| p>An email newsletter is one of the most convenient | | | | newsletter has an "Unsubscribe" link included at the |
| and easy ways to keep in touch with your clients and | | | | bottom - which is required in the US by CAN-SPAM |
| prospects. So you've made the decision to design an | | | | laws. It's a good idea to be CAN-SPAM compliant |
| email newsletter to use as your follow up tool in your | | | | overseas too. You can even create multiple lists to |
| brand design toolkit? The next decision is how to | | | | further manage your follow-up. |
| manage the newsletter from a technical perspective. | | | | - Sends your email out to each recipient individually: |
| Let's look at the technical aspects of managing your | | | | Instead of sending out your email to your entire |
| email newsletter. You want your email newsletter to | | | | recipient list at once, an email program will individually |
| be easy to manage - it should involve as little time and | | | | send each email. This doesn't mean that you have to |
| effort as possible on your part. You also want your | | | | configure the service to send out a million individual |
| recipients to get the newsletter without it landing in their | | | | emails. You just tell it to send to your list and it takes |
| spam folder. And you want your newsletter to be | | | | care of packaging up and sending each individual email |
| compliant with spamming laws, like the CAN-SPAM | | | | behind the scenes. |
| act. | | | | - Enable you to send out your own newsletter: Many |
| While it's tempting to send out your newsletter using | | | | newsletter services offer easy built-in editors. The |
| your normal email software program, it's not the best | | | | service allows you to instantly edit your newsletter |
| choice. Your regular email program doesn't offer the | | | | text, insert new feature images, and add links. Instead |
| necessary features - that's the job of an email | | | | of paying a designer or coder to put your newsletter |
| newsletter service. | | | | together and manage the sending each month, signing |
| - Manages the sending: If you try to send your email | | | | up with a service will put some easy-to-use tools in |
| newsletter from your own email account, you'll run into | | | | your hands. |
| a couple of problems. First of all most email programs | | | | - Offer advance scheduling: Say you're headed out on |
| only allow a certain number of emails to be sent out in | | | | vacation just when you typically send out your email |
| a single batch. So if you have you a large list you'll | | | | newsletter. You don't want to have to lug around your |
| have to send it out several times. Second, many spam | | | | computer and find an Internet connection just to send it |
| filters consider a large recipient list one of the sure | | | | out. But you also don't want to be inconsistent and |
| signs of spam. If you want your clients and prospects | | | | send it out late. Newsletter services offer advance |
| to receive your email, you'd have to keep your lists | | | | scheduling - you can set up your newsletter to be sent |
| tiny. Lastly, you can't embed images into your emails | | | | out days, weeks or even months in advance. And it |
| with email clients like Outlook - they'll come through at | | | | will automatically go out on the day and time you |
| the other end as attachments. If you want to create a | | | | specify. This is great not only for vacations, but for |
| beautiful branded email, a service is the way to go. | | | | hectic workweeks and making the overall process |
| - Manages your list for you: Imagine trying to administer | | | | simpler. |
| your own email newsletter list. One day you get emails | | | | - They're not very expensive: For example, Email Brain |
| from 5 different people asking to be added to your list. | | | | offers a package for small businesses that allows you |
| The next day another 10. So you go into your master | | | | to send out up to 2000 emails in a month for $10. |
| list and cut and paste all of their names into the list. | | | | That's a small price to pay for all of the help they |
| Then a couple of people ask to be removed from | | | | provide. |
| your list. You open your list up and search through it | | | | Using an email newsletter service will make your |
| for their email addresses to remove them. When it | | | | newsletter follow up campaign easier. It will make it |
| comes time to send your newsletter you have to | | | | easier to manage, more likely to be received by your |
| make sure that you've manually added or removed | | | | prospects and customers (instead of winding up in their |
| everyone who has requested to get on or off your list | | | | spam folder) and compliant with all the local laws. It's a |
| - what a lot of work! An email service manages all of | | | | low-cost way to make your newsletter campaign |
| these details for you. You get a simple subscribe | | | | more effective. |
| unsubscribe form, right on your website. And each | | | | |