Every company, regardless of industry, needs a strong email system to stay ahead. This means regular marketing emails to keep customers engaged and efficient correspondence for inquiries. The big question for those starting out with company email is whether to buy self-hosted email software or rent from a cloud-based provider.
How Does Self-Hosted Email Compare With Cloud-Hosted Email?
If you are new to email marketing or company emails in general, it helps to better understand the difference between these options. Self-hosting is a way to ensure that all your emails, attachments, recipient lists, and other data remain on an on-premises server. The idea appeals to those who want everything to be insular and accessible. Cloud-hosting offers to rent space on a server instead of owning the software outright. Many companies have gone this way, but is it always the right choice?
Why Should Companies Use Self-Hosted Email Software?
For a while now, experts have praised the cloud’s ease of use and seen it as the way forward for hosting. However, self-hosted email software has its benefits that business owners can’t overlook. Those who work to set up and maintain their system can benefit in the long run.
1) Control over content
A key benefit for those looking for a personalized email campaign is the amount of control on offer. You can decide which mail transfer agent to use and adjust the features to suit your needs. This adaptability helps you put your stamp on your email content and see how well different campaigns work. It takes some work and practice to get it right, but it’s worth it.
2) Control over email lists
It isn’t just content that’s important when setting up email marketing as a start-up. You also need a strong email list. Again, self-hosted email marketing software puts you in complete control of everything, which makes it easier to see who’s on the list, which unresponsive recipients to cut, and how to make other improvements.
You also get to work with different sender email addresses from one server. For example, you probably don’t want your invoice and customer service emails to come from the same address as your promotions. Different addresses give the impression of a company with lots of separate and efficient departments – even if the business is actually more streamlined than that.
3) Control over data
Then, there’s the control offered regarding data and security. Third-party servers promise to be secure and compliant, but you’re still putting your company and customer data in someone else’s hands. What happens if there’s a breach or the server provider goes out of business? A self-hosted email client gets a license for the software and is then entirely in control.
4) Scalability
This is something you might not get with a cloud system. Those packages could offer a particular amount of storage and perks with little room for improvement. What do you do when your company develops and outgrows the plan? Self-hosting is more scalable, so you can adapt it to the growth of your mailing list and your company’s success.
5) Cost Efficiency
Finally, one of the most important benefits for any start-up in any industry is the chance to reduce costs. The set-up costs of the software may seem pricey at first, but then everything is ready to go. You don’t have to deal with budgeting for the regular subscriptions, and you won’t get caught out by price rises and other fees.
Which Industries Can Benefit From Self-hosted Email?
Self-hosted email software is a brilliant approach for any company with a customer-focused business model and an engaging line of services or products. You can use the system to create your email lists, save your attachments, and create something that turns traffic into sales. This is perfect for retail businesses promoting new lines, but it is also valuable in health and beauty, hospitality, or any other industry that thrives on customer interaction.
Essentially, self-hosting is beneficial if you want the security and control of an on-premises system and have someone who can make it worth the investment. It can give you the tools and peace of mind you need, with plenty of room for future growth.
