How Much Should You Expect To Pay For Email Marketing?

Plus, even in today’s day and age, email marketing offers an incredible return on investment, with the average £1 spend bringing in around £34 in sales. 

So, how much should you expect to pay for email marketing?

It depends. End of article.

Just kidding! Here’s a full rundown of all of the potential costs you’ll need to cover when it comes to email marketing. 

Is Email Marketing Cost-Effective?

Extremely. 

You see, as the number of people working remotely and via a hybrid model increases around the world, more and more people will rely on their emails to communicate. Which means they’ll be refreshing their inbox feed a lot. 

See where I’m going? 

Even though the average open rate for emails is 21.33% right now according to Mailchimp, that’s still over one in five of your marketing campaigns being seen! And the more consistent you are with your email marketing, the better. 

How Much Does Email Marketing Cost?

If you Google this question, you’ll get some vastly different answers. How do you know what to believe? How much should you expect to pay for email marketing? 

Realistically, you can expect to pay anywhere between £395 and £995 for an email sequence (depending on its function), and between £295 to £695 per month for repeat nurture emails. Again, that depends on a multitude of factors – so let’s break down the key factors at play here before you part with your cash. 

• Who –  who is planning, writing and uploading the emails?

• What – what kind of email are you sending? Nurture? Sales? Perhaps an automation sequence?

• When – how frequently are you sending emails to your lists? 

• Where – which software do you use? 

• Why – what do you hope to achieve for your business through email marketing? 

If you haven’t decided on these 5 points yet, you might want to open another tab and take some notes…

#1: Who

First, consider this: what is the involvement of the person you’re paying? 

Are they writing something you’ve already pre-planned and briefed them on, or are they helping you with the strategy? Are they giving the email to you to upload, or are they offering a comprehensive ‘Done For You’ service? 

Naturally, the latter is more expensive, but it will certainly save you time if you’re not tech-savvy. Plus, when it comes to strategy, consultants will charge higher fees for all of the planning they’ll need to do for you. 

For more info on who you should hire to write your content, check out our unbiased comparison of freelance writers versus content marketing agencies here. 

#2: What

When presented with the ballpark figures for both sequence and nurture email marketing, you might have jumped in shock at the monthly price. 

But consider this: what type of content are you asking your freelancer or marketing specialist to write for you? Is it standard nurture content, meant to convert your leads by drip-feeding them slowly, or is it sales content, the instantaneous shot of adrenaline by contrast?

Sales and re-engagement copy, for example, are incredibly complex and demanding. That’s why you can expect to part with more money when you write them – but if these campaigns are successful in improving your customer retention or conversion rates, it will no doubt pay itself off for your business.

#3: When

It seems obvious, but the frequency with which you’re sending your marketing emails to your prospects will affect the price. If you’re bringing someone on board to write your monthly content, they will often charge on a set number per period of time – for example, two emails per month or one email per week. More emails = more money. 

Don’t forget to consider time constraints too – the closer to the send date you’re asking the writer to create content for you, the likelihood is that the price will increase. If you’re strategising your own email sequence or plan for a nurture list, make sure you leave plenty of time for the project to be completed – both for your sanity and your wallet!

#4: Where

Which software are you using to schedule your emails? 

It’s a cost you mustn’t forget before you pay for a content writer to create your marketing emails. Some have better integrations with other apps than others, which can save you time when planning a content calendar or finding out where a new lead has come from. 

Some great mailing platforms we’ve worked with include (but are not limited to):

• ActiveCampaign – easily customisable plan billed based on how many contacts you have. Great for automations and sales sequences. 
• Mailchimp – their standard recommended package starts at £16.29 per month. Good for a newbie business just starting out. 

• MailerLite – a reasonably priced software which bills per contact. A great low cost option that gives you simple automation capabilities.

• Keap – From $149 to $199 per month for an all-encompassing package. Good for automations, but has a steep learning curve. 

Generally speaking, the more contacts you have and the more you want the software to do for you, the more you can expect to pay. 

If you’re only using the email software to schedule your content, there’s no need to pay for fancy extras. But if you need a fully comprehensive CRM (customer relationship management) system to track your leads from first click to the most recent email they’ve opened, you’ll want a more expensive package. Consider this carefully when calculating your marketing budget.

#5: Why

What is the purpose of email marketing for you?

Believe it or not, the intention behind the content can have a huge impact on price. Let me explain.

I’ve already covered why sales content is more pricey. But even if you’re writing emails with the intention of nurturing your audience, you might require a blog on the side to link your emails to. You’d either have to write this yourself (leaving you time poor), or hire someone to do this for you – which, of course – comes at a cost. 

Where does your email marketing fit into your long-term strategy? Are you doing it because you feel you ought to, or have you gone over it with a marketing specialist? Putting out ‘content for content’s sake’ could end up with you marketing your products or services at a loss – because it simply isn’t engaging or relevant enough for your target audience. Make sure you seriously think about why you’re doing emails, so that you’re not flushing your money down the drain. 

So, How Much SHOULD You Pay?

Considering the cost of email marketing is more than just how much you pay a writer. 

It’s about money spent versus money generated – your return on investment. It’s about knowing what you’re doing. It’s about having the correct software for your business and making sure it meets your needs. 

But to make it simple, here’s a reasonable benchmark based on our services: 

• £395 + VAT per month for copywriting only emails.

• £595 + VAT per campaign for copywriting only automations. 

• £695 + VAT per series for sales email campaigns. 

Of course, every marketing company will charge a different fee for different services – but we are always transparent about our pricing and why we charge what we do. 

If you’re looking for a more general overview of the price of content marketing, why not check out our post: How Much Does Content Marketing Cost?

Or, if you need a little help with your email marketing, Book A Call and let’s work out a strategy to bring you more sales… 

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