The ultimate goal of email marketing services is to increase your business or website traffic by putting you in contact with your target audience, your subscribers and future clients to deliver an effective message with measurable results.
Email marketing services are your gateway to professional, effective bulk email campaigns that excite results. You don’t need to be a graphic designer to create an attractive email or newsletter. A good service has various email development features to help you every step of the way. You can import an HTML page or use one of the many email templates provided by the service if you don’t know a thing about HTML.
Below are the criteria that one website, TopTenREVIEWS, used to evaluate email marketing services:
Email marketing services should offer many useful features that help you create emails, develop contact lists and monitor results.
The email marketing website should be user-friendly and easy to navigate. The most practical bulk emailers make setting up your email list and account information simple and quick.
A big part of marketing campaigns and newsletters are design aspects. The service should assist in the design process and provide an HTML email editor so you can add images, links and tables. Top-notch services also provide options to help you develop your contact list.
The reporting section should be comprehensive and easy to find and use. Reports are important so you can evaluate your email campaign’s effectiveness and make needed adjustments.
Email marketing services are designed for corporations spending money trying to get new customers. The Email marketing service should provide comprehensive online and in person, help that includes easy to follow tutorials, online knowledgebase, live chat support and responsive email.
On their site, you’ll find articles on email marketing and comprehensive reviews on email marketing services, but also talk to people using email marketing services, who they’re happy with, who they’re not, and why, before making a decision who to go with.
I read the info on TopTenREVIEWS, and asked for the personal experiences from twenty of the members of the network group I belong to, Savor the Success, a premium network for women entrepreneurs. Here’s their feedback:
- ConstantContact is the easiest product to use right off the bat.
- MailChimp would be the second easiest, could be easier by taking the time to create own templates.
- pHpList is very complex and involved to set up which makes the attractive price less attractive with the amount of time that would be needed to make it work the way Vettanna will need it, actual start up costs could be prohibitive.
- iContact could be made more usable by investing time, however with their table intensive structure and odd html coding, it will always be tricky to work with. The biggest issue with iContact is the received email not matching the online Preview from their site. This will be a constant source of frustration.
MailChimp all the way!!! I use this myself and for all my clients integrating email marketing into their website. It’s easy for the non-techie and feature robust and customizable for the advanced developer. Seamless integration is a big deal to me, so I love it. Plus it’s FREE if you have under 500 subscribers!
We switched over from Vertical Response to Mail Chimp a few months ago and love it. Of course, I was stubborn and demanding when my husband (also my marketing and I.T. guy) suggested it – but was soon won over. It is easy to use, offers attractive templates and the price is extremely good.
I’ll now be diving into the world of email marketing service for the first time, don’t know anything about HTML. I’ll use it for this blog and my other, Saddleback Buzz, as well as my business website, www.csbegone.com. I want tracking capabilities, with access to reports on bounced, forwarded, delivered/undeliverable and sent emails; as well as conversions, click-throughs and more.
Consequently, going with MailChimp because of the reviews above, it’s free (for my current volume), I’ve been told their customer service is excellent, and I love their website, so easy on the eyes, cute and funny, easy to understand, it doesn’t overwhelm me. They offer how-to-get started video tutorials. Some well-known clients include Mercedes, Firefox, Intel, Staples, Canon, and many others.
Robin Barr Buzz 
Great post… Great info on bounce rates… I’ll have to write an entry about the same topic some day soon… Bounce rates can tell you alot…work from home