On the surface, opt-in email marketing sounds a lot like paid search better known as Pay Per Click (PPC).

You make an account, set up your campaigns and start rolling in the cash. If only life were that easy.

It’s virtually impossible for one person to effectively plan, launch and manage an e-mail campaign on his own. That’s why a consulting firm – with a team of specialists – is best positioned to make a project succeed.

If you’re hiring in-house, you need to ask yourself:

Is this person qualified? We’re talking really proficient in this area of online marketing. He doesn’t have to know email marketing inside and out to increase leads, conversions and revenue. But will he perform exceptionally well?

Is he responsible for many other tasks (i.e. natural search engine optimization, PPC, linking building, marketing collateral, etc.)?

Does he keep up with the ISPs and federal standards?

Does he know how to process the knowledge he encounters about email formats and designs?

Is he an outstanding writer – both with ad copy and landing pages?

Is he well-organized?

Is he persuasive and assertive enough to get co-workers to do their part (i.e. help shape messages that must be delivered)?

Are his design skills second to none? Or has he just played around with Photoshop? How do his designs (if he can design) stack up against your competitors’ landing pages. Be very honest. Is design really his vocation?

What delivery and tracking system are you using? How robust are its features?

If you can’t afford to outsource, it’s understandable that you might make the most with what you’ve got. But again, can you really afford not to improve your email campaigns by hiring a pro on the outside?

Sometimes it’s not just about those skills that are hard to find in any one person (the bionic online marketer). It’s also about sense and perspective. Firms like ours have been around a long time and worked with enough clients to get a good handle on best practices.

Sure, you can hire someone who worked for another business. Why not budget some money for an agency that has worked with numerous email clients? When you think along those lines, you’re buying wisdom, not just core skills.