Email Marketing Tips
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Selecting A Mail Provider
Once you've set up your e-mail marketing system, the next step is finding a reliable mail provider to work with you. Having the right mail provider is critical to your e-mail marketing success and can greatly impact your business, particularly if the majority of your communications and advertising are performed online. An unreliable provider can cost your business hundreds to thousands of dollars, something that you don't want to happen. In today's business environment, selecting a mail provider who is perfect for your business requirements should be part of your marketing strategies.Advantages of having the right mail providerIf you think selecting the cheapest and simplest plan from the first mail provider that comes along is wise, think again. That first choice you make will impact your experience. If that mail provider's services are below par, it will reflect how well you do with your online business and how your customers and subscribers will see you. Furthermore, jumping from one mail provider to the next is not exactly hassle free. It's a nuisance. It means changing to a new program and learning it all over again. There's also a danger that you could lose a number of subscribers during the transition period, not to mention the lost time that you will have to make up for. And don't think using the free e-mail accounts will suffice. Although a Yahoo!, GMail or Hotmail account will do well for other correspondences, it doesn't have a good impact for your business. People are less likely to trust a company that uses a free e-mail account and would rather do business with someone with his own domain name and corresponding e-mail address.When selecting a mail provider, consider the following.SoftwareDo your research about the latest and most reliable software used for e-mailing. A typical mail provider will usually offer you graduated products and services in the form of a plan or package. With each plan, you will probably be getting a minimum of one e-mail account. SpeedThe mail provider services industry is highly competitive so it's rare for mail providers to offer slow connection capabilities. Generally, you'll find providers using T1 (maximum 1.5 mbs) or T3 lines (maximum 45 mbs), which should suffice for your business since these give you good connection speeds. Some mail providers may offer ISDN. Although you might find some decent plans here, it's much better to look for faster connections. SpaceSpace refers to the memory that will be allowed for your business to use. The average space you should expect is around 5 MB, which is usually sufficient for web pages only. There is also the matter of space to be used for your log files and e-mail, which can eat up a lot of space, particularly when your business starts picking up. If you will be running a working website along with e-mail and other stuff, you'll need a minimum of about 15 MB. When selecting your mail provider, always ask what types of services are offered with the amount of space that will be allocated for you. CostAnother important consideration when selecting a mail provider is the cost. Always ask what types of services are offered in a plan. Mail providers will provide you with different plans and packages, ranging from personal use to business use. Generally, e-mail services for business use are more expensive than personal use but you'll usually get more space at a faster speed.Check connections, services and system requirements and whether the mail provider offers special discounts. Some companies, for example, will offer you 1 to 2 months free subscription if you sign up. Get in touch with at least 3 providers so you can compare.ReputationAlways check the background of the mail provider company you will be working with. Do they have a reliable reputation? Do their clients trust them? How long have they been in business? What types of services do they offer and how do these services compare with their competitors? What have been their problems in the past?SupportWhen selecting a mail provider, look for one that offers reliable technical support 24/7. This should make their staff available in case something goes wrong. You should be able to get in touch with their help desk and a real live person, not a computer or a Help page. Should your customers encounter any problems on your site, you should be able to fix it right away, with the help of the mail provider's technical support. Remember that unreliable service reflects on you and you can only blame your provider for so long.Exit strategyA mail provider could sabotage your business in case it crashes or folds up. Sometimes, it could even join a blacklist for some violations you didn't know about. To protect yourself, always ask how soon you can get out of the contract if you so choose. Knowing this will help you plan accordingly if you need to end the contract prematurely. If you're unhappy with the current service, you could still get stuck. Some mail providers, for example, will keep your business domain name for a pre-agreed period, even after you've transferred to another provider. This will create problems with your customer communications, preventing you from transferring your domain name to your new host. When selecting a mail provider, make sure you know what to expect in case you want to bail out.
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