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Monday, February 15, 2010

Email Distribution And Commercial Newsletter Mailing Services: Guide To The Best Paid Online Solutions

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Email distribution and newsletter mailing services are among the best and most utilized email marketing tools available out there. They allow you to get in touch with your audience in a direct and intimate way trough autoresponders, direct messages, and any type of newsletter format that can be used to market your ideas, or your online product or service. In this MasterNewMedia guide you will find the best commercial newsletter distribution and mailing list services available out there, as well as complementary review information to help you select the best solution for your specific needs.

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Photo credit KK Tan Photography

Using an email newsletter remains to date one of the best ways to create a real "conversation" with your audience, as emails remain the most direct and intimate way of communicating online.

Commercial newsletter distribution services are perfect to create this intimate relationship with your community of fans, because they offer advanced control over how you distribute your content to your mailing lists, how you layout and present your content in them, and over how you personalize and customize it so that it reads and feels written personally to all of your subscribers.

To use your newsletter effectively though, it is very important that you remember to use a confidential writing style. Putting yourself in the same shoes of your audience in fact, helps you have a greater understanding of what your customer really need and what you can offer them. Your audience must be made up of friends hanging from your lips, anxiously awaiting your next product or discovery.

What is also interesting, is that "commercial" is not equal to "expensive" in the case of newsletter distribution services. These professional tools in fact will often cost you less than $50/month to manage an average a few thousand subscribers.

Newsletter distribution services are also very easy to use, because, from a technical standpoint they are generally as simple and easy to use as sending a standard email message.

But, how do you select the right newsletter distribution service and what features and traits do characterize these offerings?

Generally, commercial newsletter distribution services are all characterized by the following set of standard features

  • List Management You can create mailing lists to organize contacts who will receive your newsletter and you can also easily handle subscribes and unsubscribes.
  • Scheduling You can plan precise times and dates to send your newsletter.
  • Autoresponders You can design a set of email content templates which are automatically sent when your subscribers perform specific actions. For example, if a reader subscribes to your newsletter, she will receive a "Thank you" email in return, or an email which introduces her to your latest story and offerings.
  • Embeddable sign-up form You can place an embeddable registration form on your website or blog to facilitate readers and customers to subscribe to your newsletter. The sign-up form is fully managed and hosted by the newsletter service.
  • Support You receive assistance in the form of tutorials or support forums, to learn how to manage your email marketing campaigns efficiently, and oftentimes the service you choose will even share with you how to maximize your efforts when planning your email campaign.

While these are just some of the basic features that all commercial newsletter distribution services support, there are more specific features that really differentiate some of these services from the others.

To help you identify your ideal commercial newsletter distribution service, here below there is a set of comparative tables and individual reviews.

Here are the specific selection criteria used to compare these different services

  • Mailing list segmentation Organization of your newsletter subscribers in niche-targeted groups of interest.
  • Spam filter preview Test to verify if major Internet providers will treat your email newsletter as spam.
  • Customizable API Integration of the newsletter distribution service with your business applications or content management system.
  • Personalization Automatically address your newsletter subscribers using their first names or company names.
  • Analytics Reports and statistics about the performance of your email newsletter (subscribes, unsubscribes, opened emails, etc.)
  • Manual mailing list import Upload of your subscribers by hand (instead of using an automatic procedure) to have greater control over your mailing lists and avoid spam.
  • Custom sign-up form Management of the data fields to include in the embeddable sign-up form for your newsletter.
  • Price Cost of the email newsletter distribution service.

Please note that, due to the large number of commercial newsletter distribution services available, this list does not claim to be yet fully exhaustive and complete as more tools and services will be added over the coming weeks and months thanks to your own feedback and suggestions.

 

 


Commercial Newsletter Distribution and Mailing List Services - Comparative Tables



 


Commercial Newsletter Distribution and Mailing List Services



  1. GetResponse

    GetResponse is a commercial email newsletter distribution and mailing list service. You can create audience segments to manage your lists for specific niches of subscribers and also personalize every email you send by using first names instead of generic writing formulas. You can also test emails before sending using the spam filter preview facility and you can track emails along the way to discover who opened your message, when, and how many people clicked on your newsletter links. Existing mailing lists can be imported into GetResponse database either automatically or by hand to achieve complete list managing control. You can even customize the embeddable website sign-up form to get only the information you need. Other features of GetResponse include: video email marketing, Twitter integration, pre-made templates, online surveys, split testing, a customizable API, and much more. The service provides even a free iPhone application to manage your email marketing campaigns on the move. GetResponse is priced at $28/month to handle up to 2,500 subscribers.

    http://www.getresponse.com/






  2. AWeber

    AWeber is an email marketing tool to distribute online newsletters and to manage your mailing lists. You can segment your newsletter subscribers to manage groups of specific niches of readers and also customize every email by using personal data like first names or company names. You can also verify your emails before sending to make sure your messages won't be trashed inside spam filters and you can monitor the performance of your newsletter to discover who opened your emails, when, and how many people clicked on the links you have inside your newsletter. Existing mailing lists can be imported into AWeber either automatically or manually. You can customize the embeddable website sign-up form to let subscribers input only the information you really need for your campaign. Other features of AWeber include: autoresponders, convert RSS feed to email, pre-made templates, shopping cart integration, and more. AWeber is priced at $29/month to manage up to 2,500 subscribers. No API is available.

    http://www.aweber.com/






  3. MailChimp

    MailChimp is a commercial email newsletter distribution and mailing list service. You can organize your newsletter subscribers by creating audience segments that represent specific groups of interest to whom you can address your email messages. You can also address your customers using their first names or the name of their organization using the personalization feature. The spam filter preview facility allows you to test your email messages before sending to make sure spam filters won't block or trash them. To monitor the performance of your newsletter you can use the analytics features which will tell you who opened your emails, when, and how many people clicked on the links you have inside your newsletter. Existing mailing lists can be imported into MailChimp either automatically or by hand. The embeddable website sign-up form can be customized to let subscribers input only selected information. Other features of MailChimp include: RSS-to-Email, a customizable API, free image and file hosting, autoresponders, and more. MailChimp is priced at $30/month to manage up to 2,500 subscribers.

    http://www.mailchimp.com/






  4. VerticalResponse

    VerticalResponse is a professional solution to distribute email newsletters and manage mailing lists. The online tool allows you to segment your audience in specific niches of interest and also to personalize your email messages by using custom data like first names or company names. You can also test your emails using the spam filter preview to make sure your messages won't be treated as malicious messages. VerticalResponse lets you track your newsletter to monitor in real-time who opens your emails, when, and how many clicks your newsletter links receive. Existing mailing lists can also be imported into VerticalResponse either automatically or manually. The customizable website sign-up form can be customized to gather only the information you really need. Other features of VerticalResponse include: newsletter sharing on Facebook and Twitter, sign-up notifications, opt-out form generator, a TypePad widget, a customizable API, and more. VerticalResponse is priced at $28/month to manage up to 4,000 subscribers.

    http://www.verticalresponse.com/email-marketing/






  5. CampaignMonitor

    CampaignMonitor is a professional email marketing tool that allows you to distribute your email newsletter and manage your mailing lists using a web-based interface. You can segment your newsletter subscribers to manage groups of specific niches of readers and also customize emails by using personal data like first names or company names. You can also test email messages before sending to make sure spam filters won't trash your email once received and you can monitor the performance of your newsletter to discover who opened your emails, when, and how many people clicked on your newsletter links. Mailing lists you have already created can be imported into CampaignMonitor either automatically or manually. You can even customize the embeddable website sign-up form to let subscribers input only the information you need. Other features of CampaignMonitor include: white-label platform you can re-sell or brand with your own logo, time-zone management, free template gallery, customizable API, Google Analytics integration, and more. CampaignMonitor costs $5 per campaign + 1¢ per recipient.

    http://www.campaignmonitor.com/






  6. Constant Contact

    Constant Contact is a commercial online tool to distribute email newsletters and organize mailing lists. Constant Contact allows you to handle several groups of subscribers and also customize your email newsletter by using personal data like first names instead general introductory writing formulas. You can also test your emails to ensure your messages won't be treated as spam by email providers. To monitor the performance of your newsletter you can access an online dashboard where the service collects information about who opened your emails, when, how many people clicked on the links you have inside, and more. Existing mailing lists can be imported into Constant Contact using either an automatic or manual procedure. You can also customize the embeddable website sign-up form to ask your subscribers to input only the information you really need. Other features include: online surveys, pre-made templates, personal coaching and support, a customizable API, and more. Constant Contact is priced at $30/month to handle up to 2,500 subscribers.

    http://www.constantcontact.com/






  7. iContact

    iContact offers a proffessional email marketing service to send newsletters and manage your mailing lists. The tool allows you to segment your audience in specific groups of subscribers and also customize your email messages by using personal data like first names or company names. You can also scan and preview your email messages before sending to make sure your messages won't be treated as malicious emails. iContact also lets you track your newsletter to monitor in real-time who opens your emails, when, and how many clicks your newsletter links receive. Those mailing lists you already have can also be imported into iContact either automatically or by hand. The customizable and embeddable sign-up form for your website can be customized to gather only the information you really need from your subscribers. Other features of iContact include: pe-made templates, an e-mail marketing white-paper for free download, online surveys, a customizable API, and more. iContact costs $29/month to manage up to 2,500 subscribers.

    http://www.icontact.com/






  8. SubscriberMail

    SubscriberMail is an email marketing tool that allows you to distribute your email newsletter and manage your mailing list online. SubscriberMail allows you to organize your subscribers in groups and also personalize your email newsletter by using custom data like first names or company names. You can also scan and preview your email messages before sending to make sure your messages won't be treated as malicious emails. Also, SubscriberMail lets you track your email messages to monitor in real-time who opens your emails, when, and how many clicks your newsletter links receive. Other features of the service include: Google Analytics integration, A/B testing, pre-made templates, a customizable API, and more. Prices for SubscriberMail are calculated individually by contacting the sales department. No custom sign-up screen, nor manual mailing list import.

    http://www.subscribermail.com/






  9. Topica

    Topica is a commercial email newsletter distribution and mailing list service. Topica allows you to segment your subscribers in niche-targeted groups and also personalize your email newsletter by using custom data like first names or company names. You can also use the spam filter preview feature to test your email messages before sending to make sure your newsletter won't be labeled as spam. Also, Topica lets you monitor in real-time your email messages to know at a glance who opens your emails, when, and how many clicks your newsletter links receive. Plus, the service lets you embed a customizable sign-up form on your website which you can adjust to gather only the information you really need. Other features of the service include: pe-made templates, a customizable API, autoresponders, and more. Prices for Topica are calculated individually by contacting the sales department. No manual mailing list import.

    http://www.topica.com/






  10. Emma

    Emma is a commercial email newsletter distribution and mailing lists service that allows you to handle several groups of subscribers. You can also test your emails using the spam filter preview function to be sure your newsletter won't be treated as spam by email providers. To monitor the performance of your newsletter you can access an online dashboard where the service collects information about who opened your emails, when, how many people clicked on the links you have inside, and more. You can also customize the embeddable website sign-up form to ask your subscribers to input only the information you really need from them. Emma is priced at $45/month to handle up to 2,500 subscribers plus a $99 one-time setup fee. No personalization, manual list import, nor API are available.

    http://www.myemma.com/




Originally prepared by Daniele Bazzano for MasterNewMedia, and first published on February 15th, 2010 as "Email Distribution And Commercial Newsletter Mailing Services: Guide To The Best Paid Online Solutions".

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posted by Daniele Bazzano on Monday, February 15 2010, updated on Tuesday, May 5 2015


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