What is Email Marketing as a Service (EMaaS) and Should You Use It?

You’ve heard about Email Service Providers (ESPs) for a long time now. HubSpot, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, and many others. These platforms are fantastic for enabling internal teams to start with email marketing. They help create powerful campaigns with advanced workflows and audience segmentation. Many large companies use these tools to deliver highly targeted messages not only to the right person, but also at exactly the right time.

As powerful as ESPs are, they only generate results if you have a skilled internal marketing team. You need experts in copywriting, email design, automation, and analytics working together to create campaigns that drive conversions. But what happens if your company doesn’t have the resources to fully use these tools?

Introducing Email Marketing as a Service

Email Marketing as a Service (EMaaS) fills the gap for businesses that lack the time, money, or expertise to run effective campaigns in-house. EMaaS gives you access to professionals who manage everything for you using industry-leading ESPs.

Most EMaaS providers handle the entire process: email design, copywriting, automation, segmentation, and reporting. All you have to do is set the high-level strategy. This allows you to focus on running your business while your campaigns are executed by experts. Best of all, EMaaS usually costs only a fraction of what it would take to hire a full internal marketing team.

How Much Does Email Marketing as a Service Cost?

There are two common pricing models EMaaS companies use:

1. Project-based pricing: This is the traditional agency model. You discuss your needs, and the agency provides a quote based on hours or project scope. At the end of the day, you are paying for their team’s time.

2. Flat subscription fee: Subscription pricing is becoming more popular. You pay a fixed monthly fee and get ongoing access to all services without limits. That means no revision fees, upselling, or extra meeting charges. Instead of paying for time, you pay for unlimited access—like an all-you-can-eat buffet, but without the health risk.

Should You Use an ESP Yourself or Choose EMaaS?

The answer depends on your company’s size and resources. If your business is large enough to hire a dedicated in-house email marketing team, managing ESPs internally could be the best route.

However, for companies with fewer than 200 employees, building a full team can be difficult to justify financially. Even though email marketing consistently delivers the highest ROI among digital channels, the upfront cost of hiring internally can feel overwhelming.

This is why many small and mid-sized B2B companies choose EMaaS. It allows you to start generating results quickly without a major investment. Just remember, email marketing is a long-term strategy. But when done right, it offers unmatched potential for revenue growth and customer engagement.