Choosing Bulk Email Software to Match Your Communication Goals |
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| Are you struggling to find email software that can support your email strategy and help connect your constituents to your cause? There’s dozens if not hundreds of bulk email software vendors, and it feels like new tools come out every day. Faced with so many options, where do you start? It can be helpful to think through your needs based on the types of emails that you plan to send. If you will be sending basic text communications, some straightforward features can make it easier. Or are you sending eNewsletters or action alerts? You’ll want to look at some additional features to get the best results. |
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We’ll look at the desirable features for three different types of emails: |
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| -› Basic Broadcast Emails |
| -› Periodic Update Emails, such as eNewsletters |
| -› Action Emails, such as action alerts and donation requests |
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Within each category, we’ll look at the features that can help you set up your lists, create effective emails and find out what’s working.
Throughout the article we’ll concentrate on tool options that encourage best practices and provide benefits for each email type. While we can’t tell you exactly what will be right for you knowing about some of the most useful features will make assessing your options a little easier. |
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Basics You Can’t Live Without |
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| For some things, it doesn’t matter what your goals are: if you’re going to send mass email, you’re going to need some basic things. |
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Make sure you know who in your organization will: |
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| -› Manage your lists / be the database wrangler |
| -› Create or gather content – the text and images for your email |
| -› Design your email templates and graphics |
| -› Enter content, set it up and test the actual email |
| -› Collect and analyze reports and metrics. |
| -› Read the test messages, proofread, edit and approve |
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Make sure the tools you look at offer: |
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| -› List Management Utilities. Make sure you have ways to add, remove and change email addresses by hand and a simple means to export your list regularly for back ups and use in other systems. |
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| -› Automatic Unsubscribe. Make sure your constituents can unsubscribe themselves (for instance, by clicking on a link in their email) without going through you. You’re required by law to remove those who request it – don’t run the risk that one of your staff members overlooks an unsubscribe request |
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| -› Solid Deliverability. Whether or not your emails are considered as spam depends on a lot of things, but the history and actions of your emailing vendor are a major factor. For more on what impacts deliverability, see Idealware’s A Few Good eNewsletter Tools article. |
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| -› HTML and Text Versions. If you plan to send HTML emails (to allow text formatting or images) you will also need a way to send the text version for those people whose programs can’t read the HTML. Check to make sure your tool sends Multipart MIME type emails. |
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| -› Test Emails. It should be easy to send test emails to your own test email accounts, to check formatting, links, and whether it hits the spam filter. |
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| -› Documentation and Support. Regardless of other features selected, you’ll need a solid understanding of how to use them. Consider carefully what level and manner of documentation, training and support are offered by each vendor. |
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| As you look at additional features, keep in mind that you don’t have to go with a high price package to take advantage of best practices. You might be able to use a less expensive system if you shop around for a tool that has only the features you will really use. |
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Basic Broadcast Emails |
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| If your primary use for mass emails is to reach your whole list with communications such as letters from the Executive Director, press releases and simple event announcements, you likely won’t need a lot of complex features. But any email campaign can benefit from a few standard features that support your workflow, professional image and provide information about reader response. |
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List Management Features |
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| -› Basic List Management. Don’t underestimate the task of adding new constituents to your email list and keeping everything up-to-date. Be sure to check out how easy it is to import a list, merge it with your existing list, and eliminate duplicate email addresses. Look at tools that allow you to store and manage the lists online, so you don’t have to import a list for each mailing. Many systems also offer automatic bounce handling, so as to remove bad email addresses after a certain number of bounces, for instance. |
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| -› Website Integration. The ability to integrate opt-in signup and unsubscribe forms from your website to your email database can be very helpful – these forms grow your list organically, save you a great deal of time and ensure that your list is made up of those that truly want to receive your communications. |
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Choosing the Right Tool for Your Goals |
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Apart from having a message to send, a reputable mail server to send it from, and a list of people to send it to, none of the above constitutes a “must have” for successful communications. The balance your particular organization strikes between tools and features, brainpower and the people to make use of them will depend on your mission and the part mass emails play in carrying it out. And no set of features will make a successful email strategy. Having the staff time and training to create great content, build the right email list, and utilize reports wisely is more important than having a highly sophisticated tool set. The level of time and energy you invest in your email strategy is likely to be directly reflected in the success of your emails.
But considering what types of emails you are most likely to send can be a real help in determining priorities and the features that have real value to you. With some careful choices, you can find a tool that’s great for the things that matter: managing time and resources more wisely, improving the perception of your organization and deepening your relationship with your constituents, all without breaking your budget.
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