Email marketing is a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes. The DMA say that for every £1 spent, email returns an average of £40+. That's some serious ROI. However, finding the right agency to help you with email, can be tricky.
Whether you're an ecommerce brand looking to drive more sales, a retail business trying to increase customer loyalty, or a travel company aiming to boost bookings, the agency you choose can make or break your email marketing success.
Why is it so tricky to find the right agency? Well, not all agencies are created equal. Some overpromise and underdeliver, while others might not have the right experience or strategy to suit your business goals. That's why, before signing any contracts, you need to ask the right questions. Here are 21 crucial questions every marketer should ask an email marketing agency before making a decision.
What industries do you specialise in?
Not all email marketing agencies have experience in every sector. So, whether it's ecommerce, retail, travel or another industry, you need to make sure that the agency you are speaking with, have case studies for your sector. I find that this is the most overlooked question with brands selecting an email agency. But you really need to ensure the agency understands the unique challenges and opportunities in your industry.
Can you provide case studies or references?
Any reputable email agency should have a solid track record and be able to show real results they’ve achieved with other clients. Ask for case studies or to speak with past clients to verify their claims - the best way to do this, is at some point during the pitch process. A great agency will offer to set you up with short chats with similar clients that are not competitors of yours. If you can't get this information, it's a red flag.
How do you measure email marketing success?
Email marketing is not just about open rates and click-through rates. A good email agency should focus on conversions, revenue growth, customer retention, customer lifetime value and other key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your business goals.
You could ask the agency to show you an anonymised report for another client. Another thing to check here, is to see if the email agency will create a bespoke report for you - this is crucial, because the metrics your brand will need to track will be different from everyone else.
What’s your approach to list growth?
Email marketing success depends on a strong subscriber list. Ask how they grow and maintain email lists - whether they use lead magnets, pop-ups, giveaways, or other strategies. You might find that this is a difficult questions to answer without the agency doing some work (and we definitely advise you not to ask them to do any free work up front), but you do need to see how the agency think about list growth.
Again, it might be easier for the agency to show you a case study for you to get a feel here. Or ask them what the latest trends are that they're seeing in the list growth space. And remember, your entire email strategy and performance rides on the list growing every day.
Do you follow GDPR and other email compliance regulations?
This is especially important if you operate in the UK or EU, compliance is critical. Ensure the agency has a strong understanding of data protection laws and follows best practices for email consent and privacy.
Ideally, the agency will be members of The Data & Marketing Association (like we are here at Enchant). This is a reputable, leading trade body based in the UK. If your agency are members, they will have been through legal checks to make sure that they are compliant. This is a big plus.
How do you handle email segmentation?
Sending the same email to your entire list is a think of the past. A good agency in the email space will be able to talk to you about ideas around how to segment your audience based on behaviour, demographics, purchase history, and other data points to improve engagement and conversions.
This is usually a great talking point in the pitch - it should be comfortable for them to talk about this on the fly. If it isn't, it's likely a red flag.
What kind of automation strategies do you use?
Email automation is key for customer retention and engagement. Ask about their approach to automated flows and sequences like welcome emails, abandoned cart emails and re-engagement campaigns. These automated email campaigns are just the start - these questions are designed to really help you to understand how the email agency think about automation and how far they can take it with your brand.
How do you personalise emails?
Personalisation is much more than just adding the recipient’s name. Your email agency should use dynamic content, past purchase behaviour, browsing history and zero-party data to make emails more relevant to subscribers.
A great question in the pitch, is to ask 'what do you think about zero-party data'?. Again, the agency should be able to fluently answer you and even show or share examples of how they do this with their clients.
What’s your approach to email design?
The first thing to do here, is check if they have a strong design team that specialises in email creative and whether they create mobile-first, visually appealing email designs.
From here, it's useful to understand the agency's approach to email marketing templates, from a design and build perspective. The best agencies will be creating an email design system (EDS) for their customers. If you bring this up and the agency don't understand what you're asking, or they don't believe in email design systems, I suggest shopping elsewhere.
How do you approach A/B testing?
Testing subject lines, email content, CTAs, send times and many other elements of email marketing is essential for optimisation. A reliable agency should have a structured approach to A/B testing and data analysis and be able to show you how they plan, manage and document split testing.
How do you manage deliverability?
If your emails land in spam, they won’t drive results. Ask how they ensure good deliverability, including list hygiene, authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and best practices to avoid being flagged as spam.
Most email agencies don't have a specialist in deliverability - and it's crucial that they do. Check this one to be sure.
What email platforms do you work with?
Whether it’s Klaviyo, Mailchimp, HubSpot or another provider, make sure the agency is experienced and partnered with the platform you’re using. This is absolutely critical. If the agency do not have a partnership with your email platform, move onto the next option.
Lastly, most platforms have an agency partner directory, so a quick search for that will be a great starting point for finding some agencies to meet with.
How big is your team and where are they based?
A lot of email agencies have a presence in the UK or US, but are actually mostly operated out of Eastern Europe or South Africa. This is becoming more and more common. Ask where the team are, who you'll be working with and where they're based.
This is very important in ensuring that you're going to be working with a team that understand the demographic of your subscribers and localisation. If your agency give you a quote that sounds too good to be true, it's likely that they are off-shoring.
What are your values?
This is a really nice question to ask to see how professional the agency are that you're speaking to. They should be able to explain their core values with ease. If you feel that it's difficult to get to values, it's a red flag and they might be too small an agency for you.
How do you handle email copywriting?
Strong copy drives conversions. Find out if the email agency have professional copywriters who understand persuasive email copywriting tailored to your industry and to the email channel.
A lot of email agencies don't have their own copywriters. Check that your agency does, and you'll be in great shape.
Can you integrate email with other marketing channels?
Email works best when combined with social media, paid ads and SMS marketing. A good email agency should be able to demonstrate how they create multichannel campaigns with their clients.
A great way of exploring this with your potential email agency, is to simply ask them what their multichannel digital messaging approach might be with your brand. And it's ok if they can't explain it in depth on the fly - you just need to see how they work with other channels and email.
What’s your pricing model?
Some agencies charge a flat fee. Others work on a retainer, and some take a percentage of revenue. Make sure you understand their pricing structure and whether it aligns with your budget.
It's worth saying here, that if your agency offer extremely flexible options, such as no long-term contracts or 'leave when you want' options, it's a red flag. It means that they have no obligation to your brand too - you will likely require more security than this, so make sure that the contract provides this.
Do you offer a strategy roadmap?
Instead of just executing tasks, the best agencies will provide a strategic roadmap outlining goals, timelines, and benchmarks to track progress.
At Enchant, we always own the strategic roadmap with our clients and we are forward-looking to 12 months ahead with all of the brands we work with. When selecting your agency, make sure that you get strategic leadership in your planning and that it's included in your retainer.
What sets you apart from other agencies?
A great email agency should have a clear USP - whether it’s their data-driven approach, creative expertise, or industry-specific experience. It's a great way to dig into their culture and see what sets them apart from other email agencies.
How do you handle account management?
Will you have a dedicated account manager, or will you be passed around a team? Knowing how communication and project management will work is key to a smooth partnership.
Who's great at email in our industry?
This question will help you to understand how well aligned the email agency are to your industry. Ask this question and you'll learn a lot about the team's passion for your industry and just how close they are to top-performing brands in your sector. Don't forget to ask this one!
Summary
Choosing an email marketing agency is a big decision, and asking these 21 questions will help you separate the experts from the rest.
The right agency should have a track record of success, a clear strategic approach and a deep understanding of your industry. Don’t rush the decision - take the time to find an agency that aligns with your goals, budget, and brand vision. When done right, email marketing can be one of the most profitable channels in your marketing mix, and the right agency will help you unlock its full potential. If you get stuck along the way, speak to our team and we'll be there.
