Question

Topic: E-Marketing

Recs For Email Marketing Sites?

Posted by Anonymous on7/9/2009 at 4:32 PM ET 125 Points
I will be designing and sending emails for my clients. I am not sure what site to use. It will be less than 1000 emails per month/per client to start. I need something user friendly with some reporting features...nothing too robust. Can anyone give me some recs? These were on my list as options and would like to hear thoughts on them, but any others are welcome:

Emma
Mail Chimp
Constant Contact
Campaign Monitor
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on7/9/2009 at 4:55 PM Accepted
    I use AWeber for my newsletter. They have lots of tutorials (to walk you through), a blog, and easy to use templates. You can also use your own design (if you prefer). Their phone reps answer the phone quickly, and are always helpful. Charges are per month (rather than per email).

    Constant Contact (last I looked) doesn't let you use your own designs (only theirs), and charges per mailing (which could be a problem if you send frequently). You'll also get their ad at the bottom of every email.

    Jodi
  • Posted byGary Bloomeron7/9/2009 at 9:04 PM Accepted
    Dear Pinkleopard,

    As well aswww.AWeber.com, you might also want to considerwww.verticalresponse.com, andwww.icontact.com. Both of which are pretty good.

    I hope this helps.

    Gary Bloomer,
    Wilmington, DE, USA
  • Posted on7/10/2009 at 9:33 AM Accepted
    I have used and worked with Constant Contact for a couple of years and they do charge you per email and their user interface is a little confusing at times. They also don't have branded accounts so each email will have their advertisement at the bottom. They have customizable templates and now allow you to use your own designs, but it is a little difficult to do so.

    Instead I now use Listrak (https://www.listrak.com) which allows you to use templates or your own designs, brands your account to fit your needs so that all links, images, and the user interface are branded to fit your clients or your needs. Listrak also offers and extensive Resource Library that contains tutorials, blogs, podcasts, webinars and white papers on the best practices of email marketing and design. I have also found that their support staff are very helpful and it is easy to get a quick response with any questions.

    Hope this helps!
  • Posted byJay Hamilton-Rothon7/10/2009 at 2:26 PM Accepted
    Besides the factors you're looking at, make sure to also include deliverability. Not all vendors are equal. You might want to look at this comparison report:https://www.email-marketing-options.com/providers
  • Posted on7/10/2009 at 2:46 PM Member
    Jay Hamilton-Roth makes an excellent point. If you are providing this service for your own clients you might want to look into the reporting, tracking, testing and deliverability capabilities. Choosing the right provider will help you not only send the email easily, but make sure they are optimized to work in all different email browsers as well as to make sure that they are getting results that you can then refer to your clients.

    I am not sure what Constant Contacts exact reporting metrics are or what they use, but I do know that Listrak provides downloadable reports in visual and numeric graphs and charts. They also offer geo-tracking and are partnered with Sender Score which is a program that allows you to view and track what your emails are doing across the most used email clients.
  • Posted byLinda Whiteheadon7/12/2009 at 9:16 PM Accepted
    Hi,

    Before you decide what vendor is best for you, you need to do a needs analysis. Different ESP's have different strengths and weaknesses so you need to decide what is important to you.
    At my last company we used Emma for a few years to send out out client's emails as well as our own. It was a fairly good system but did not fully meet our needs over time. I never used Mail Chimp but I did check them out pretty completely when choosing a new ESP. I was impressed with their offering including the fact that they are (were) the only vendor to offer true A/B testing. They also have decent tutorials.
    You also have to decide if you want to go with an outside ESP or an email software. Campaign Monitor is an email software whereas the other 3 on your list are ESP's.
    The best outside vendor I used is Exact Target, for our needs. The system was easy to use, had great deliverability, and excellent reporting. It is a little more pricey than the others so may be outside your budget. Worth checking out though.
    Good luck,
    Linda Whitehead
    Zuz Marketing
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