Email Campaign Tool

Josh Sommers · #1 05-27-2009, 10:08 PM

There is no doubt that email marketing is becoming more and more important to online businesses. So choosing the right email campaign tool is no doubt one of the most important steps to your success.

You have two options when choosing an email campaign tool:

A) A Managed Email Campaign Tool
Easy, Simple, Monthly Fee
For example iContact or Constant Contact handle all the annoying backend server stuff (for example the MTA setup, DomainKeys, blacklist checking etc.) but you pay monthly based on the size of your list. They are simple to configure and easy to use.

B) Self Hosted Email Campaign Tool
Difficult, Expensive, One Time Fee, Reliable and More Likely to Get Through Spam Filters When Done Right
You pay outright for the software (at an overall savings) but you are then responsible for all the backend stuff. This may sound like a more cost effective solution but there is a lot of work to do when you choose this method. For example you have to configure your MTA properly, you have to keep an eye on the different spam lists to ensure your domain and IP (and parent IPs) are not being blacklisted. You are responsible for handling spam inquiries. You have to keep your software updated (and secured) to prevent spammers from abusing your system. You need to setup your reverse DNS and SPF records, generate and use DomainKeys. There is a lot to do when handling your own email system.

Here is a fantastic article by Laura Hall that may help clarify:

Quote:

Managed Versus Self Service Email Marketing

The value of email marketing is no longer something that any serious marketer can ignore. With the advent of always-on high-bandwidth internet and the fact that most everyone has an email address, marketing via email has become one of the cheapest and most effective forms of marketing.

When starting out with email marketing, you may find yourself neck-deep in questions. There are so many things to consider, from putting together a marketing plan, to putting together an email list, and getting set up with the necessary hardware and software. One of the major things you should consider when starting marketing via email is whether to opt for managed marketing services or to go with a self-service marketing plan.

Managed email marketing is a service provided by a professional marketing company. In exchange for monthly fees, the company designs a marketing campaign plan for you. This includes website add-ons that can help you increase the number of people in your email list. Likewise, a professional marketing group will also plan out your email promotion, as well as the series of follow-up emails that you will send out to your email list. A part of the service is to give results of the email campaign. This includes the number of click-thrus, opt outs and other information. Likewise, a good marketing company should provide you with an analysis of email campaigns that work for your products, and those that do not. Eventually, your marketing company should tweak your marketing based on the results.

On the other hand, self-service marketing relies on your technology and marketing backend. First of all, you will need to buy an email campaign software and you would need to install this into your host/ server. Some configuration may be required, and you will also need to import your mailing list. Next is your marketing campaign. You will need to plan this, right down from the welcome email, to the follow-up emails, including email promotions. For self-service marketing, especially for those doing this for the first time, expect the beginning of the campaign to be a hit and miss. Some emails will generate a positive response, while others will not. You will need to continually tweak your marketing campaigns until you achieve the right mix.

Between a managed service and self-service marketing, the major difference is cost. Managed services is a continued cost to you. Ideally, you should be getting new clients for each of your email campaigns. With self-service marketing, the bulk of the cost would be at the start, when you would have to invest on software and time for designing and tweaking your campaign. The advantage of managed services is that you would be relying on the experience of the service provider. Presumably, they have done other email campaigns before yours. This way, your email marketing can run smoothly from the start.

With self-service, you are able to change your campaign strategy anytime you want. Likewise, there will not be any limitations to how much email you send and how often. With self-service email marketing, you are in full control.

An email marketing plan that you can manage yourself to make loads of cash: Click Here!

Laura Hall

When all is said and done I suppose it depends on the size of your email list, your technical abilities and how much you are looking to spend.

I used a self hosted email campaign tool but if I were to start over I would seriously reconsider my choice.

Bob Sommers · #2 06-12-2009, 12:12 AM

Knowing what I know now, I would never start with a self-hosted solution. The email marketing services like Aweber are just too good to pass up. Once my email list was up to 10,000 or more people, and I had access to an email marketing expert like Josh Sommers, then I would convert to the service we're using now: Send Studio by Interspire.

biggienuts · #3 06-21-2009, 11:05 PM

Hello Guys,
Do you have any suggestions on "What the emails should include"? How about a format?

Bob Sommers · #4 06-21-2009, 11:24 PM

Hi Michael:
We're working on just that this week. Please check out our email marketing blog. We're adding new content to it every day.
Aloha, Bob Sommers

biggienuts · #5 06-22-2009, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Sommers

Hi Michael:
We're working on just that this week. Please check out our email marketing blog. We're adding new content to it every day.
Aloha, Bob Sommers

Thanks Bob,
I look forward to learning!!

mgb

mic10 · #6 07-09-2009, 04:41 PM

i've been with aweber for little over 4 years and believe it's excellent in both value and service, esp. for beginners. i remember starting, the customer support was great & won major points compared to other services i'd used prior.

in regards to what an email should include, i've found determining the intent of the message before writing it definitely helps to keep my message focused & to-the-point versus going off on tangents.

the form that has helped me involves subtitles (if needed), bulleted thoughts and telling the reader right off the bat what the email is about.

here's a great article about email writing & formatting
http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1628522

hope that helps.

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