Email marketing cost at a glance (AUD)
- Software: $0–$80/month for small lists; $80–$400+/month mid-tier automation; $500–$2,000+/month advanced CRM suites as contacts/features scale.
- One-off setup or migration: $600–$5,000 depending on DNS/auth, template suite, list cleanup, segments and initial flows.
- Campaign production: $500–$2,000 per campaign (design, copy, build, QA, basic testing).
- Automation flow builds: $1,500–$8,000 per flow (welcome, cart/browse abandon, nurture, reactivation) based on branching and data complexity.
- Deliverability and compliance: $500–$3,000+ for audits, authentication, warm-up and hygiene; $50–$300 per 10k contacts for list cleaning services.
- Ongoing management: $1,000–$6,000+ per month by volume, testing cadence, reporting depth and CRM integration.
What drives email marketing cost
- List size and send frequency (subscriber tiers and throughput).
- Automation depth (number of flows, branching logic, event triggers).
- Data and integrations (ecommerce platforms, CRM, custom events, APIs).
- Creative requirements (brands, templates, content volume, assets).
- Testing and optimisation (A/B cadence, holdouts, segmentation tests).
- Compliance and deliverability (SPF/DKIM/DMARC, warm-up, hygiene).
- Reporting and attribution (GA4, UTMs, dashboards, revenue mapping).
Platform pricing in Australia
Pricing varies by contacts, sends and feature sets. Typical monthly ranges:
- Entry platforms (basic newsletters and light automation): often $0–$80 for small lists; $80–$150 for 2k–10k contacts.
- Mid-tier automation tools (advanced journeys, SMS add-ons): usually $80–$400+ for 2k–10k contacts; $300–$900+ for 10k–50k.
- Advanced CRM-led suites (deep lifecycle, multi-channel, sales alignment): commonly $500–$2,000+ as contacts and features scale.
SMS and add-on modules are billed separately. Annual billing typically discounts 10–20%.
One-off setup and migration costs
- Account setup, branding and DNS authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC): $600–$1,800.
- Template system (master + variants, mobile QA): $800–$2,500.
- List import, consent alignment and basic segmentation: $400–$1,200.
- Welcome/onboarding flow (copy, build, QA): $1,500–$3,000.
- Platform migration (mapping fields, tags, history, redirects): $1,200–$4,000 depending on complexity.
Campaign production cost
- Single campaign (design, copy, build, QA): $500–$1,200 for simple; $1,200–$2,000 for rich creative or multiple segments.
- Monthly content packs (2–4 campaigns): $1,000–$3,500 depending on assets and testing.
- Creative add-ons (custom imagery, motion, dynamic content): $300–$1,500 per campaign.
Automation and lifecycle flows
Deeper automation increases upfront cost but compounds results over time.
- Ecommerce: welcome, browse abandon, cart abandon, post-purchase, win-back. Typical build per flow: $1,500–$5,000; advanced multi-branch flows: $5,000–$8,000.
- B2B/Professional services: lead nurture, webinar/event, onboarding, reactivation. Typical build per flow: $1,800–$6,000 based on segmentation and CRM events.
- Maintenance and optimisation: $300–$1,200 per flow per month for testing and tuning at scale.
Deliverability and compliance
- Audit and remediation (list quality, spam traps, engagement): $800–$3,000+.
- Authentication and warm-up (SPF/DKIM/DMARC, domain/IP warming): $500–$1,500.
- List hygiene services: commonly $50–$300 per 10k contacts cleaned.
- Ongoing monitoring (seed tests, blocklist checks, cadence tuning): $150–$600 per month depending on volume.
Monthly management models
- Lite (2–4 campaigns/month, basic reporting): $1,000–$2,500.
- Growth (4–8 campaigns, automation upkeep, A/B tests, dashboards): $2,000–$5,000.
- Lifecycle/CRM (multi-channel journeys, deep data, experimentation): $5,000–$12,000+.
Freelancers often charge $80–$150/hour; agencies $150–$250+/hour; senior consultants $200–$350+/hour. Retainers reduce per-unit cost when volume is predictable.
Cost scenarios
- Local service business, 3k contacts: platform $40–$120/month; setup $1,500–$3,000; 2 campaigns/month $1,000–$1,800; optional welcome flow $1,500–$2,500.
- Growing ecommerce, 20k contacts: platform $150–$400/month; foundation flows (welcome, browse/cart, post-purchase, win-back) $6,000–$16,000; management $2,500–$5,000/month.
- B2B with CRM integration, 10k contacts: platform $120–$350/month (or CRM suite $500+); nurture + onboarding flows $4,000–$10,000; 4–6 campaigns/month $1,800–$3,500; management $2,000–$5,000/month.
Timeline to live
- Essentials (setup, template, 1 flow): 2–4 weeks.
- Foundation program (setup + 3–5 flows + first month): 4–8 weeks.
- Advanced lifecycle (CRM, data events, multi-branch flows): 6–12 weeks.
How to brief for accurate pricing
- Current list size, growth rate and average monthly send volume.
- Required flows and prioritised use cases (ecommerce vs B2B).
- Data sources and integrations (shop platform, CRM, forms, analytics).
- Creative assets and brand constraints (templates, content cadence).
- Measurement must-haves (GA4, revenue attribution, dashboards).
- Budget envelope and timing expectations.
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