White-labeling is the talk of the town these days. While some swear by its massive returns, others often find themselves stuck by the lack of customization offered.
If you’re interested in a white label email marketing software but don’t know where to start, we’ve got you. This article discusses whether the white-label route is worth it and then thoroughly compares five promising unbranded email marketing solutions for you to consider.
What is White Label Email Marketing Software?
A white label email marketing software is a tool to create and track email campaigns developed by a third party but rebranded and resold by another company. This way, the company can “own” an email marketing software without the hassle of creating it from scratch.
Who Can Use White Label Email Marketing Software?
Technically any company can benefit from using white label email software. However, considering the different use cases, the following companies are best meant to use such a solution:
Agencies that want to create campaigns for their clients without another company's branding, get a dedicated IP address to maintain good email deliverability, and share performance reports with their own branding.
Marketing automation/Customer relationship management tools that want to offer a complete suite of solutions to their clientele to increase their lifetime value.
Companies with a high need for email generation that want to integrate an email marketing solution within their in-house application to churn out emails quicker.
Companies with security issues that don’t want to share their information with other companies and are looking for an on-premise email marketing software.
Existing email marketing software that previously offered limited solutions but now wants to provide services for different stages of email marketing.
Is White Label Email Marketing the Way to Go?
If you’ve already decided to invest in a white label email marketing platform, then feel free to skip this section and move straight to the comparison.
But, if you’re still unsure, read the below benefits and drawbacks and decide whether white-labeling is worthwhile.
Advantages of white label email marketing
An unbranded email marketing software comes with its fair share of benefits, and a few of them are below:
Saves you development costs and time
Most companies gravitate towards white label solutions simply because of this monumental advantage.
Developing software is no easy business; you need to employ an engineering team that can coordinate with a project manager who has good understanding with pmbok knowledge areas to help create the platform you're looking for.
You might think this wouldn’t be problematic for large enterprises but dedicating your entire engineering team to one project when you have multiple others isn’t feasible. This costs you substantial time and money, ultimately delaying your launching period.
A white label email marketing software is both time and cost-effective and enables you to go to market quickly.
Take the example of Unlayer, a white-labeled email marketing tool that saved Keap 1 year's worth of development time and Hive.co $50,000 in developmental and maintenance costs annually.
Increases your product offerings
White label solutions can help you offer greater products when the need arises.
For instance, an eCommerce marketing automation platform wants to offer email marketing under its umbrella. Instead of going toward the traditional building mentality, a ready-made and tested white label solution can help them increase their product line without waiting much time.
If they want to add a social media marketing tool later, they can leverage the services of a relevant white label solution - the choices are endless!
Creates loyal customers
Convenience and quality support are what keep the world of SaaS moving. Trust me, no company would want to use different software for their different needs. If they can get a one-stop solution, they’d be instantly interested.
When your company offers a suite of different solutions, you’ll be able to increase the average lifetime value of each customer and create an overall loyal customer base. When your audience can get everything from you, why would they look somewhere else?
Disadvantages of white label email marketing
White label email marketing isn’t all unicorns and rainbows. The following drawbacks need to be considered:
Outsources your credibility
The reputation of any company in the modern era is extremely flaky. One day you’re at the top, and the other day, you might think about what went wrong.
When you join hands with another company, you put your credibility at risk. Your white label solution provider might not possess the same values as you, which can backfire. For instance, if your email marketing software witnesses frequent bugs, your customers might not be interested in continuing working with you - increasing churn and negative word of mouth.
Makes you dependent
Since you use a third-party solution, you’ll depend on them when resolving errors or answering any technical questions your customers may have. This, in turn, increases the query resolution time, and if it’s too long, it can discourage prospects from converting into paying customers and paying customers into repeat purchasers.
Hinders scalability
A white label solution can surely help you go to market sooner and increase your product line in the future. But what happens after you customize a white label email marketing platform to make it your own?
Your customers would expect new features and enhancements of previous ones. And if your white label solution provider doesn’t update their feature list, you’ll find yourself stuck.
Comparison of the 5 Best White Label Email Marketing Software
You’ve finally reached the meaty part of this article.
We’ve compared the five best white label email marketing software that’ll increase your returns without harming your reputation. Look out for the features of each email marketing software and its pros and cons to decide which software is for you.
1. Unlayer
Unlayer offers an embedded email builder that takes less than 5 minutes to integrate within your application. It’s perfect for agencies, marketing automation tools, and enterprises with security concerns.
What makes Unlayer Embed stand out is its user-friendly email editor. With the drag and drop interface, anyone and everyone can design great-looking emails. And if you’re looking for more than an email builder, Unlayer offers a landing page and pop-up builder as well.
Hands down, its top feature is that of custom tools whereby you can create your own features - no depending on anyone for feature updates. You’re provided with comprehensive documentation and examples to create custom tools easily.
Key Features
Easy-to-use drag and drop editor
Developer-friendly documentation
Fully customizable and ability to develop own features
Bundles of predesigned HTML email templates
Compatible with all email clients
Integrable with top email service providers, like HubSpot and Mailchimp
Comes with a landing page and pop-up builder
Pricing
Unlayer offers a forever free version in which you can have unlimited users. Paid plans are broken into Startup - $149/month, Business - $299/month, and Growth $599/month. Customized plans are available for enterprise clients, and you can benefit from a 14-day free trial without inputting any credit card details.
Pros
Top-notch email editor that is easy to use even if you’re not tech-savvy
Email builder embeds in under 5 minutes
Comprehensive documentation and examples so you can create custom features
Cons
Email sending is not included, and you’d need to integrate an email service provider
Limited AMP features are offered
2. ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is a top email marketing software that offers white label services to agencies and regular customers.
You can customize their software as you prefer. Enterprise account holders can choose a custom domain, add their own logo and colors, and remove all branding of ActiveCampaign. However, this advanced customization is limited for small account holders only.
One interesting feature is that you can customize the interface of your individual customers to offer them a greater personalized experience. With ActiveCampaign, you benefit from a drag and drop editor, autoresponders, email scheduling, and much more. You can also check ActiveCampaign's reviews for better insight.
Key Features
Drag and drop email builder
Predesigned HTML email templates
Advanced customization, including custom domain and HTML/CSS rebranding
Autoresponders and triggered email campaigns
Comes with CRM and marketing automation tools
Pricing
ActiveCampaign offers four pricing plans; Lite - $15/month, Plus - $70/month, Professional - $187/month, and Enterprise - custom pricing. A 14-day free trial is offered in which you can send 1,000 emails to 100 contacts.
Pros
Powerful email automation that is easy to create
Diverse suite of marketing solutions
Quality and timely customer support
Cons
ActiveCampaign follows a ‘pay per contact’ model, which can become expensive if your subscriber base is large
Limited white label solutions are offered in non-enterprise plans
3. Mailjet
Mailjet Embedded is another white label email marketing software loved by many. You can integrate the software within your application and offer it as a service to your customers.
Each customer onboarded is paired up with a technical account manager to make the installation an easy process. Mailjet includes all the features of a powerful email marketing software along with the option of adding your own branding.
Not only do you benefit from a drag and drop email builder, but you can segment your audience base, create personalized emails using premade email templates, A/B test emails, and track campaign performance.
Key Features
Contact management
Segmentation and personalization
Drag and drop email builder
Email automation
Multi-language support
Pricing
Mailjet offers a forever free plan in which you can send 6,000 emails per month. Paid plans include Essential - $15/month, Premium - $25/month, and Custom, which is available on request.
Pros
The dashboard and email builder are easy to use
The free plan lets you understand the tool without committing to it
Dynamic email content is provided
Cons
Segmentation feature isn’t advanced
Response time is long
4. BigMailer
BigMailer is an underdog in the world of white label email marketing. Their white label solution is ideal for agencies because it offers built-in brand management. You can invite unlimited clients to your dashboard and set different roles and permissions for them.
With their white label solution, you can remove all references to BigMailer, add your logo, and create your custom domain. While they offer features for all stages of email marketing, their design feature stands out from the rest.
Two template builders are offered for different users; Classic Editor, in which templates are edited through code or rich text editor, and Drag-and-drop Editor, for customizing templates without coding.
Key Features
In-built brand management
Completely customizable
Two template builders as per user needs
All major email campaign types are supported
Pricing
White labeling is offered to customers on Agency and Enterprise plans, and prices start at $300/month.
Pros
Seamless collaboration with multiple clients
Quality and timely customer support
Easy-to-use email builder
Cons
The setup process is difficult to operate on its own
Expensive as compared to other white label email marketing software
5. Brevo
Brevo is a well-recognized name in the email marketing world that offers white label solutions as well.
Brevo's white label service is a no-fuss solution in which you can add your logo and color scheme and customize the dashboard to make it your own. You can leverage its advanced features, including contact management, email building, and A/B testing.
My favorite feature from Brevo is its real-time reporting, which is a game changer if you’re an agency with multiple clients or a company with many products.
Key Features
Advanced contact management and segmentation
Mobile-friendly email builder with premade templates
Email personalization
Real-time reporting
Comes with a landing page builder, sales CRM, and SMS campaign management
Pricing
Brevo offers a free plan, but white label is not included in it. White labeling is offered in paid plans, including Lite - $25/month, Premium - $65/month, and Enterprise - custom pricing.
Pros
User-friendly dashboard and interface
Multiple integrations available
Easy-to-use email builder
Cons
The automation feature is not up to the mark
The software sometimes lags and takes long to load
Which White Label Email Marketing Solution is Right for You?
I’m positive you’re excited about the different white label email marketing solutions at your disposal. But how do you know the software you like is right for you? Before you make any commitments, read the following tips:
Do thorough research about a solution. Look at their history and which clients use them
Read unbiased reviews on different community forums and aggregator sites, like G2 and Capterra
If a free trial or plan is offered, use it. It can give you greater insight into the usability of the software
Ask tons of questions from their customer success team
Consider your budget, number of customers, and any general requirements you may have
Wrapping Up
White label email marketing is the way to go if you want to achieve massive returns without bearing development costs. Study these top email marketing software in detail and make a final commitment when you’re 100% positive. Good luck 🤞🏼.
