How to Choose the Right Delivery Service or SMTP Relay for Email Marketing

EasyMail7 is hybrid in-house email marketing software for Windows. It doesn’t replace your existing SMTP relay or delivery service. It works as a powerful front-end to email delivery services and SMTP relays and transforms them into fully functional in-house Email Service Providers with the highest level of data security. You can easily switch email sending services without losing your contact list, autoresponders, and other data.

EasyMail7 allows you to work with multiple delivery services or SMTP relays at the same time. You can segment your list by country, ISP or other factors and send from the SMTP or delivery service with the best deliverability – and the best chance for optimal revenue — to each segment.

There are multiple options to choose an SMTP relay or delivery service from:

 SMTP server of your ISP (Internet Service Provider)

 free SMTP server (Gmail, Yahoo, AOL and others)

 your hosting

 commercial SMTP services and senders

 self-hosted or rented server (dedicated or VPS)

SMTP Server of Your ISP

ISPs often put email sending restrictions to control the level of email traffic being processed and ensure that their SMTP server will be available to support all of its users whenever they need to send email and to prevent spam from being sent through their system. Email sending limits establish a control to keep everything moving along smoothly.

So, using the ISP SMTP server is ok while you have a small email list. However, you'll want to visit your ISP's website and read their Acceptable Use Policy, Terms of Service, etc. to find out how many emails you can send. You'll find the list of the SMTP servers of the major Internet Service Providers at the end of this article.

Below are the email sending limits of some ISPs.

Comcast:

– Residential customers: 1,000 emails per day
– Business customers: 24,000 emails per day
Comcast email sending guidelines

Verizon:

– 100 recipients per email (Bcc:)
– 500 emails per hour
Verizon email sending guidelines

AT&T Yahoo:

– 100 recipients per email (Bcc:)
AT&T Yahoo email sending guidelines

BellSouth:

– Open to the discretion of BellSouth
– Senders should contact with requirements

RoadRunner:

– 1,000 emails per day (per IP)
RoadRunner email sending guidelines

Earthlink:

– 1,000 recipients per day
Earthlink email sending guidelines

Cox:

– No limits published by Cox
Cox email sending guidelines

Cox states that “Specific email sending limits are not published because they vary from time to time depending on a variety of factors”. Senders are advised to contact Cox prior to sending high volume email campaigns.

Charter:

– 50 emails per hour
Charter Postmaster Services

Free SMTP Server

Many web-based email services such as Gmail, AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail support SMTP protocol, so you can use their SMTP server in G-Lock EasyMail7 to send newsletters. However, a free SMTP server for sending mass emails is not the best choice for two reasons: 1) just like ISPs, free web mail services have restrictions (usually 100-200 emails per day) for outgoing email, and 2) they watch carefully your bounce rate. If it's high, your account is blocked.

Below are the email sending limits of free email services.

Google Gmail:

– 500 emails per day when sending from their web interface
– 100 emails per day when sending from a desktop email client
Gmail email sending guidelines

Windows Live Hotmail:

– 100 emails per day
Windows Live Hotmail email sending guidelines

Yahoo:

– 100 emails per hour
Yahoo email sending guidelines

AOL:

– 100 recipients per email (Bcc:)
– 500 emails per connection
AOL email sending guidelines

Your Hosting

Many email marketers and business own a website and email addresses like [email protected]. If you are like them, you can use the SMTP server that comes with your hosting plan to send emails to people who sign up to your newsletters. Just like ISPs and free web-based email services, some hosting providers have email sending restrictions. So, visit your hosting provider website to read their email sending policy or contact them and ask if any sending restrictions exist for your plan.

Below are the email sending limits of some hosting providers.

GoDaddy:

– 250 emails per day
Option to purchase additional GoDaddy SMTP relays
GoDaddy email sending guidelines

RackSpace:

– No limits for messages complying with the RackSpace Acceptable Use Policy

iPowerWeb:

– 500 emails per hour
– 5,000 emails per day
iPowerWeb email sending guidelines

1and1:

– 1 message ever minute with a 10 second pause between messages

APlus:

– 500 emails per 30 minutes

Bluehost:

– 500 emails maximum per hour
– Contact Bluehost to arrange for extension on the default limit
Bluehost email sending guidelines

Homestead:

– 10 emails per second
Homestead email sending guidelines

Commercial SMTP Services and Senders

Some companies specialize in providing SMTP servers. Typically they offer monthly plans based on the number of emails you need to send. But some companies such as Amazon SES have a “pay as you go” policy. And most of them have a free plan so you can test several email senders before deciding which one is the best for your needs. In G-Lock EasyMail7 you can use the SMTP settings of any email service or sender.

Check this comparison chart to choose an SMTP service or sender for email marketing.

*Pay for what you send; no required contract or commitments.

Besides the Amazon SES SMTP, you can use the Amazon SES API in EasyMail7 to send email newsletters.

Here you can read how to use the Mailgun’s SMTP settings in EasyMail7 and how to use the SparkPost’s SMTP settings in EasyMail7.

Be aware that Amazon SES and others ESP monitors your bounce and spam complaint rate and if it exceeds 5%, they suspend your account. So, check your email list for validity before using Amazon SES and delete bad email addresses from your contact list.

More tutorials:

• How to use the Mailgun’s SMTP settings in EasyMail7
• How to use the SparkPost’s SMTP settings in EasyMail7
• How to use the SendGrid’s SMTP settings in EasyMail7

Dedicated Server or VPS

As a dedicated SMTP server, you can use the free open source SMTP server from https://www.hmailserver.com/. You can install hmailserver to your local computer where G-Lock EasyMail7 Server is installed, or Windows server, or Windows VPS and set EasyMail7 to use hmailserver as your SMTP server.

In order to effectively manage your in-house SMTP relay you will need to have a thorough understanding of e-mail delivery, including how to set up SPF, DKIM and ReverseDNS records. Most people can't do it without hiring an expert.

However, a dedicated in-house SMTP server is a good solution because the deliverability depends only on your sending practices and is not affected by other people who share the SMTP server with you.

Another good reason to choose a dedicated SMTP server is the cost effectiveness by a long shot. For those who want the cost effectiveness accompanied with other features such as control, security, list management and email management features etc., the hybrid email system EasyMail7 with a dedicated SMTP server offers a perfect balance — a cost-effective solution that does not compromise on quality.

EasyMail7 have a great deal of intelligence built-in, such as bounce handling, feedback loop analysis and automatic suppression lists which can protect your reputation by preventing redelivery to failed or complaining addresses.

How to Enter the SMTP Server in EasyMail7

Click "Settings" -> "Email Accounts".

Click "Add New" to add a new SMTP server account.

In the appeared window enter your account name, From name, Email address, Reply email address and Bounce (Return) email address.

Click on the "Delivery options" tab.

Enter the SMTP server name and port number (usually 25).

If required, change the security protocol.

If your server requires authentication, check the "My Server Requires Authentication" option and enter your user name and password.

Сlick on the "Test" button and enter a test email address. Click OK.

If the SMTP settings are correct, you will receive an email message to your test email address saying that your SMTP settings are correct.

If the SMTP settings are not correct, the program will show you the error log. Fix the cause of failure and test the SMTP settings again.

When the test passes, click OK to save the account settings.

SMTP Servers of the Major Internet Service Providers

Get G-Lock EasyMail7 for Free Today!

Send Email for FREE or Pay-as-you Go…

Don’t put your profits in the hands of a third party, be in control of your email — OWN YOUR DATA, OWN YOUR AUTORESPONDERS, CONTROL YOUR INBOX DELIVERY, REPUTATION, DELIVERY SPEED and either send email for free using your SMTP or use any number of third party email senders of your choice like AMAZON SES API… No Monthly Fees!

An effective email marketing system should include the following tools:

•  Automated email sequences that drip on your contacts over time to build trust and convert your subscribers into active and happy customers.
•  A email scheduler for planning your announcements, newsletters, and special occasion emails weeks or even months in advance.
•  A simple way for you to create sign-up forms so you can connect your marketing efforts to auto-populate your contact lists (we provide WPNewsman plugin for WordPress for free).
•  A professional collection of quality responsive HTML email templates that you can install and use for your newsletters on the fly.
•  An automated way of processing bounce and unsubscribe emails to be in compliance with the CAN-SPAM law in various countries.
•  Training and support from those who have years of experience in email marketing systems, management and success.

With G-Lock EasyMail7 you have the right email marketing system to help you maintain and grow your business.

Download G-Lock EasyMail7 for FREE Today! →

Written by Julia Gulevich. Posted in Blog, Email Marketing Software

Tags: cheap smtp server for email marketing, smtp server bulk email marketing, SMTP Server for Sending Mass Emails