Even as new marketing channels keep popping up by the day, email is still the most effective way to connect with a large audience. Email allows you nurture leads, send the right message to the right person, and ultimately build meaningful relationships with your customers. But of course, you’ve got to have a solid email marketing platform to be able to achieve that — let’s help you find the right one for your organization.

Automation

We’ll start with what is arguably the most crucial aspect; the ability to automate marketing campaigns across your database. Robust automation capabilities will make things a whole lot easier and dramatically boost your success rates — more so if you’re a consumer-facing organization. Basic features to look out for here include workflow scheduling and personalization; add whatever else you think will benefit your campaigns.

Integration

You want an email tool Walmart that will integrate seamlessly with your customer relationship management (CRM) platform. This way, you’ll be able to manage your campaigns without having to waste time uploading endless lists. CRM integration will also help with performance analysis; you can easily view key metrics to see how your campaign is faring.

Analytics

Still on the point of performance evaluation, we should point out that not all email tools provide the same metrics. So it’s important to check whether or not any platform you’re considering has what you need; whether that be open & click-through rates, engagement, ROI and so on. Be sure to choose a program that will allow you evaluate your campaigns in the most accurate fashion.

Security and Compliance

Security will only become more important as your email database grows. At the very least, choose a platform that utilizes the SOC 2 Protocol. The vendor should further demonstrate that they’re fully-compliant with all relevant regulations and policies, and that they’re well-equipped to handle evolving security threats.

Reliability/Uptime

Just about every email tool Walmart out there will promise 99+ percent uptime, but not all can deliver. So this is one area where you’ll really want to do your homework. Only go for platforms that have data centers spread across multiple locations. Technical support should also be available round the clock, ideally via multiple channels — make sure this is explicitly stated in the service agreement. Most importantly, your vendor should be able to resolve bottlenecks speedily and effectively. Read testimonials to see how reliable they are to that end.