Bulk email marketing software can be hit and miss. The last thing you want to do is to sink time, effort, and money into an email marketing tool only to discover that its functionality isn’t anywhere near what you’re looking for. To run an effective email marketing campaign, you have to use an effective software program. But what features should you look for? Here’s a short list of the top three.

1. Simple, intuitive list building. If you’re looking at a bulk email marketing software program that’s going to require you to manually enter in your entire list of existing contacts, you’re also looking at hours – and possibly days – of wasted time. Look for an email marketing tool that will easily import your list of contacts from a variety of different sources including Excel and CSV files.

2. Fast, complex auto responders. Very few customers enjoy receiving standard, generic auto response emails, but some email marketing tools have the ability to send different auto response messages based on specific triggers and criteria.

3. Analytic capabilities. Most bulk email marketing software will have the ability to run reports. Naturally, the software program you select should have the widest range of reporting possible to help you hone and perfect your marketing efforts.