Email Marketing Firms: How to Choose the Right Agency for Your Business

Working with an email marketing company can either become one of your greatest decisions or your most costly mistake. Working with a good company means working with people who have the strategy, creativity, and technological know-how that will take years to develop internally. Working with a bad company means wasting money on generic solutions.

This guide is here to provide you with all the information you need about email marketing companies, their services, things to consider, and things to avoid.

Table of Contents

What Do Email Marketing Firms Do?

Email marketing agencies are professional service providers who take care of all your email marketing campaigns for you.

Services Typically Include

Email Marketing Strategy & Planning
List Building
List Segmentation & Automation Set-Up
Email Copywriting & Design
Campaign Deployment & Scheduling
A/B Testing
Email Deliverability Monitoring
Analytics & Reporting

While some organizations offer end-to-end solutions ranging from strategy development to implementation, others may focus exclusively on the single segment such as email automation configuration or deliverability consulting services.

When Should You Hire an Email Marketing Firm?

The engagement of an agency should be considered in these circumstances:

You’re Starting From Scratch

For companies without an email program that require an immediate creation of one, an agency can squeeze six months’ worth of efforts into 4-6 weeks.

You’ve Plateaued

Your email tool produces good outcomes, but they have plateaued. A fresh pair of eyes may find ways your team hasn’t seen yet.

You Lack Internal Expertise

Email marketing is not easy as it might seem. Deliverability, logic of automation and segmentation need special knowledge and skills.

You’re Scaling Fast

A scaling business sometimes cannot hire a qualified in-house team for quick development of its email capabilities. An agency helps fill in the gap.

You Need to Fix Deliverability Problems

In case your messages end up in the spam folder, consultants will be able to solve the issue quicker than you could do yourself.

Types of Email Marketing Firms

Email marketing agencies vary. Knowing what sets them apart can help you make a choice.

Full-Service Digital Marketing Agencies with Email Specialization

Agencies specializing in email services, as well as SEO, paid media, and social. Useful if you want a one-stop shop agency. But the risk is that email might not be their main specialty.

Specialized Email Marketing Agencies

Agencies who only do email services. More specialized, deeper knowledge. The best option if email is your main growth lever.

Ecommerce Email Agencies

Email marketing agencies that specialize in Klaviyo, Shopify, and other ecommerce-based email services. Great if you run a DTC brand. Seek success stories with abandoned cart and post-purchase emails.

B2B Email and Marketing Automation Agencies

HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot and Salesforce Marketing Cloud should be considered. Good fit for lead nurturing and demand generation campaigns.

Deliverability Consultants

Expertise in inbox placement, sender reputation and technical infrastructure around emails. Not creative types but engineers who fix pipes.

How to Evaluate Email Marketing Firms

Here are key questions you should ask before hiring an agency:

1. Relevant Experience

Has this agency done work for companies that resemble yours? Can this agency provide examples of case studies of similar companies and the same email platform used by you?

2. Platform Expertise

But do they understand your ESP (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Hubspot, Salesforce, etc.) in depth? An agency that works with Klaviyo would not be the best fit if you’re working with Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

3. Their Own Email Program

How do they present themselves? If their newsletters aren’t good or they have no newsletters at all, it’s not a very good sign.

4. Transparency in Reporting

Ask about the metrics they use and how they communicate results. Don’t pick up firms that concentrate only on open rates and vanity metrics. Agencies that show the connection between email marketing and revenue are more likely to be successful.

5. References and Reviews

Request 2-3 referrals from their clients whom you can call. Read reviews on G2, Clutch, Google.

6. Communication and Process

How often are you going to meet? Who is your daily point of contact? What’s the onboarding process like?

Questions to Ask an Email Marketing Firm Before Hiring

Consider the following questions in your evaluation process:

“What is your average onboarding process?”
“How do you track and measure the performance of your emails?”
“What is an expected time frame for getting results?”
“Which members of your staff will be working on our account?”
“Aren’t there any examples of email campaigns that you’ve developed for our competitors?”
“How do you ensure list management and delivery tracking?”
“What is your reaction when results don’t live up to expectations?”
“Have you worked with our particular email platform before?”

Red Flags When Evaluating Email Marketing Firms

Look out for these red flags:

Guarantees Specific Results

There are no credible agencies that guarantee a particular open rate or income amount. There are too many things beyond their control.

Opaque Pricing

Credible agencies will always be open about how they charge.

Focus Only on Volume

“Sending 4 emails each week is our strategy.” Strategy without frequency destroys your list.

No Case Studies or References

If they can’t show what they’ve accomplished for other clients, it is unlikely they have accomplished anything.

Recommends Buying a List

That is a red flag. It is time to walk away.

One-Size-Fits-All Approach

No two businesses are alike. Be wary of those who try to sell you on a one-size-fits-all plan until they know more about your business.

How Much Do Email Marketing Firms Charge?

Costs can vary drastically depending on the breadth of services, the size of the agency, and your mailing list size.

Typical Pricing Models

Retainer: $1,500-$10,000+/month for ongoing management
Project Basis: $2,000-$25,000 for a specific deliverable (like automating workflows)
Performance Basis: Agency gets a percentage of email-generated revenue (common in e-commerce)
Hourly: $75-$250/hour for consulting or project basis

Most smaller companies use email marketing agencies on a monthly retainer at a rate of $2,000-$5,000/month

In-House vs. Agency: Which Is Right for You?

Neither is superior all the time. Take into account the following factors:

Choose In-House If

Email marketing is integral to your business model
You have or intend to hire specialists in email marketing
You desire full control and know-how

Choose an Agency If

Time is of essence
Email marketing is important but not your specialty
There is no budget for hiring a full-time email specialist
Specialized knowledge is required (deliverability, Klaviyo, enterprise-level automation)

However, the best strategy for implementation of email marketing campaign is a mixed strategy that involves one internal coordinator combined with an agency.

Final Thoughts

The right email marketing agency can make the difference between your email program being a hit-and-miss newsletter campaign and a steady source of income for you. However, it’s important to choose wisely when looking for a partner. What’s important here is the experience, platform proficiency, reporting and communication skills.

Don’t rush the process of selection. Ask around about the experience of their previous customers. Be skeptical about people promising the world without even having the slightest idea of what your business is about.