Beginner's Guide to Email Marketing

Step 4

Quick Guide to Email Service Providers

Why can't I use my regular email service provider?

You are probably familiar with inbox providers, which are email platforms like Gmail or Yahoo Mail. Inbox providers are amazing options for sending one-on-one social emails. But if you are a business, you are sending emails to hundreds and even thousands of people, which is also known as "bulk emailing" or "mass emailing."

When you hear "bulk emailing" or "mass emailing," what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Most likely, it's spam. Spam is frequently sent in bulk, either by a bot or an anonymous sender. More often than not, spam contains hostile malware.

At one point or another, we've all received spam in our inbox or junk mail folder. With time, we have learned to treat spam with caution, and we're not the only ones. You may be a legitimate business, and you pride yourself with great quality email newsletters. But regardless of whom the emails are from, mass emails can still give red flags to both inbox providers and internet service providers (ISPs).

Quick tip: Always keep deliverability in mind. Most inbox providers and ISPs have email sending limits. If you go over, then you may be blacklisted. Being blacklisted will prevent you from reaching all of your customers within their network for a period of time or indefinitely.

Benefits of email service providers for email marketing:

Email service providers that are created with businesses in mind help ensure your emails reach your clients. These platforms can help inbox providers and ISPs differentiate you from actual spammers, improving your deliverability. Some email service providers will manage deliverability for you. Others will require you to handle your own sending reputation. Even if you have to take charge of your own reputation, the provider will still provide some level of support. It's up to you to decide what works best for your business.

Quick tip: If you have a small business, then you probably do not have the manpower or time to manage and maintain a dedicated IP. Look for email service providers that have shared IP options and will manage sender reputation for you.

Another benefit of email service providers is that they have tools to help you create effective email campaigns. Different email marketing platforms provide you with different combinations of tools and services. However, many platforms do have similar features. For example, the majority have tracking tools to check the performance of your campaigns. What they track and how they present the information differ from one email service provider to the next.

Quick tip: Different businesses need different benchmarks to track their progress. Choose an email service provider that can track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are most relevant to your specific business.

What if my list is not big yet?

Check out Step 2 for our tips on how you can build your list.
Also consider:
- Free option plans
  - Pros: Great for the budget!
  - Cons: These typically have the platform's branding, limited features, and/or only a trial period.

Recap: The Checklist

Write down what are the ideal and must-have features you want from your email service provider. This way, you have an idea on which features are non-negotiable. It will be easier to evaluate different email service providers. Read Step 3 for inspiration on different questions to ask.

Now that you're all caught up...

It's time to compare and contrast! To help you make an informed decision, we compiled a list of several email service providers and some of their features.

Please note: This list does not include every email service provider nor every feature that each company has. However, you can use this list as a frame of reference. Make sure to do a more in-depth research before making your final decision.

Final tip: Choose an email service provider that can grow with your business. Where your business is right now may be very different in 2, 5, or 10 years. Whether its increased volume, different KPIs, or expanded reach, your email service provider should be able to adapt with your changing needs.

Directory:

Note: Mail Designer 365 has direct integration for email service providers such as MailChimp & Campaign Monitor, but you can also export your design and use it with other services. However, since not every email service provider listed has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, we cannot guarantee that some of the features will work with Mail Designer 365. Check out our Integrations Guide & Newsletter Services for email service providers that have been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

ActiveCampaign

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our ActiveCampaign integration guide.

Benefits from ActiveCampaign:

A/B split testing
API documentation and integration (Note: API stands for application programming interface. APIs are set of protocols that govern how one application can talk to another. API documentation is a reference on what you need to know to work with a software/application.)
Custom tags of individual addresses
Deliverability management service
Easily share results to your team
Email automation
Embed Rich Site Summary (RSS) content within your emails (Note: RSS eliminates the individual’s need to manually visit the website for new content.)
Geo tracking
Image hosting
Opt-in form builder
Segmentation
SMS/Text messaging tools

Admail

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our Admail integration guide.

Benefits from Admail:

Anti-spam checking
Contact management tools: upload from .xls files, Outlook, Goldmine, Act!
Easily share results to your team
Image hosting
Opt-in form builder
QR codes solutions
Real-time tracking
Segmentation
Social media integration
Track number of delivered emails, bounces, email openings, click-through rates, new unsubscribers, replies, and non-deliverables
Video email marketing support

AWeber

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our AWeber integration guide.

Benefits from AWeber:

30-day trial period
Access to customer support everyday
API documentation and integration
App integrations
Autoresponders
Embed RSS content
Opt-in form builder
Image gallery with stock photos
Personalization
Segmentation
Social media integration
Stats app available: track your campaigns even on mobile devices
Track who opened the email, clicked on a specific link, visited specific pages, etc.

Benchmark

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our Benchmark integration guide.

Benefits from Benchmark:

24/7 support
A/B split testing
API documentation and integration
App integrations
Connect with third party analytics platforms: Google analytics
Contact management tools: upload from .xls, .csv, .txt files
Deliverability management service
Email automation
Embed RSS content
Free plan for up to 2,000 or less subscribers
Photo editor
Segmentation
Tools to create surveys and polls

CakeMail

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from CakeMail:

30-day free trial
Deliverability reputation is on you
Contact management tools
Heat map to visualize which links get the most hits
Opt-in form builder
Track number of opens, clicks, bounces, reported spams, new unsubscribers, etc.

Campaign Monitor

✔ Mail Designer 365 has direct integration for Campaign Monitor.

Benefits from Campaign Monitor:

24/7 customer support
A/B split testing
Anti-spam checking
App integrations
Collect and store your subscribers data like their age, gender, location, etc.
Connect with third party analytics platforms: Google analytics, Omniture, WebTrends, IBM/CoreMetrics
Email automation
Opt-in form builder
Personalitzation
Real-time tracking
Segmentation
Track number of opens, clicks, bounces, shares, subscriber activities

Campaigner

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from Campaigner:

A/B split testing
Available dedicated IP option
Contact management tools: upload from .csv or .txt files
Custom tags of individual addresses
Deliverability management service
Email automation
Embed RSS content within your email newsletters
Geo tracking
Image hosting
Segmentation

CleverReach

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our CleverReach integration guide.

Benefits from CleverReach:

A/B split testing
Anti-spam checking
App integrations
Bounce management service
Contact management tools: upload from .csv or .txt files
Deliverability management service
Email automation
Free plan up to 250 people and 1000 emails per month
Multilingual interface
Opt-in form builder
Track opening rates, click-through rates, number of new unsubscribers, number of emails that bounced, etc.

Cobalt

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from Cobalt:

Anti-spam checking
Bounce management service
Contact management tools: upload from Outlook, spreadsheets, or .txt files
HTML editor
Keeps a master opt-out list and cross-checks with the list prior to sending
Organize subscribers by industry, product line, etc.
Personalization
Track which of your contacts opened your email campaigns and who clicked on which links

ConvertKit

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from ConvertKit:

App integrations
Broadcast tool: one email to all subscribers
Domain hosting option for landing pages
Email automation
Landing page templates
Opt-in form builder
Personalization
Segmentation

Constant Contact

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from Constant Contact:

60-day free trial
App integrations
Autoresponders
Contact management tools: upload from Excel, Gmail, Outlook, Facebook, etc.
Coupon generator
Donation landing page generator with secure credit card processing
Event registration and management tools
Image gallery with stock photos
Image hosting
Real-time tracking
Social media integration
Tools to create surveys and polls
Track the number of new unsubscribers, email bounces, and inactive emails update

DirectIQ

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from DirectIQ:

App integrations
API documentation and integration
Custom tags of individual email addresses
Free up to 500 contacts and 2500 emails per month
Geo tracking
Real-time tracking
Segmentation
Social media integration
Track the number of received emails, bounces, unsubscribers, spam reports, etc.

dotmailer

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our dotmailer integration guide.

Benefits from dotmailer:

A/B split testing
Anti-spam checking
App integrations
Ecommerce data: web browsing and past order data
Email automation
Engagement scorer tool
Geo tracking
Global time optimization
Landing page builder
Mobile responsive templates
PayPal button generator
Personalization
ROI tracking
Segmentation
Tools to create surveys and polls
Track the number of emails opened, views, links clicked, forwards, etc.

Elastic Email

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from Elastic Email:

24/7 customer support
A/B split testing
API documentation and integration
Autoresponders for welcome emails, special offers, receipt confirmations, etc.
Deliverability and reputation is on you
Easily share results to your team
HTML editor
Merge field tools (Merge fields are used in emails that will be replaced with appropriate content.)
Personalization
Private IP pool management option
Segmentation
Unlimited contact storage

Elite Email

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our Elite Email integration guide.

Benefits from Elite Email:

Automatic unsubscribe compliance
Built-in CRM component
Contact management tools: upload .csv or .txt file, or copy & paste
Easily share results with your team
Free up to 500 contacts
Image hosting
Opt-in form builder
Personalization
Photo editor
Real-time tracking
Segmentation
Social media integration
Track the number of email bounces, new unsubscribers, spam complaints, etc.

Email Marketing Professional

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from Email Marketing Professional:

Contact management tools: upload from Gmail, Paypal, spreadsheets, or anything that supports tab-delimited or comma-separated files
Easily share results with your team
Email automation
Free up to 100 emails per day and up to 100 contacts
Opt-in form builder
Scans for duplicate email addresses
Track the number of email bounces, unsubscribes, sent successes, sent failures

Emma

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from Emma:

A/B split testing
API integration and available advanced support
App integrations
Click map: to visualise where customers click most
Email automation
HTML editor
Mailing score tool: benchmark against previous campaigns
Opt-in form builder
Personalization
Real-time tracking
Segmentation

ExpressPigeon

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our ExpressPigeon integration guide.

Benefits from ExpressPigeon:

A/B split testing
App integrations
Autoresponders
Customized IP pools (shared or private)
Free up to 1000 emails and up to 500 contacts per month
Opt-in form builder
Personalization
Priority email sendings
Segmentation
Track the number of emails delivered, emails opened, total clicks, number of soft bounces, number of hard bounces, etc.

FreshMail

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our FreshMail integration guide.

Benefits from FreshMail:

A/B split testing
Anti-spam checking
API documentation and integration
Autoresponders
Click map
Code inspector tool
Connect with third party analytics platforms: Google analytics
Contact management
Discount barcodes generator
Easily share results with your team
Email automation
Free up to 500 contacts and 2000 emails per month
Geo tracking
Real-time tracking
SMS/Text messaging tools
Track the number of clicks, unsubscribes, openings, email bounces, etc.

GetResponse

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our GetResponse integration guide.

Benefits from GetResponse:

24/7 live chat
A/B split testing
Anti-spam checking
App integrations
Contact management tools: upload from .csv, .txt, .vcf, .xls, .xlsx, or .ods files
Custom tags per email address
Deliverability management service
Email automation
Embed RSS conte
Geo tracking
Global time optimization
Image editor
Image gallery with stock photos
Landing page generator
Personalization
Real-time tracking
Segmentation
Social media integration
Social media tracking
Tools to create surveys and polls
Track the number of opens, clicks, etc.
Webinar tools

iContact

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from iContact:

30-day free trial
A/B split testing
Anti-spam checking
Autoresponders
Contact management tools: upload from Facebook, your website, etc.
Deliverability management service
Personal coaching
Personalization
Real-time tracking
Segmentation
Social media integration
Social media tracking
Track the number of bounces, emails opened, number of clicks, etc.

JangoMail

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our JangoMail integration guide.

Benefits from JangoMail:

30-day free trial
Anti-spam checking
API documentation and integration
Click tracking visual overlay
Contact list storage
Custom tags per email address
Dedicated IPs available
Default CAN-SPAM compliant footer (Note: CAN-SPAM is a law that sets standards for the sending of commercial e-mail in the United States.)
Email automation
Embed RSS content
Geo tracking
Opt-in form builder
Real-time tracking
Website activity tracking

Mad Mimi

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from Mad Mimi:

API documentation and integration
App integrations
Automatic unsubscribe compliance
Bounce management service
Contact management tools: upload .csv files or copy & paste
Deliverability management service
Easily share results with your team
Embed RSS content
Opt-in form builder
Real-time tracking feature
Social media integration
Storage of sign up IPs
Track mail openings, bounces, clicked links, etc.

MailChimp

✔ Mail Designer 365 has direct integration for MailChimp.

Benefits from MailChimp:

API documentation and integration
App integrations
Click maps
Contact management tools: upload .csv or .txt files, copy & paste, or import from Google Contacts, Zendesk, or Salesforce
Customer Email domain performance
E-commerce integrations
Easily share results to your team
Email automation
Free for up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month
Geo tracking
Industry comparison
Multi-user accounts
Real-time tracking
Revenue reports
Segmentation
Track how many emails were delivered, how many people opened your email, what percentage clicked, etc.

Mailigen

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our Mailigen integration guide.

Benefits from Mailigen:

30-day free trial period
A/B split testing
API documentation and integration
App integrations
Audit services
Connect with third party analytics platforms: Google analytics
Contact management tools: upload from .csv or .xls files
Custom pages of individual addresses
Dedicated IPs available
E-commerce integrations
Easily share results to your team
Email automation
Embed RSS content
Multi-user accounts
Pre-built automation blueprints available
Real-time tracking
Segmentation
Social media integration
Subject line advisor
Tools to create surveys and polls
Track the average opening rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, etc.

Mailify

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from Mailify:

A/B split testing
Anti-spam checking
Automatic contact list typo checking
Automatic unsubscribe compliance
Bounce management service
Connect with third party analytics platforms: Google analytics
Contact management tools: upload from Outlook, .txt, or .xls files
Deliverability management service
E-commerce integration
Email automation
Geo tracking
Image gallery with stock photos
Opt-in form builder
Personalization
Track number of openings, clicks, bounces, unsubscribes, social media engagement, etc.

Mailjet

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our Mailjet integration guide.

Benefits from Mailjet:

A/B split testing
Automatic contacts list typo checking
Automatic unsubscribe compliance
Campaign comparisons as benchmarks
Contact list management: upload from .csv, .txt, or.xls files
Customized solution available
Dedicated IPs available
Deliverability experts support
Email automation
Free for up to 6000 emails per month
Geo tracking
High and low season tracking
IP warming management service
Mailjet Markup Language (MJML) coding capability (Note: MJML is a markup language that will generate responsive HTML for users.)
Opt-in form builder
Personalization
Real-time tracking
Segmentation
Track who opened your emails, the number people who received your email, where the emails are being opened, etc.
Widget automatic synching to your contact list

PinPointe

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from PinPointe:

15 day free trial period
A/B split testing
Automatic contact list typo checking
Automatic unsubscribe compliance
Autoresponders
Bounce management service
Connect with third party analytics platforms: Google analytics
Deliverability management service
Easily share results to your team
Email campaigns archive
Email automation
Event logging (Manual or automatic option)
Google calendar integration
Image hosting
International UTF-8 character set (Note: UTF-8 is a character encoding that can support many different languages. Users can write with Chinese characters, Latin alphabet, Arabic alphabet, Russian alphabet, etc.)
Only allows you to send to contacts who have opted in
Personalization
Segmentation
Social media integration
Tools to create surveys and polls
Track the number of openings, clicks, bounces, unsubscribers, etc.

ReachMail

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from ReachMail:

Anti-spam checking
API documentation and integration
Automatic list backup
Autoresponders
Bounce management service
Connect with third party analytics platforms: Google analytics
Deliverability management service
Email automation
Free up to 5,000 email addresses and up to 15,000 emails per month
Opt-in form builder
Segmentation
Social media integration
Social media tracking
Tools to create surveys and polls
Track who clicked what link, the number of forwards, the number of new unsubscribers, etc.

Red Cappi

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from Red Cappi:

API documentation and integration
Custom tags per email address
Email automation
Free for up to 100 subscribers
Personalization
Segmentation
Social media integration
Track the number of clicks, openings, forwards, etc.

SendGrid

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our SendGrid integration guide.

Benefits from SendGrid:

24/7 support
30-day free trial – only up to 2000 email addresses and up to 40,000 emails
A/B split testing
API documentation and integration
Free up to 100 emails per day
Contact management tools: upload from a .csv file or use the contacts API
Custom tags per email address
Deliverability management service
Email automation
HTML code editor
Personalization
Segmentation
Track sends, bounces, openings, delivered emails, clicks, spam reports, etc.

SendInBlue

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Benefits from SendInBlue:

API documentation and integration
App integrations
Contact management tools: upload from .csv files or copy & paste
Custom tags per email address
Customized IP pools (shared or private)
Define your own KPIs
Easily share results to your team
Email automation
Geo tracking
Heat map to visualize which links get the most hits
Image hosting
Personalization
Real-time tracking
Segmentation
Social media integration
SMS/Text messaging tools
Track the number of opens, clicks, blacklisted, etc.

Sharp Spring Mail+

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

Sharp Spring Mail+

App integrations
Autoresponders
Contact management tools: upload from .csv or .txt files, or copy & paste
Custom tags per email address
Deliverability management service
Email automation
Embed RSS content
Form fields autocompletion
Opt-in form builder
Personalization
Segmentation
SMS/Text messaging tools
Track the number of clicks, opens, unsubscribers, spam complaints, etc.
VisitorID tracking tool

SparkPost

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our SparkPost integration guide.

SparkPost

API documentation and integration
Community support access
Deliverability management service
DKIM Validator tool
Free up to 100,000 emails per month
Real-time tracking
SPF builder tool
SPF inspector tool
Track the number of bounces, blocks, delivered, etc.

StreamSend

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our StreamSend integration guide.

StreamSend

30-day free trial period
Audit services
Email automation
Segmentation
RSS widget tool
Tools to create surveys and polls
Track the number of clicks, video clicks, etc.

Vertical Response

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our Vertical Response integration guide.

Vertical Response

A/B split testing
API documentation and integration
App integrations
Easily share results to your team
Email automation
Free up to 300 contacts and 4000 emails per month
HTML editor
Segmentation
Social media integration
Social media tracking
Subscriber’s frequency choice – once a week, once a month, etc.
Track the number of emails sent, opens, clicks, etc.

WhatCounts

This email service provider has not been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility, which means that some of the features may not work.

WhatCounts

A/B testing
Audit services
Email automation
Opt-in form builder
Personalization
Real-time tracking
Social media integration
Social media tracking
Segmentation

Zoho Campaigns

✔ This email service provider has been tested for Mail Designer 365 compatibility. Read our Zoho Campaigns integration guide.

Zoho Campaigns

A/B split testing
App integrations
Automatic unsubscribe compliance
Autoresponders
Bounce management service
Contact list management: upload from .xls files or use Zoho CRM tool
Connect with third party analytics platforms: Google analytics
Deliverability management service
Email automation
Opt-in form builder
QR codes solutions
Segmentation
Social media integration
Track the number of opens, clicks, bounces, etc.

Key Messages:

Look for tools that track your most important KPIs
Research available platforms
Compare and contrast your options
Make an informed decision

Until next time,
Your Mail Designer 365 team

Beginner's Guide to Email Marketing – Step 4: Quick Guide to Email Service Providers

Beginner's Guide to Email Marketing

Step 4

Quick Guide to Email Service Providers

Why can't I use my regular email service provider?

Benefits of email service providers for email marketing:

What if my list is not big yet?

Recap: The Checklist

Now that you're all caught up...

Directory:

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

ActiveCampaign

Admail

AWeber

Benchmark

CakeMail

Campaign Monitor

Campaigner

CleverReach

Cobalt

ConvertKit

Constant Contact

DirectIQ

dotmailer

Elastic Email

Elite Email

Email Marketing Professional

Emma

ExpressPigeon

FreshMail

GetResponse

iContact

JangoMail

Mad Mimi

MailChimp

Mailigen

Mailify

Mailjet

PinPointe

ReachMail

Red Cappi

SendGrid

SendInBlue

Sharp Spring Mail+

SparkPost

StreamSend

Vertical Response

WhatCounts

Zoho Campaigns

Key Messages:

Mail Designer 365

Get Support

Mail Designer 365 for

Company