Why You Need a Mailing Platform, Not an ESP

Delivery in the toilet? ROI tanking? Suits pressuring to just “fix it” ASAP?

That’s the situation an industry friend was in when he called me to ask if VoloMP could help him “inbox Yahoo.”

LOL! Amiright?

His company mails serious volume –by juggling 3 to 4 ESPs at a time.  So, he thought a mailing platform like VoloMP (which has you managing your own IP space) might be the new, improved solution for him.

Given that this guy is a friend. I told him, “No.”

Sadly, there’s no silver bullet for email deliverability.

He wanted me to say, “Of course we can! We LOVE to help folks like you. We’ll charge you a li’l extra but, we have back-door connection to Yahoo.” We’re just not that mafioso here at Volo.

My friend knows what he’s doing. His mailing business is strong. There are ups-and-downs but, over-all, he’s got a successful business on his hands.

However…his mailing business could be more lucrative if he were to invest the time and money to learn how to manage his own IP space.  Odds are, he won’t though.

He lacks the will to change or take a risk. He hits me up every 6 months or so, kicking the VoloMP tires, as if THIS time he’s going to put his game face on, learn how to babysit IPs, segment data and watch ISP filters like a hardcore mailing pro.

Mailing off your own IPs requires dedication and/or exasperation with your current ESP(s).  Many folks won’t graduate from using multiple ESPs despite:

• Paying through the nose for delivery
• Hassling with the ESP over content and sending styles
• Losing time and money when they have to switch providers

But mailing off a mailing platform is doable. In fact our clients do it, literally, everyday. Yes, it’s extra work but,  there are tremendous gain$ (eh, hem) to be enjoyed.

 

If you’re on the fence about mailing off your own IP space, here’s a look behind the mailing platform curtain. Here are some basic facts –and simple arithmetic– to help you decide if you want to give a shot, at calling all the shots.

How much of a gamble is it to try mailing on VoloMP verses a typical ESP?

About 6K -give or take.

Allocating 6K covers a basic Volo license as well as three months worth of average priced hosting and IPs. Three months probably isn’t enough time to generate profit. You might break even. However, three months is a decent amount time to see if you’re cut out for this kind of mailing. You just might see light at the end of the IP tunnel.

WHY even chance risking 6K if there’s no guarantee?

Because the potential cost saving is OBSCENE. Compare VoloMP to any ESP and you will find that Volo charges PENNIES on the dollar. Even factoring in IP and server costs, Volo is an amazing deal.

Of course, you are not guaranteed in-boxing when you mail on your own. That said, you might be surprised how well you can do inside the bulk folder.

What companies or individual mailers are most likely to benefit from a MP over an ESP?

Ones who:

• Send 1 million or more messages a day
• Send “gray area” content like sub-prime financial offers, adult dating campaigns,  or mail to co-reg data
• Can stomach operating out of the bulk folder (yes, people make a great living from the bulk folder)
• Have heaps of single opt-in data
• Want to focus on only one or two ISPs

If any of the above fits your business model, you should probably be using a mailing platform. There is a sharp learning curve to start but, over time, you can benefit greatly by mastering your own IPs.

Another option, if you really don’t have the patience or resources for managing your own IP space, is to out-source to a qualified list manager. Most list managers specialize in one or two ISPs.

So, if the majority of your data is dominated by say Yahoo or AOL, find a someone that really understands whatever domains dominate your data and do a rev-share. That might put you further ahead than battling with your current ESP(s).

In short: Escape ESPs by mastering IPs. You can do it.  And VoloMP can help you.