| A permission based list of email subscribers is the | | | | Make sure your service provider lets you backup |
| most valuable asset you should build with your online | | | | those email addresses on a regular basis. They are |
| marketing efforts. So what are the right tools to get | | | | your valuable asset. |
| started with. Technically you have three choices: | | | | * Autoresponders and follow up messages. |
| (1) Sending your email promotions yourself with | | | | Allows you to send messages automatically to people |
| desktop software. | | | | who have just signed up for your email list. This is a |
| (2) Sending your emails with server based software | | | | key feature which allows you to provide the content |
| from your servers. | | | | your subscribers ask for in a timely fashion. Many |
| (3) Outsourcing to a trusted email marketing tools | | | | businesses for example offer mini-series of email |
| service provider. | | | | courses or tips that way. |
| When using (1) or (2) you will find yourself quickly | | | | * List segmentation |
| involved with technical issues and you will run into all | | | | This simply allows you to define a subset of your |
| sorts of restrictions and limitations due to various | | | | entire email list for even more targeted messages. |
| anti-spam measures. Getting your emails delivered is | | | | For example you might want to send a message only |
| not only a technical issue anymore. It has become a | | | | to the subscribers, who have joined your list this |
| matter of trust between email service and Internet | | | | month. |
| service providers. (Thanks to all those reckless email | | | | * Complete 24/7 self-administration of your account |
| spammers.) Sending your email campaigns using a | | | | over the web. |
| reputable service provider increases the chances that | | | | Kind of self-explanatory. You don't want to call |
| your emails are delivered and protects you from | | | | someone at business hours in order to change |
| having your own email server or domain blocked as a | | | | anything with your campaigns. |
| result of false spam complaints. | | | | * Tool for creating opt-in web forms. |
| It might look more inexpensive to make a one-time | | | | You simply create your email opt-in form, copy the |
| purchase for software that handles all your future | | | | HTML code and paste it into your web page. |
| email campaign needs compared to choosing a | | | | * Personalization of messages. |
| service that charges $30 a month. But in reality you | | | | Will allow you to use the name of your subscriber or |
| will pay a very heavy price for trying to be cheap. | | | | other variables to make your messages more |
| Any good email marketing service provider will take | | | | personal. |
| care of the issues that ensure your messages get | | | | * HTML and plain text messages capabilities including |
| delivered into the inbox of your subscribers. They | | | | an online editor. |
| also will make sure that their service is up-to-date | | | | Some people prefer to receive plain text email others |
| technically and follows legal requirements like the | | | | like it colorful and flashy. Send both at the same time |
| CAN-SPAM act. | | | | and the users' email client preferences will take care |
| Therefore, the only choice I recommend is | | | | of what the subscriber gets to see. |
| outsourcing the technical part of your email | | | | * Excellent email deliverability |
| campaigns. Really, maintaining a database of | | | | One of the most important variables about different |
| prospects and sending a large number of emails lies in | | | | service providers. Your messages are lost when they |
| the realm of server infrastructure. That rules out | | | | get filtered as spam and never reach the inbox of |
| desktop applications for serious business owners | | | | your subscribers. Email deliverability is a complicated |
| anyway. And unless you are a software developer, a | | | | issue and one of the major reasons why outsourcing |
| network engineer or it is your core business to deal | | | | the technical part is so strongly recommended. Of |
| with Internet servers, then you don't want to deal | | | | course you must choose a provider that can prove a |
| with the server and maintenance issues of your email | | | | high deliverability rate. Compare them. |
| marketing either. Be honest, do you host your | | | | * Automatic handling of unsubscribe requests, spam |
| website in your office? Most likely not. | | | | complaints, and inactive email addresses. |
| Using a service provider for your email marketing. | | | | This takes care of legal issues and frees you from |
| By choosing an email marketing tools service provider | | | | having to deal with this subject altogether. |
| you can concentrate on your marketing, on the | | | | * Good documentation and training material |
| content of your email promotions, on building your list | | | | Your provider should not only make it easy for you |
| of email subscribers, ... simply on the tasks that will | | | | to use and learn their service, they also should |
| translate to more distribution and more sales. | | | | provide educational material on the subject of email |
| Let me give you a short list of features you should | | | | marketing. |
| be looking for in an excellent email marketing service | | | | * Great free customer service |
| provider. I will focus on what beginners and medium | | | | You don't want to waste any time or money with |
| experienced online marketers need to have. Basically | | | | creation of email messages. A good provider allows |
| you want a provider which allows you to grow with | | | | you to choose from many templates and gives you |
| your campaigns. | | | | a WYSIWYG editor for quickly writing your |
| Here is a short list of core features and a brief | | | | messages. |
| explanation. | | | | Those are the basic feature that you should be |
| * Unlimited email lists and number of messages sent. | | | | looking for. The following functions seem to be |
| Nothing is more prohibitive than restrictions on the | | | | advanced, but after getting started with email |
| maximum number of emails you can send to your | | | | marketing you soon will ask for the following as well. |
| email lists. You also want to make sure that you can | | | | Make sure its available right from the start. |
| create as many separate lists as needed. For | | | | * Split testing capability |
| example: a prospect list for dog lovers, another one | | | | Allows you to test the response for two versions of |
| for cat lovers, and one for bird lovers. Once they | | | | your message. For example with a different subject |
| buy from you they get moved to a customer list for | | | | line. Then you can send the "winner" to your entire |
| cats, dogs, or birds. | | | | list. |
| And you might want to build a list of super hot | | | | * Sophisticated tracking of open- and click-through |
| prospects. Don't worry there are simple techniques | | | | rates and easy to understand reports |
| on how to do this, but its important that your | | | | Those metrics will help you to figure out what type |
| service provider lets you do those kind of things | | | | of offers and messages your email subscribers |
| without extra charges. | | | | especially like or dislike. A must have tool for being |
| Usually you pay a flat fee for the total number of | | | | able to improve the success of your campaigns. |
| email addresses you store in the providers database. | | | | * Include attachments such as ebooks or PDF's with |
| This is as fair as it gets, because the more email | | | | your messages. |
| addresses you have collected the more revenue you | | | | * Easy PayPal and 3rd party shopping cart integration. |
| can generate. | | | | |