ESP Showdown: Are All Platforms Created Equal?

At first blush, ESP selection may feel like the easiest thing in the world. Potatoes, potatoes, as long as it’s email. 

Because, don’t all ESPs offer the same bunch of features, from content setup to segmentation to automation to data management? So what difference does choosing one over the other make ultimately? All swans are white!  

If that just sounded like yourself, you’re in for a shock. In the matter of ESPs, the devil’s not just in the detail, but in the overview as well, hiding in plain sight. With over a thousand successful ESP migrations to our credit, we’ve never been more certain about anything else than just that. So, if you are thinking about switching to another platform, or beginning your journey with ESPs, here’s just the guide you need. 

Let’s dive into a few key areas to help you determine which of the ESPs is truly the best fit for your business. 

1. Pricing: You get what you pay for

2. Deliverability: Are emails getting through?

3. Automation: Making life easier

4. ESP Integrations: Are they seamless?

5. What’s the ESP’s data model?

6. User experience: Simple vs. robust

Final thoughts: What’s the verdict?

1. Pricing: You get what you pay for

Sure, free sounds great, but not all free plans offer the features you’ll need as your business grows. Mailchimp, for example, has a free tier, but once your list grows or you want to unlock advanced features, you’ll need to upgrade. Other platforms, like HubSpot, don’t come cheap but bundle in CRM tools, making them great for businesses that need an all-in-one solution. 

But remember, since price evaluations tend to be feature-focused, a feature-first approach can be money down the drain. 

More features does not necessarily mean more usefulness. As Brian Hansford, Principal at Zephyr47, stresses, “It’s really easy to get distracted by wonderful capabilities of marketing software. It’s a wasted effort if you buy a system that is too hard to work with, doesn’t integrate with existing platforms, or can’t scale.” 

So, instead of feature-hunting, it’s best to start with your needs as a business. Your unique needs. But, don’t rely on an abstract understanding of them. While you know your needs best, never trivialize the usefulness of documentation. As a best practice, document all your campaign needs, and map them individually to the vendor’s resources. Depending on the size of your company, you may or may not need to check whether or not the vendor can scale to hundreds or thousands of company users. 

In addition, while thus exploring ESPs, beware of picking up on any fancy solution thrown at you by vendor pitches. 

The key takeaway? Be sure to evaluate how scalable your ESP’s pricing model is. While free or cheap plans might look tempting now, they can come with limitations that will cost you more in the long run. 

2. Deliverability: Are emails getting through?

Here’s a crucial question: What good is an email campaign if no one actually sees it? Deliverability is the silent MVP of any email platform. Platforms like SendGrid and Mailgun are known for their excellent deliverability rates, with strong backend infrastructures that ensure your emails land in inboxes instead of getting caught in spam filters. Other platforms, while user-friendly (Constant Contact, for that matter), don’t have the same reputation for getting emails through those inbox gates.

While successful email deliverability depends a lot on buyer-side determinants, like list quality and send habits, without infrastructure and authentications in place, your efforts will not count. You need to ask yourself the following questions:

• How does the platform manage hard bounces? Does the ESP have a system to block hard-bounce recipients?
  
• Does it have SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentications?
  
• Is it compliant with GDPR, and other laws? Has it passed an IEC/ISO audit? If yes, can it furnish proof?
  
• Is there an option for a dedicated IP in the vendor contract? If yes, how much does a dedicated IP cost?
  
• Does the platform verify every new user in order to prevent entry of potential bad actors into the plexus?
  

So those are some of the basic questions you should ask yourself during ESP selection. 

Pay special attention to the ESP’s compliance standards. Jordie van Rijn, founder of Email Monday, says, “Sometimes the ESPs themselves lack the (in-depth) knowledge about CAN-SPAM, COPPA and other regulations. They should have someone who can advise about the collection of personal information and privacy online because this is what growing an e-mail list is all about.”

One final point: Remember to verify if the ESP is functionally in sync with your local market. Depending on where you or some of your contacts are based, you will need to get some foreign servers authorized by region-specific service providers. 

3. Automation: Making life easier

The beauty of automation is that you get to set it and forget it. Some platforms, like ActiveCampaign, are wizards when it comes to building complex automated workflows. You can segment your audience, trigger actions based on user behavior, and personalize emails based on where someone is in their buying journey. 

If you don’t need that much sophistication, a more basic tool like Moosend might do the trick. It offers automation, but without all the bells and whistles. Two things to bear in mind: 

• If an ESP has a Free Trial option, do test the simplicity and speed of automation by launching an automation directly.
  
• If you don’t see the word ‘automation’ while reading vendor guides, look for it under ‘Campaigns.’ (Blame such quibbles on the necessary evil of brand differentiation!)

Explore the best automation marketing software here.  

4. ESP Integrations: Are they seamless?

The ability to integrate your ESP with other tools—think CRMs, e-commerce platforms, or social media schedulers—can be a huge time-saver. Mailchimp and HubSpot particularly excel in this area, with hundreds of native integrations that make it quick and easy to sync data across platforms. For those using lesser-known tools, some ESPs might require third-party connectors like Zapier to integrate. So, make sure to check if the platform you’re considering plays well with the software you’re already using.

Now, integration is without doubt the hardest part of migrations. As Justin Ragsdale from IM Digital specifies, “You have to do your due diligence and figure out where you need to get data from, what data sources you can get into the new ESP without a custom integration, and what data sources you need to build a custom integration for.” Hence our emphasis on “seamless.” But, “seamless” can also be a bait.

Keeping that in mind, here are a few quick recommendations: 

• First, determine what kind of vendor it makes sense for you to partner with. Do you prefer young companies that are aggressive and constantly innovating, or are you looking for vendors that do things more slowly, at their own pace?
  
• Make sure to have a meaningful discussion on integration.
  
• Prioritize results over reputation. Being a “risk-totaler” is not advised. Some integrations may be more expensive and harder compared to others, but still a better fit for your org. In fact, these tools may provide much more robust security. 
  
• Data integration and IT involvement are typical challenges. But don’t forget that each integration is unique. So, make sure to differentiate your situation, data infrastructure, and IT resource availability to the designated ESP sales engineer. 

Also, inquire into the vendor’s ability to integrate with software for paid media, budgeting, surveys, business intelligence tools, etc. 

5. What’s the ESP’s data model?

A very critical question to ask! Hans Smellinckx, co-founder and CEO at Markies, advises clients to look at data modeling, not at Powerpoints, “Look beyond the pretty presentation and look at how data is being modeled, visualized and is adaptable for you.”

Now, there are chiefly three types of data models used by ESPs; keep these in focus during ESP selection. 

1. Primitive modeling: Originating in the 1990s, these ESPs did not go beyond basic personalization; email segmentation and bounce management were done outside the platform. It is noteworthy that these ESPs still exist.
   
2.  Relational modeling: Gradually, advanced ESPs arrived on the scene, with the emphasis being on relational databases whereby companies could link customer data with “related” information, such as order details, website visits, product views, etc. But these also introduced a number of challenges, from increased complexity to slow performance.
   
3. Modern modeling: Still more advanced, ESPs now facilitate real-time actions, improving speed and performance. But again, the upgrade to “event-based” synchronization seemed  limited by the absence of an updating apparatus. 

Presently, the shift toward extra-ESP data storage, such as storing data in data lakes, is particularly noticeable. 

Evidently, each modeling method has its limitations. But it helps to know what they are before you make a decision. Once again, it’s a matter of finding the exact fit, and not the perfect platform, because the latter doesn’t exist. 

6. User experience: Simple vs. robust

Did you know that approximately 80% of users look for an ESP interface that requires very little training? 

If you’re new to email marketing or ESP selection, ease of use is going to be a big factor. Platforms like ConvertKit have nailed the simple, no-fuss experience for users who just want to create beautiful emails and hit send without wading through a sea of options. 

But on the flip side, if you’re someone who loves to geek out on analytics, segmentation, and custom workflows, you might find ConvertKit too limiting. In that case, a more robust platform like GetResponse might be to your advantage. 

If you want to know how to judge ESP interfaces, take a look at Scott Hardigree’s “five Es” of a truly user-friendly interface. 

Final thoughts: What’s the verdict?

So then, are all ESPs created equal? Definitely not. Your choice depends on what matters most to your own business. Are you focused on scalability, automation, or ease of use? Do you need tons of integrations, or are you just looking for something simple? Thus, by weighing your priorities—and considering factors like pricing, deliverability, and user experience—you’ll be better equipped to choose the ESP that’s the right fit for you.

For a blow-by-blow comparison, go through our buffet guide. 

Need help with email marketing on your preferred ESP? We are experts in over 50 of them. Irrespective of which platform you prefer, you’ll get the benefit of our six-tier email marketing framework (see below). So, get on a no-obligation call with us!