SpectrumConnection.org
Toni Lapp runs Spectrum Connection, a site providing news and education for families in the Kansas City area affected by autism. The site includes blogs, feature articles, a Q&A column with a special ed specialist and a calendar of events.
Toni’s work definitely qualifies her as a “Good Karma Host,” and she has a question:
I’m trying to get in the habit of sending monthly updates to my site’s visitors to let them know about new content. I have a mailing list of about 500 names that I’ve collected over the months.
Can you recommend any e-newsletter programs? Also, can you suggest how I can get people to subscribe on my site so I can collect e-mail addresses automatically? Would love to hear any suggestions you may have.
What a fabulous question! First off, major kudos to you for being smart enough to be collecting those email addresses in the first place. So many people don’t realize the power of building your email list, but if you’ve got 500 contacts already, you clearly do get it. It’s also very smart to be planning to automate the process as much as possible–this will allow easy scaling as you grow your site and your list. And that’s the point, anyway, right?
The two approaches to managing a newsletter are doing it yourself with the help of some email list software, or utilizing an email list service. [1]
Do-It-Yourself Email List Management
Many email publishers start with the DIY-route hoping to spare expense. Programs like the free version of Email Marketing Pro offer basic list management and tools for creating emails; with any free bulk email program, expect limits in functionality and possibly ads in your emails, or nags to buy the more capable, paid version. A paid program like e-Campaign will offer a slicker user experience and more extensive options than free tools–but starts with a more extensive price tag. (Since you have a WordPress site, you may also want to check out some of the available newsletter plugins, which can send emails to people who register with your site.)
What these programs generally do is store your list and offer some mechanism for writing and sending your emails. Some will help manage bounces and unsubscribes. The emails will be sent either through your internet service provider’s (ISP) account, or more likely, through your hosted domain’s email account.
“Gotchas” to look out for when going DIY for bulk email:
- Email limits. Any responsible ISP or host will limit the number of emails that can be sent hourly to avoid misuse by spammers and limit the demands on the server. Limits of anywhere from 100 to 500 emails per hour are common. Do NOT use any program that cannot throttle the email delivery, allowing pauses between emails sent (unless you don’t mind maybe getting your account suspended).
- Automation limitations. The more you can automatically process subscribes, unsubscribes and bounces, the more time you can spend on content instead of list administration. Favor solutions that manage as much of clerical work as possible. You’ll be glad you did.
- HTML vs. Plain Text Capabilities. HTML email is considered more effective than plain text because of generally better response rates, but you need to be able to provide plain text as well for those that cannot read HTML email. While it’s best to let your subscribers decide their preferred format, a program that creates multi-part Mime email–serving a plain text version to those who cannot see the HTML version–is a minimum must-have requirement for anyone sending HTML email.
Sender Authentication. With the ever-raging war on spam fought by system administrators everywhere, just making it to an inbox can sometimes be an accomplishment! The sending domain needs to be set up properly with all the records in place to show who is emailing: SPF records, Reverse DNS, and Domain Keys all help authenticate the sender and make your emails less likely to get spam-trapped. [2]- Email Reputation. Did you know you have an email rep? You do! Factors like spam complaints, percentage of email bounces, widely fluctuating volume of email, your sending history, sender authentication (as described above), or being in a “bad net neighborhood” all contribute to your overall email reputation. Think of it like an Email Credit Score. The better it is, the more consistently your email will be delivered. If you’re on shared hosting–especially those dirt-cheap shared hosting plans with lots of neighbors–blacklisting, where your emails are rejected because of another webmaster’s spamming history–is a common problem.
- Best Practices or Just Junk? Desktop and web-based email programs vary substantially in how they render content. Likewise, mail scanners search for specific indicators in the message (such as text size, use of color and images) to determine if an email is likely spam. If you’re sending HTML email, it’s extremely important those emails are constructed with a good understanding of both how email programs render email and how email systems tag spam–best practices help assure your readers get your message.
- Tracking Lacking? Knowing how many people are opening your email, visiting each link, or forwarding the message is important in understanding your subscribers’ interests and providing the most effective content. Most DIY solutions are conspicuously lacking in tracking features.
The bigger you hope to grow your list, the more attention you need to pay to potential gotchas. Doing it right from the start will save you headaches down the road. For small lists unlikely to grow much, the concerns are not as pressing. But who starts a mailing list to “keep it small?”
Email Marketing Services
If the DIY-gotcha-list leaves your head spinning, you’re not alone. That’s why there are a number of email list services out there competing for your business! Almost any professional email list service will directly address pretty much all the potential problems of the DIY route, so that’s a given. Thus, you’re now looking at what the service itself offers above and beyond avoiding problems.
If you’re ready to graduate to a full fledged email list management service, here’s what to look for:
- Price, of course. Make sure fees are reasonable and expect to pay by the number of subscribers, with the ability to upgrade as your list grows. (Hint: It’s more affordable than folks may think.)
- Support matters! Sure, check out the FAQs and knowledgebase, but go further. Peruse the tech support forum if one’s available. Look at how staff interacts with customers and the type of complaints as well as the praise to get a feel for what you can expect as a customer.
- Learning the ropes? Speaking of support: look for training material for help both in using the service’s features and creating the most effective email campaigns. You want to work with a company that’s invested in helping you achieve your goals.
- Can you import your existing list? Will it require a new opt-in confirmation? Even if you don’t need to worry about email rep, your list service better be! That translates to some companies not allowing import of current, permission-based lists without making your subscribers respond to a confirmation request. If you don’t want to lose subscribers with this requirement, check first.
- Automation exhilaration! Email services will provide forms you can add to your website to allow visitors to be automatically added to your list. Also look for various tools to import and save contacts to make managing your list easier.
- It’s all in the numbers. Check statistical and reporting tools to see what info you can track.
- Keep it sharp! A wide array of professionally-designed templates, email wizard, and the ability to customize your mails to match your site are all desirable features. Great-looking email adds credibility and improves results.
- How about the extras? Look for bonuses like newsletter archives, an image library, list segmenting options, or survey tools to maximize value. You should also be able to send either newsletters or autoresponders–a series of emails sent over the course of several days.
- Test-Drive it. While pretty, shiny websites may leave you anxious to get started, amazing bells and whistles do no good whatsoever if you can’t figure them out! Select a service that gives you a test-drive, and you’ll quickly see if setting up and sending your emails is an intuitive and pleasant experience.
Stats to Track
Recommendations
If budget allows and you plan to grow your list, I recommend using an email service–it’s more scalable, more automated, removes tech hurdles, provides tracking, and just makes it easier for you to produce great-looking messages.
If you’re not there yet, that’s okay. Go ahead and start with a free or paid program that suits your current needs, planning to trade up down the road as you get there. But with 500 contacts already, I wouldn’t put it off too long.
With these guidelines in hand, you should be able to make an informed choice about what option will be the best fit for you. I invite visitors to share their own favorite tools, comments or questions below.
Good luck with your newsletter, Toni. And thank you for being a Good Karma Host!
Do you use your website to serve–and have a question? Ask it here!
Footnotes- When faced with the same questions as Toni in managing our own email lists, GKH tested several options, ultimately choosing Constant Contact. We liked it so much, we became a business partner to offer it to our clients! Many links in this article point to our business partner site. [↑]
- If this sounds like a lot of techno-mumbo-jumbo, it is. But it’s what mail server administrators often use to decide which emails to let through and which to condemn to email spam purgatory. Blame those spammers, man. [↑]
Possibly Related
Posted on October 16, 2009 at 1:03 pm in: Public Service
{ 1 trackback }
{ 0 comments… add one now }