What are the options for email service providers?

It is really important to move away from using Outlook as soon as possible. Outlook and other personal email clients are not designed for bulk emailing and have none of the necessary features. Therefore sending email from Outlook can put you at risk of being seen as a spammer, involves a totally unwieldy process, does not enable you to provide the legally required opt-out options, limits your design abilities,  and doesn’t give you any ability to measure response rates.

There are a number of different models that range from services that deploy email on your behalf, through to custom-built software that you develop in-house.

For some there is a one-off cost, others a monthly fee, and others a per-email recipient cost that covers support as well. Which model would work for you depends on a range of factors including:

-the number of emails you are likely to send per month and per year
-the size of your email list and how much or quickly it is likely to grow
-your in-house expertise in terms of designing and deploying emails

I have found this article to be quite helpful in outlining the different models.

Can everyone share which email service providers and solutions they are using and what the pros and cons seem to be?

In my previous role with New Zealand Opera I used an EMS (Email Management System) that we purchased from our web developers at the time – New Zealand Internet Services. We paid a one-off cost, so there were no ongoing expenses and we were provided with some custom-designed templates.  At THE EDGE we use TMS (Tessitura Messaging System), a U.S. based solution which integrates with our ticketing/CRM software. As such it enables us to track conversion to sales at an individual level. We are provided with a range of design templates that we can use and adapt ourselves, as well as functionality that enables personalisation, segmentation and management of unsubscribes. The pricing model is a small per-email recipient cost which actually works out very cost-effective and covers support, regular upgrades to the software and a number of advanced management and testing features. This works well because we have a high level of expertise in-house and we are very active with emailing to a large and fast-growing list.

It would be great if between us all, we can create a list of possible providers and how they work. This will help everyone to determine which solutions might work for them.

Vicki Allpress Hill Connecting audiences to the arts va@vickiallpress.com

We have been using an online application called campaign monitor.

http://www.campaignmonitor.com/

Campaign monitor have gone the route of creating an application that gives design and media agencies the control. The application allows us to customize it by uploading  our logo,  choosing a basic look and feel and manage client access to the application. It also gives your clients the ability to add and send their own campaigns using a set of templates we have created. Once your email is sent you are able to monitor the outcome and most importantly your subscribers.

The application comes with a comprehensive knowledge base so beginners through to the more seasoned programmers can understand the best way you can setup your emails for the most success. Their forum covers a broad range of problems and solutions for sending out emails. They have been most useful in ensuring we have a high success rate.

There also some other user friendly applications out there who offer similar functionality  namely
http://www.mailchimp.com
http://www.graphicmail.co.nz

We have tried both of the above and found they didn’t suite our needs. All three applications offer a free trial period or no joining fee. It is worth trying them all before you commit as  they all have redeeming features.

For us Campaign monitor ticked most of the boxes.

You're getting a good list going here!

I've also started a list over on my site: admit2.0 in Australia. There are a few other suggestions there, some international options too:

http://admit2.ning.com/forum/topics/email-marketing-service

I should add campaign monitor - a few people have recommended it to me now. At QPAC we use emaillabs through Lyris.com. But we have very large volumes (ie 5 million per year) and a very good rate because of it! Many of the medium sizes arts organisations here use Vision6 (an Australian company) and Gold Coast Arts Centre have recently gone with eServices.

We use a Brisbane based company 'E-Newslettter Marketing' at Arts Queensland. It is intuitive to use and easy to master. They have a 20,000 per moth email cap for $99 per month and you can use it across a variety of departments by simply changing the header / banner.

I have just seen a very useful article on Nettus about the basics of sending email newsletters. The article also has long list of reference and resources.  http://net.tutsplus.com/tutorials/html-css-techniques/20-email-design-be...

I work as an email marketing specialist, and it's good to see the great comments provided, as nothing beats feedback from actual users.

However as noted earlier, anyone starting email marketing, who hasn't had a good amount of html experience, needs to be aware of the issues: deliverability, security, stability, and mostly frustration!

Our system is called PunchMAIL(www.punchmail.co.nz). And although we work really hard to create a user friendly, self managing product, we still know that if you don't get some help at the beginning of this process, then email marketing will end up being one of those jobs that you will hate.

I offer an obligation free consultation and personal support that makes this process a load less frustrating.

Please feel free to jump in for a free trial on our website, and if you want to just talk through the options please give me a call on 09 271 5910 work hours.