Mission: Communicate

You’ve got a list and you’ve got a message. Time to get the word out. How do you go about it? What do you do when your ISP doesn’t allow you to send a message to more than 50 recipients in the BCC, TO or CC at one time?

First Things:
1. Remember the Spam factor
Only send e-letters to people who are expecting it, have a relationship with you, and include accurate contact details for you - the sender. Spam has a lot of definitions and people are using aggressive software to reduce the amount unsolicited and unwanted email. Your email could be blacklisted if you begin sending unsolicited email and people begin to report your email as unwanted spam!

2. Never send attachments to an e-list!
Did I say never? That is what I mean to say so it has been said!! This may seem tricky to accomplish but not really. With a basic understanding of web graphics and hosting images or documents it can be done. DO NOT begin sending e-letters to your list until you learn how to accomplish this. For more read this article about images in email - non-attachement style.

3. Give people the option to un-subscribe
It will lend great credibility to you if you make this available in every email. It has to be easy to get out.

4. Make Sure you know what you’re sending
Spell check, test each link and re-read your email before sending. Oh yeah - also be sure to include your email in the list so you get an exact copy of the email as it was sent.

5. Have a clear goal
With the many options available and the large amount of email people are already receiving this is essential. Decide what the tone of your email will be, the content, and the number of emails you want to send regularly. Write this out on paper and keep it at the front of your mind each time you write.

E-letter Options:
There are many ways to go about creating and sending e-letters to your list. Each way comes with its pros and cons. Weigh out each in light of what you need and want to accomplish. There’s simple, there is elegant and there is simple and elegant and there is also the plain - simple and functional. :-)

a. Super option for an individual list or multiple lists.
Sign up for a trial account with Intellicontact.com - and see the action of an amazing service for a very reasonable price. The solution provides easy to create newsletters with professional templates; the ability to track how many people actually read your letter; test each email for spam ratings to see if there are phrases or links that should be changed in order to not get caught in spam filters, and more. Check it out and sign up for the trial run - send a letter or two and see if it works for you. Sends both a fancy html letter and plain text to those who require it. Great support team from these guys and super tutorials/videos to help you learn more about the system.
~Website Not Required
~Import Existing Lists
~Track Results (Open rates, bounce rates, Click Rates for links in the letter)

b. An alright option that simply distributes your message.
Use a hosted EZMLM list. This is a simple tool that offers nothing more than the ability to create a list address. You add emails to the list one at a time and when you need to send a letter out send it to the list address - i.e. mylist@mywebsite.com. The letter is distributed to each email on the list - you only need to send it to one address! (I offer a website hosting package that includes the creation of up to 30 different EZMLM lists. Talk to me if you’re interested in more info.)
~Website host required
~Import One Address at a time

c. A great option for those who need it.
Hire a web designer to manage your e-letter campaigns. This comes with a higher price tag than some will want - but it allows you to focus on content and the designer is responsible for setting up the list, creating a subscribe page, schedule the campaign, involve you in the process and report the statistics to you.
~No Website Required
~Import Multiple Lists
~Track Results (Open rates, bounce rates, Click Rates for links in the letter)

d. A simple and great option that just works for notification purposes.
Notifylist.com - a free tool that offers a simple way to create lists through a subscription form on your website. It works, has its limitations but works.
~No Website Required - though it is designed for use with a website
~Import Existing Lists - email developer existing list and they do the import after verifying the eligibility of your list recipients

Suggested Reading:

• Email Software-Best Practices - Select the best practices link and access multiple studies published by Intellicontact
• Email Labs - Best Practices & Quick Tips
• Bestprac.org - Netiquette for Email

Need more? Have a suggested e-letter service provider that is working for you?

Posted in blogging, email, tips ~n~ tricks |