Email marketing is an incredibly powerful method of promoting your products or services. You can’t go wrong, in most cases, because most of your prospects will voluntarily sign up to receive your e-mails. Your challenge is finding an e-mail marketing software program that will allow you to easily and effectively market your campaign.
There are hundreds of different e-mail marketing software programs to choose from. You’ll want to start by deciding whether or not you want an online or offline software program. There are a few considerable differences you’ll need to think about.
Offline programs need to be installed on your computer and can only be used if you are logged onto that machine. On the upside, you have complete control over the way your program is set up and you can choose the email server you use to send messages. Unfortunately, you’re going to pay hundreds of pounds for an offline program and it takes a lot of time to set them up.
Online programs are either installed on your web server or on the company’s server and can be accessed from anywhere you are able to log onto the Internet. The software company has preprogrammed the software and you simply need to enter your lists, schedule your emails, and check your reports to confirm which emails are effective and which are not. The only drawbacks are that you have no control of what server you used and you may have to put up with occasional downtime if the company experiences any sort of technical difficulty.
So where can you find a good email marketing program? I recommend doing a little bit of research and comparing features to determine which are best for your individual needs. Start by doing an Internet search and compiling a list of services that look like they’ll work for you. Then visit a few online forums and ask other users what they think of each one. A particular e-mail marketing program may be the most popular, or the least expensive, but that doesn’t mean it will be right for you.
If you’re stuck and don’t know where to start, I recommend searching for and checking out a few of these popular programs:
o Constant Contact
o Vertical Response
o Elite Email
o Send Studio
o EXP Elite
These e-mail programs represent only a small handful, and I offer them not as recommendations for use, but as a guide to help you get started.
What programs do you use now and would you recommend them to others?