:11 PM Author
    ?
  • Posted by mgoodman on 10/9/2018 at 5:54 PM Accepted
    "Average cost" won't do you much good. What you want to know is what YOUR cost would be.

    To find out, I would call and speak with a sales or customer service representative for each major provider, and let them give you proposals tailored for YOUR specs and needs. Then you will know what YOUR cost will be for the specs you provide. You can always adjust the specs (and/or your budget) once you have the information. You can even ask about differences in their deliverables based on differences in the costs.

    Asking for averages is a waste of time.
  • Posted by jeff.johnson on 10/10/2018 at 11:04 AM Author
    Thank you, I have set-up a demo with a company I believe may be able to handle all of our contacts and sends. I'm just very concerned that with as many emails as we are sending the price is going to be outrageous. But I'm settling with it is what it is...
  • Posted by mgoodman on 10/10/2018 at 12:20 PM Moderator
    One possible solution: Don't send so many emails. Just buy what you can afford.
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