subject: Mass Email Software - What To Look For From A Great Mass Email Service [print this page] When looking to acquire a fresh mass email software, wading through all the lingo and choices in modern mass emailers can be daunting! There are numerous businesses and sites which promote mass email software. Determining what suits your communication requirements can be extremely tough...however it doesn't have to be! In this article I'll explain to you 5 characteristics which you absolutely need to have in your mass emailer, so keep reading!
A software's list management capability is the most powerful thing you should look at. In other words, you should consider how flexible and how user-friendly the list admin is. The capability to build, alter or delete a limitless quantity of mailing lists is preferable. Renaming your lists should be an easy task. Including new subscribers and removing old ones manually should also be simple as pie! :)
After the list management feature, to be able to automatically subscribe and unsubscribe is essential. Especially nowadays, an automatic "Unsubscribe" link at the end of your emails is not only good business practice it also supports the FTC's CAN-SPAM Act (specifically, telling subscribers the way to opt-out and, once they do, accomplishing this in a prompt manner). End of the legal talk, I promise!
Next, you should ensure that your potential mass email service features both plain text and html formats. Although it is much less common today than it was even a few years ago, there are still e-mail clients and applications that either will not read html-based messages at all or don't understand how to show html properly. This could be a major problem for you mainly because plain-text emails, while still getting your content across, tend to be somewhat lack-luster. In case you did not know and were wondering, html lets you make your emails pretty. And we all like pretty, don't we?)
Email personalization is also extremely important. Almost all mass email services will allow you to import a subscriber's information directly into your template. Some providers go further, however, and these are the services you should be looking for. A great product will provide you with the option to import any information you choose from a number of formats.
Reliability is the final, and oft-overlooked, element you need to consider when searching for a mass email service. I know, I knowthis should go without saying. It's essential that you understand the variations in quality and reliability that you will find in the mass email provider market. Some mass mail providers talk alot, but don't actually DO alot (and that reminds me of an old girlfriend I had once...yikes!) Reliability in software is the same as it is in a car. You might not think about it much while you've got it, but it rocks your world when you don't!
Oh, and look for a trial period where you can try out the software for a short time before having to commit to paying for it. A great mass email service will offer a great product and will have zero problems providing you with a trial period because they will be confident that you'll purchase it!
