Managing Your Email Lists

A well-populated email database is a highly regarded Internet marketing tool and can be a driving force in having past customers return to your web site. Building and upkeeping such a list can be an overwhelming and tedious process, however, especially if you are trying to manage one (or several) with a simple desktop e-mail program like Outlook Express or Netscape Messenger. Once your lists get to 50 or so members, it is almost impossible to keep up with the new additions and removals.

Ironically, the more you market and promote, the more unruly your list will become. That’s when it’s time to upgrade to a more sophisticated e-mail management program.

From freeware to online applications to software that can run your business thousands of dollars, there are various forms of e-mail management software available. Before purchasing or downloading a program, though, you should know what details to look for and what best suits your company needs. Here is a helpful list of features to look for:

(1) Personalization Capabilities
When you personalize an email message, you bring yourself and your product or service all that more closer to your end user. Given a complete email database, you can personalize your messages with as much detail as client and company name, address, sex, web site URL…anything!

You can build such a database by collecting the various information in the contact form on your site and then importing it into a database management program like Microsoft Excel or Access. Some e-mail programs even have the database capability built right in. This information can then be merged into your e-mail message text.

(2) Data Sorting
Having an email management program with database capabilities allows you to crank up your marketing a notch. The value of being able to sort your customers into different segments goes beyond simple emailing. If you collect the relevant information in the first place, database sorting will allow you to target your marketing efforts by industry type, geography, size of company, or personal preferences. Being able to then undertake a special emailing to mid-sized toy manufacturers in Thailand, for example, then becomes possible.

(3) Scheduling Delivery
Having the ability to schedule your email delivery is a plus, especially if your list is in the thousands and you don’t want to tie up your computer during your work hours. Off-peak hour sending is not only practical, it’s smart marketing. If you’re in Oregon and you want to make sure that list members on the East Coast receive their messages with their morning coffee, be able to schedule your mailing for a 2:00am delivery time is crucial.

(4) Auto Responders
An auto responder feature allows you to create a customized message that will automatically be generated and sent to your list member to let him or her know that you have received a message. Your auto response message may want to elaborate and say that you will be contacting them later, that they have been added to your tip list, removed from the list, or that you thank them for their inquiry.

(5) Auto Additions and Removals
If someone wants to be added to or dropped from your e-mail list it is imperative that this is done in a timely fashion. If not, you could wind up with a disgruntled person who, by way of complaining to your ISP or posting to popular discussion groups, could easily damage your fine reputation. Many management programs take care of this for you with auto additions and deletions. Certain e-mail management programs also offer duplicate address deletions and auto deletions of defunct e-mail addresses.

(6) Double Verification
Double verification ensures that your subscriber really does want to receive your email messages. Using an auto responder upon receipt of a new subscriber submittal, the double verification process asks the subscriber to confirm that he/she subscribed to your list. By doing so, they’re also verifying that someone hasn’t fraudulently used their email address and name.

(7) Other Features
Some other email list features you may want to look for include:
* list archiving
* ability to generate reports and/or templates
* administrative tools, such as automatic back-up, email testing, setting user access levels for multiple participants
* outsourced hosting and management - especially relevant for large-sized lists

(8) Restrictions
There are things to look out for when shopping around for email lists, too. For example,
* Maximum Capacity - is there a cut-off point on the quantity of mailings the program can handle?
* Programming - are any special programming skills required to run the list?
* Scalability - is the program going to be able to handle your list growth over time?
* Compatibility - is the program compatible with your operating system?

To give you a better idea of the differences between email programs, we’ve listed a few examples here:

* Sparklist
Sparklist is an e-mail list hosting and management company that offers newsletter, discussion list, and promotional capabilities. List members add and remove themselves through e-mail replies, auto responders can be customized for everything, scheduling is available, and certain list members can be designated to post content. Their customer service is top notch and when you call their hotline a human voice will actually answer.

* World Merge
A free downloadable program which utilizes Microsoft Excel files (database must be updated manually) and allows for personalized e-mail messages. This is a perfect tool for an individual email list or an extremely cost-conscious business. Since the software is free, it does include a promotional message for World Merge at the bottom of each mailing.

* Listbot
Microsoft’s free web-based list management that offers newsletters and discussion list capabilities. Other features include online archives of old messages, unlimited subscriber base, and, through it’s upgraded version “PRO,” the option to import addresses. Listbot does not offer personalized merging capabilities and advertises itself through in the mailings of the free version and on your web site submission form.

* Post Cast
Not free, though trial version is available on site. A database solution (using Microsoft Access) with unlimited personalized merging possibilities, auto responders, scheduling, and auto additions and removals.

* Mail King
A downloadable software program that offers total merging capabilities that can use almost any database program (Excel, Access) or e-mail mailing databases (Outlook, Eudora). Mail King does not perform auto respond settings and is for sending out messages only.

* Unity Mail
The total e-mail management package with personalization and database features, click thru tracking, HTML capabilities (UnityMail automatically senses your subscribers HTML capability and sends the correct format.), auto responding, scheduling, and offers downloadable or online versions.

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