What email marketing platform should a bookkeeping company use instead of Outlook bulk emails?

Hi! For a bookkeeping/accounting sales team, the best “ESP” setup is usually two lanes: (1) a sales outreach/sequencing platform for prospecting and follow-ups (so each rep can run compliant sequences, track replies, and keep sending volumes safe), and (2) a true email marketing platform for opted-in contacts/newsletters (segmentation + templates + reporting). Trying to do both out of Outlook (or even a newsletter ESP alone) is what tends to hurt deliverability and makes list management messy.

1) What type of platform fits this setup (and why)
Use a sales engagement / cold outreach tool for prospecting, not a newsletter-blast tool. Look for features like:

• Multi-user team management (separate reps/senders, roles/permissions)
• Sequences (step-based follow-ups that stop when someone replies)
• Basic segmentation (tags, lists, industry, “attempted/engaged/replied”)
• Reply + meeting tracking (not just opens/clicks)
• Deliverability controls (throttling, bounce handling, inbox health)

Then, use a marketing automation/newsletter ESP for people who opted in (leads, referrals, event signups, existing clients who agreed to marketing). That’s where templates, prettier design, and marketing reporting make the most sense.

Practical rule:

• Cold prospects / outbound follow-ups → sales sequencing tool
• Opted-in audience / newsletter / announcements → email marketing ESP

Deliverability tip that matters a lot: keep outbound and day-to-day ops separate. Many teams send outbound from a subdomain (e.g., mail.yourdomain.com) so any reputation bumps don’t spill over to your primary domain used for client work.

2) Reasonable email cadence for bookkeeping/accounting offers
A safe, common approach is a short “burst” sequence, then a lighter nurture:

• Initial sequence: ~4–6 touches over 2–3 weeks (mix of email + maybe a call/LinkedIn touch if you do that). Spacing often looks like: Day 1, Day 3, Day 6–7, Day 10–12, Day 16–20.
• After the sequence (no reply): move them to a low-frequency nurture like once per month (or once every 4–6 weeks) with something genuinely useful (tax deadline reminder, bookkeeping checklist, “common mistakes” note, etc.).

If you go much heavier than that with cold prospects, you’ll usually see more spam complaints, lower engagement, and worse deliverability—especially in professional services where trust is everything.

Also: cadence should change based on intent. If someone requests info or replies with interest, you can follow up faster (even same day). For truly cold prospects, give them breathing room.

3) Plain-text vs designed templates (deliverability + replies)
For prospecting and sales follow-ups, plain-text (or “plain-text styled” HTML) usually wins for replies and inbox placement because it feels 1:1 and avoids “marketing blast” signals. Keep it:

• Short (a few sentences)
• One clear question or CTA
• Minimal links (often zero or one)
• No big images, banners, or multiple buttons

For newsletters/opted-in marketing, a simple branded template is fine—just keep it lightweight (not image-only), and make sure it has a good text version.

One more critical note (so you don’t create deliverability/compliance problems):
If they’re emailing “a list of prospects,” make sure you’re handling basics like honest identity/subject lines, a physical mailing address, and a working unsubscribe method for commercial outreach. And avoid scraped/bought lists—those are the fastest path to spam-folder placement and domain reputation damage.

If you tell me roughly how many prospects they email per rep per day/week, and whether these are true cold prospects or past inquiries, I can suggest a tighter cadence and what features you should prioritize in the platform shortlist.