Email Newsletters

[SusyQ]

We currently have our own email marketing software to email our newsletters, but the tracking of our results falls incredibly short to what we are trying to achieve. Does anyone know of any good reporting software/services that can tell us clickthrough rates, etc.?

Thnx

[Kal]

Hi SusyQ :hi:

We use Constant Contact (http://www.qksrv.net/click-1181816-1668329) because it is cheap, easy to use and gives very detailed tracking and reporting of who clicked what links etc. We also like the range of newsletter templates they offer. Please note the link above is my affiliate link, but you can use http://www.constantcontact.com if you prefer.

You can see an example of the type of newsletter templates they use here (http://www.high-search-engine-ranking.com/search_light_vol_3_issue_2.htm) (our latest newsletter). :cheers:

[SusyQ]

awesome thanks Kal!

( I used your affiliate link, of course :D )

[Allura]

I just read your recommendation, Kal.

This looks like a great product!

thanks for sharing. i will use your affiliate link to sign up if we do
:)

[Kal]

Thanks for the feedback. It is a good product, but I must warn you it does have one significant drawback. Apparently email spammers also like the product and (in the past) used it to send out spam email campaigns. Consequently, many ISP's and anti-spam software products have Constant Contact / Roving on a "blacklist". This means that sometimes your email correspondence will be rejected by your recipient's server, or put in their junk email list.

CC are working hard to overcome this and hopefully it will be addressed soon. In the meantime you should make your subscribers aware of the possibility and get them to subscribe with an Internet-based email address or to ensure your correspondence is not sent to their junk email folder. :)

[Allura]

hey kal,

what is the typical bounce rate?

also, since i am just starting my research into the newsletter field, i am a little unclear what you mean by "subscribe using an internet-based address".

I would really appreciate some more indepth tips about that!

while we are on the subject....we have about 20,00 addresses from people who have done business with us or communicated with us over the last year.

ie: they bought from us, or contacted us with a spefic request for information about buying, or with whom we have actively engaged in e-mail and phone conversation. I read through the CC spam policy and they say that as long as you use a permission letter, then it would not be spam to contact them again.

We did not specifically ask them at the time to opt-in, but are launching a great promotion that we only want to offer to loyal customers as a way to say thanks for their past business.

We also wanted to use the promotion as a way to get their permission for future loyalty program offers. The offers are not small. These are customers that would save hundreds of dollars on their next ski vacation.

So, our plan is to contact these customers, say thanks, and let them know that as a loyal customer, we are offering specific benefits for the next time they do business with us. We will present the current benefit offers, then encourage them to opt in to learn about upcoming loyalty program offers.

it would be a 1 time follow-up to these customers.

My guess is that we should be asking them to opt -in, rather than opting them in automatically, then asking them to opt out if they don;t want to hear from us anymore.

Is this spam?

Any feedback would be appreciated!
thanks!
A.

[Kal]

Originally posted by Allura
hey kal,

what is the typical bounce rate? Currently between 8-10%

Originally posted by Allura
i am a little unclear what you mean by "subscribe using an internet-based address".I mean like Hotmail or Yahoo or something Internet based rather than ISP based.

Originally posted by Allura
My guess is that we should be asking them to opt -in, rather than opting them in automatically, then asking them to opt out if they don;t want to hear from us anymore.

Is this spam?".
Hmmm. I would definitely not opt them in automatically. If you have established a relationship with them, then it may be ok for you to do a one-time mailing to them inviting them to receive future correspondence from you. But I wouldn't try to sell them anything in your initial mailing. Rather use it as an invitation to extend the relationship. This is just my advice, but I don't have a lot of experience in email marketing. Perhaps others can chime in here?

[Advisor]

It's fine to send an announcement message to your list of 20,000 contacts, that you now have an email newsletter they can sign up for. Make it clear that they will not be signed up automatically, and that if they do not want to sign up, they won't continue to get correspondence about this.

DO NOT SIGN THEM UP FOR YOUR NEWSLETTER!

Only a quick message telling them about it, with instructions on how they can sign up if they want to.

If you opt them in, you will be spamming and you risk whatever comes along with sending spam.

Good luck!

Jill

[Allura]

...i am relieved to know that we can contact them through a one time mailing.

I was checking out constant contacts as a provider, as Kal recommended. Do you have any other suggestions?

is there a trusted report available on the web where I can check out various vendors to handle list management and the production?

have a great night and thanks again. you wouldn't believe what a huge help you have been through my SEO adventures!

Allura

[Advisor]

I use List Channel (http://www.listchannel.com/index.htm?1039). My newsletter is text-only, so it's not very trackable. But List Channel has all sorts of options, I believe.

Jill