Email Marketing Bible · 11 of 16

Choosing your platform

Criteria for choosing a sending platform, without naming winners: what to ask, check and test.

What you will be able to do

List the capabilities you actually need
Check the platform’s own documentation for each
Run a small pilot before you commit

Decide your needs

Volume, automation, segmentation, integrations, deliverability tooling, support and budget.

Questions to put to any vendor

How are bounces and complaints handled? Can you separate transactional from marketing? How are opt-outs enforced? What are the sending limits and how do they change? Where is data stored and how can you export or delete it? How is pricing calculated as your list grows?

Verify claims yourself

Read current pricing and documentation pages and note the date. Treat any accuracy or deliverability claim as untested until you reproduce it.

Pilot

Move a small segment, check delivery and reporting, and compare the real cost to the quote.

Your output: checklist

☐ Write your must-have list
☐ Ask each vendor the questions above
☐ Record answers with the date and source
☐ Pilot with a small segment
☐ Check export and deletion options