Max My Mail Provides Free Email Marketing Advice

		(This is a sticky post, please find current news items below) By Michael Daehn in Email Marketing

A lot of people ask me about email marketing so I set up this site for easy access to the 3 services I recommend the most:

 

Your Mailing List Provider
Free for small lists and paid plans starting at only $2.50/month. Bare bones system with few features. If you have zero cash, or don't need any tracking give it a try. Could also be used for one time lists to get through spam filters.

 

Constant Contact
I like this company and know the CEO. Great tracking and tools. You can do a ton with this service and don't need any HTML knowledge. Plans start at $15/month but you can get a free 60 day trial here.

 

iContact (Formerly Intellicontact)
Newer service, but they have won me over with cool features like RSS and surveys. This is the one I use. Plans start at $9.95/month or get a free 15 day trial here.

I will be posting more information and articles on Email marketing on this site when I come across them.

Remember that Email is a tool in your marketing communications plan. If you need help with your marketing, check out the marketingenious website to really increase your marketing IQ.

Six Reasons to Use Email Marketing

		Friday, 18 May 07 - 07:59 PM (GMT) By Michael Daehn in Email Marketing

1. Cost Effective
   Email marketing is an affordable way to stretch a tight marketing budget - and whose isn't these days? Unlike direct mail, there is virtually no production, materials or postage expense. Email marketing is 20 times more cost effective than direct mail, and can cost as little as fractions of a penny per email. "Previously, we were sending these kinds of mailings through first-class postal mail," said Robin Parker, owner of Studio: Dance, Arts & More. "With several hundred members and prospects, that really adds up quickly. Email marketing is much less expensive than sending out postcards or flyers. We save about $4,000 just in materials and postage."

2. Gets Results
   Email marketing enables you to proactively communicate with your existing customers and prospects instead of passively waiting for them to return to your Web site or storefront. It is a highly effective way to increase sales, drive site or store traffic and develop loyalty:
   
   Increases sales- "In response to our first campaign, WatchZone received 100 online orders - all from a segment of 15,000 current customers," said Shavi Mahtani, CEO of WatchZone.com, a leading site for fashion and sport watches at discount prices. "The average sale was about $150 per order. We were very happy with that result. Frankly, it exceeded our expectations."
   
   Drives traffic- "The increase in traffic was substantial," said Travis Erickson, controller for GolfBargains.com, online "Pro Shop" for golf enthusiasts. "We've noticed that even if the recipient isn't interested in, say, our golfing irons promotion, they'll think, 'Wow, that's a great price - I wonder what else they have on sale?'"
   
   Builds Loyalty- "We're technically not an e-business," said Robin Parker, owner of Studio: Dance, Arts & More, "but we're using email marketing to capture the names of site visitors so that we can provide them with information, news, and schedules that make their lives easier. That helps us build and retain loyal members. We believe email marketing will increase the lifetime value of our members by encouraging more frequent visits to the studio and strengthening our relationships with our members."

3. Immediate
   Email marketing generates an immediate response. The call to action is clear: "Click here to take advantage of this offer", or "to learn more about this service". Initial campaign response generally occurs within 48 hours of the time the email campaign is sent. "Orders pour in within 24 hours after I send my newsletters," said Emitations.com CEO, Au-Co Mai. "In an economy where most ;',lhyuhnjikl,/ month." 

4. Targeted
   You can easily segment your lists using a variety of criteria or interest groups so that your promotions go to the individuals most likely to respond to your offer. "Because many of our customers are collectors, they are only interested in hearing about the newest collectible arrivals," said Lars Mohlin, President, House of Ascot, a mail order gift and collectible business. "While others are looking for promotions, the collectors often dislike receiving mail messages offering discounts. We target email campaigns to our subscribers' opt-in interest categories, this has resulted in a 40%-50% jump in revenue."

5. Simple
   "I don't need a Webmaster or a technical person to handle my newsletters anymore," said Raphael Baekeland, general manager of Kuartos.com. "My product manager and I can do everything very easily." There are Web-based email marketing products for small and medium businesses. Most include professional HTML templates, list segmentation and targeting capabilities, as well as, automatic tracking and reporting. So, you are free to concentrate on your unique message. "This is definitely something a non-techie can do," said Shavi Mahtani, CEO of WatchZone.com. "It took us about 45 minutes - start to finish - to build and compose our e-mail. And each campaign since then has taken less time to set up."

6. Free 60 Day Trial
   Max My Mail has partnered with Constant Contact- the leading Email Marketing provider in the industry to bring you a free 60 day trial.  The best way to get your campaign started is to give it a try.  Now you can try it free for 60 days- start now!

... More items are available in our News Archive