Email marketing help

rob316

Hello,

Ive had a look through the forum but I really just need a specific answer. I help run a business and I basically have a huge database of email addresses I have for my customers. I want to be able to send out a sort of newsletter every month/bi-monthly to each customer. Its really just gonna be a .jpg of a special offer I design pasted into the body of an email, nothing fancy and it doesn't need to be. I just wanna know what programs I need and how much its gonna cost me. Again nothing fancy just as basic as possible. Database has about 600 email addresses.

Thanks
Rob

conolan

Lots of email publisher programmes about, most you can get as limited free trial.
My other half and a customer use eNewsletter Manager v2
See http://www.e-undertown.com/en/software.asp

Works fine.
HOWEVER, not sure your customers will appreciate a JPG. Some corporate email server filter them out, lots of anti-spam might do likewise.
The software above will allow you compose a 'normal' email and sent it to your contact list.

rob316

Hi, thanks cheers for the advice. How should I send it so, attach the file?

Jame$

check out www.constantcontact.com, it is not free, but it is cheap

zAbbo

Using a hosted service would be useful, I dislike Constant Contact - much prefer Mail Chimp myself, although I've heard good stuff about the Irish owned Toddle.

Those apps are generally pay per email, so around €0.02 per email sent. (around €12 per send)

What you need to concentrate on the quality of the offer/comms and the list details.

Most email services (like the 2 above) will allow you to see who has opened/clicked/bounced.

It's a little pointless if you're just going to do something basic, just do a BCC jobby in Outlook - it won't have the bells and whistles or stats - but is cheap, basic and a real ronseal effort.

Inserting the image, I'd advise linking it through HTML, and not attaching it - as there's nothing worse than being spammed with an email that has embedded images (huge filesize)

If you're not going the hosted email route, there's desktop applications like (again Irish owned) Group Mail which is a very powerful app once configured correctly - licence costs around €100.

I wrote a small piece on Email marketing which might help.

gypsy777

Aweber.com or icontact.com

Or self host your own email marketing autoresponder with responderbuddy
Once its set up you can use it to manage as many campaigns as you like and you dont have to worry about monthly fees.

zAbbo

Is that an affiliate/referral link you've dropped in with Responder Buddy?

byrne0f56789

Aweber is what I use. You have a flat monthly fee of about €16 . They are really good. Don't subscribe to a cost per send system. Also, when you are sending e-mail you must be CAN-SPAM compliant. You must only send mail to people who have double opted in.

rob316

Well Im finally set up, I found out my main supplier offer this service and Ive been paying for it for the last 3 years without knowing! €70 per month for up to 10,000 emails, pretty good I think.Im still a little bit unclear about the laws of sending. Without saying too much I offer a retail service to businesses on a credit basis, I want to add the email addresses of the majority of my past and present customers, would a simple phone call suffice to ask if I can add them to my database.

thanks

MGilly84

Yes Im sure the Call would suffice to get permission. But whats the plan for after the mail shot goes out are you going to follow up??? because if your not I think Email shots are a waste of time...