Email Newsletter options

I have been looking into email newsletter programs for a project I'm working on, and thought you might be interested in what I have learned. I'm not endorsing any of these, and as always, I don't take payment for mentioning anyone's names or linking to their sites. I'm just sharing this for your information.

All of these programs allow you to customize your email, they offer attractive templates, and a the bells and whistles that you would expect from an email marketing program, such as tracking, etc. Here is a list of some popular email newsletter programs and a comparison on their basic info:

1. http://www.mailchimp.com/
   Cost: Free for up to 100 subscribers, tiered pricing starting at $10/month
   Use: Sign up for online service
   Limits: Send up to 6 emails per month to up to 100 subscribers, for free. Paid subscriptions include unlimited emails.
   
2. http://www.campaignmonitor.com/
   Cost: $5 per email campaign + $.01 per recipient, so an email sent to 100 subscribers costs you $6, and an email sent to 500 subscribers costs you $10. If you send quarterly newsletters, you only pay when you send a newsletter.
   Use: Sign up online
   Limits: Couldn't find any limits to this service
   Bonus: They offer a reselling program that you can customize to match your own brand. You set your own price, resell the service, and develop a nice little passive income.
   
3. http://www.sendblaster.com/
   Cost: 75 euros for lifetime email license, but p1xie said in an Etsy forum post that if your contact list is small, it's free.
   Use: Download the email program to your computer
   Limits: Send up to 100,000 newsletters per month
   (It didn't clarify if this means 100,000 email campaigns per month or if you can send one email campaign to up to 100,000 subscribers per month, or if you can send any number of campaigns to any number of subscribers for a total number of up to 100,000 emails sent per month.)
   
4. http://www.icontact.com/
   Cost: $9.95/month minimum
   Use: Free trial then buy monthly subscription
   Limits: Number of subscriber limits not listed without signing up for service
   
5. http://www.bravenet.com/
   Cost: Free for up to 500 subscribers, tiered pricing starting at $10.95/month
   Use: Online service with many free or paid add-on services
   Limits: Bravenet places their ads and their own branding on your free emails. Paid subscriptions remove Bravenet ads and branding.
   
6. http://www.constantcontact.com/
   Cost: Free trial for 60 days, then tiered pricing starting at $15/month
   RockOnAccessories mentioned on an Etsy forum post that if your contact list stays under 100, it's always free.

One thing to keep in mind - Since you're most likely using an email newsletter to promote your business, your sales are likely to increase as your contact list grows. Etsy's bohtieque, who uses MailChimp, said in a forum post "After you use up the first 100 or so free credits, you'll need to buy more, but I've found it's pretty cost effective--after I send out the newsletter I get more than enough sales within a few days to pay for it."

Do you use an email newsletter program not listed here? Please comment with the name of what you use and I'll add it to the list.











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Newsletter Tools and Techniques

Last week I told you (with a great example) why newsletters are such a powerful marketing tool for your business. You saw in the example, an easy way to encourage people to opt in to your mailing list.

Today I'd like to share some newsletter tools for you to explore for your own newsletter. I'll also share a few techniques you can use to make it the best marketing experience possible.

Newsletters work by both email and snail mail and there are advantages to both methods. You may find that you have both types of contacts, as well. Ask visitors to your site to opt-in to your email newsletter and retain names and addresses of people who:
+ purchase items from you
+ win giveaways (if your prize requires their shipping address)
+ sign up for your mailing list - if you do craft shows, encourages interested people to sign up

When you ask people to sign up, be sure your privacy policy is easy to locate and easy to read.

It's ok to offer an incentive to people for signing up. (In fact, this is a good idea):

+ special discounts

+ admission to members-only type events

+ free merchise or a free e-book on a topic related to your offering

+ automatic entry in a regular drawing

And...

Email newsletters are low cost or free, it's easy to quickly build your contact list through opt-in offers, and you can include links for readers to click to purchase immediately. I did a quick Google search on Email Newsletter Services and found these:

Bravenet (free, supported by their ads)
Constant Contact
My Newsletter Builder
FeedBlitz
AWeber

There are many others available, but this will at least get you started, and you can compare what you find with your specific needs. (Please note: I just grabbed these names off Google. I don't know their track record and am not affiliated with them nor do I receive compensation for linking to them.)

Whichever email newsletter service you decide to try, I'd recommend making sure you have a way to copy all your contacts' information and back up on a CD, thumb drive, or other storage device. The contact list you build is your own personal gold mine and you do not want to lose this information under any circumstances. If an email newsletter service doesn't have a way for you to back up your contacts' information, move on to one that will.

Snail mail newsletters have printing and postage costs, but can be mailed on bright paper, in a bright envelope, or be made so irresistibly attractive that your contact has to open it and see what it is. Attractive snail mail newsletters are rarely deleted or thrown away unopened. If your contact list is small, or you have the time and ambition, you can hand-address each one to give it a personal touch. You can also hand sign the bottom of each one.

You can print black and white on colored paper, use a newsletter publishing program to make a newspaper style letter, print color pictures, include coupons, etc.

Tip: If you can create an email newsletter that can be printed out, you can email your newsletter to your email subscribers and snail mail a printout of the same newsletter to your snail mail contacts. (Just make sure the header and footer don't show the URL of the page. It still has to look professional.)

One last thought... While browsing around, I discovered that Vistaprint offers a postcard marketing campaign, and you can use your own snail mail list or you can buy one. Yes, buying a mailing list is a whole other topic, but if this interests you, it's there. Since this is a whole other topic, I'll post later about this idea.


(And remember, all comments are do-follow, so your comment left here supports YOU.)

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A brilliant giveaway strategy... continued

Continuing this from the previous post, I just have to tell you what is so darned brilliant about the rules of Sharon's 1000th Jewelry Creation Giveaway.

Shannon of Fox & Prince commented, asking if it's because she asks other bloggers to post an image. That's very smart because it uses viral marketing to advertise the giveaway (and her brand) but that's not the piece de resistance in this particular giveaway.

Look at Sharon's third rule where she asks readers to sign up for her newsletter on her website. This is the biggest winner of the giveaway; not for people who enter, but for Sharon.

Why?
Think about who is signing up for the newsletter:
People who really want to have her jewelry
People who want to her from her again and again
People who are (or will become) familiar with her, her products, her shop, and her brand
People who trust her (or are willing to trust her)
**People who are most likely to buy from her.**

Get it? Pretty smart, eh?

By encouraging interested people to sign up for her newsletter, she is building her list of contacts. This valuable list consists of both existing customers and prospective customers. Long after the giveaway is over, she'll continue marketing to this select group of people.

Sending a newsletter is one of the least expensive and most successful marketing tools out there.

It's the most effective way for you to target your marketing information to a receptive audience.

And just in case you are wondering, what Sharon is doing is 100% ethical because she's asking people to opt-in. It's not spammy or underhanded in any way.

I'll let you think about this marketing technique and how you can use a regular newsletter to further market your business to your contacts...

Next week: Newsletter tools and techniques

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