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Email Marketing Services Basics
Direct email campaigns allow you to tell thousands of people from anywhere in the world about your business and what you can offer. Using an email newsletter or a direct email advertising offer, you can instantly get new customers interested in your business and entice existing customers to return.
One of the biggest benefits to direct email services is the ability to track recipients' activity. You get a full breakdown of how your mass email campaigns perform, and can use this data to determine what works best for your business. Most email service vendors allow you to track emails sent, emails bounced, click through rates, open rates, and sales made.
In accordance with the CAN-SPAM Act that assures businesses only receive permission based email, most email campaigns begin by providing a link to opt-in. With opt-in email, the user selects a checkbox that grants your company permission to send special offers. While unsolicited email can be annoying and clog email boxes, permission based email provides only the information, promotions, and deals that the person actually asked for.
Email marketing vendors usually offer a couple of email software offerings — ASPs and in-house software — or an all-inclusive service that manages the process from start to finish.
- ASP: An application service provider can handle your mass email needs by hosting the software on their servers. This web-based email service is inexpensive but isn't as robust as other offerings.
- Software providers: You can install email software in-house and teach your staff how to use it. Software providers can offer email newsletter software with various business email templates to quickly launch campaigns. However, it is a costly option.
- Full-service direct email: Companies can manage all aspects of the campaign and draw upon their industry experience for the most effective mailing. They also will test various email campaign templates to see which works best. Although you get added attention, this is typically the most expensive choice for email marketing.
If you're unsure whether to pursue web based email services or a full-service company, don't worry. Most mass email vendors provide free trials so you can determine if it's the right fit. Most importantly, you want an easy-to-use program that contains all of the features you need to properly manage your email campaign. |
