| Email marketing goes in waves. Every now and | | | | Besides doing all the normal broadcast type stuff, |
| then, we read reports and blogs posts telling us that | | | | Aweber lets you set up a sequential series of emails |
| email is dead and building a solid list is a waste of | | | | that go out at a predetermined time. For instance, |
| time. | | | | the MarketingHackz Social Media Quick Start Guide is |
| I have to wholeheartedly disagree. It doesn't | | | | an autoresponder. Starting the day you sign up, and |
| matter what niche or business you're in, your | | | | for the next 9 days, you get a new social marketing |
| prospect and client database is one of your most | | | | lesson in your inbox. Then, as we add to them, you |
| valuable assets. In the online world, that database is | | | | get them all in succession! |
| your list. | | | | It really does rock. |
| After talking to clients over the years, there's lots of | | | | Deliverability is another factor. If you were to email |
| confusion over what's the best way to build a list, | | | | your 200 clients out of Outlook, chances are your |
| store a list and market to a list. So, I thought I'd | | | | server will shut you down for a little while. They do |
| put a quick post together describing the email list | | | | that to avoid spam. If you email those same clients |
| software available that are actually pretty good! | | | | from Aweber, your emails are almost guaranteed to |
| Email List Software | | | | get there! |
| A good email list software provider or an email | | | | InfusionSoft |
| marketing list provider is the company that stores | | | | Now to the big boys. I love InfusionSoft. They're |
| and allows you to maintain your list. They provide | | | | by far my favorite of the email list services. It has |
| you with all the double opt-in protection, | | | | been built from the ground up for serious businesses |
| autoresponders and the ability to do broadcast | | | | only. Up until a short time ago, you had to pay a |
| messages. | | | | setup fee to even get an account with them - I |
| In short, the list service is your one location for email | | | | think it was $5,000. Now, there's no setup. It's |
| marketing. | | | | just the monthly fee. |
| Now, some services are dedicated to email lists | | | | Infusionsoft has a couple different packages. Their |
| only. Others tie in services like CRM software, | | | | primary package is email marketing plus CRM |
| merchant gateways and shopping carts. | | | | integration so you can combine all your customer |
| I have three favorite email list software platforms | | | | relationship activities with bulletproof email marketing. |
| that I have my clients set up on: | | | | Their next major tier is email list software CRM |
| Constant Contact | | | | shopping carts merchant gateways. I've used this |
| Constant Contact is my first recommendation for | | | | system for clients and am rolling it out for my own |
| people looking to do monthly email newsletters | | | | stuff now. |
| information bulletins for their clients. This might be | | | | They basically offer all the great things like |
| something as simple as event announcements or | | | | autoresponders, great deliverability rates, broadcasts, |
| sales and promotions. | | | | nice templates and all that stuff - but they tie it to |
| For instance, I've done a lot of work with a sewing | | | | CRM software which lets you really get an awesome |
| shop in the last few years. Things like bringing them | | | | idea of who your customer really is. It isn't just an |
| online, helping them through social marketing and list | | | | email address and a name. |
| building, etc. i pointed them to Constant Contact | | | | Plus their shopping carts rock and can be customized |
| because it's dead simple to use and they really just | | | | beyond belief. |
| needed to send out monthly bulletins. They weren't | | | | Summary |
| doing any hard-core marketing through it. | | | | There are losts of email list services out there. |
| Aweber | | | | These are the three that are widely regarded as |
| Aweber is my favorite out of the email list services | | | | being the best ones and the ones I've used/use. |
| because it's cheap, allows autoresponders, and has | | | | The main point is that if you haven't started building |
| great deliverability rates. | | | | your list - you should (as in right now). |