So here I sit.
The "traditional" advertising and marketing person, on a mission to create an email marketing campaign. Now I've got limited experience with email marketing, but I know that it's incredibly trackable and a great way to reach a fairly large audience, especially a captive, interested audience.
So like everything else, I jump right in. I mean, how bad can it be?
And you know what? It wasn't that bad. I think in large part because I had a great tool to work with. Constant Contact. Not sure if you've heard of it, but it's worth checking out.
For someone just getting started with email marketing, this application made it easy.
It takes you through each step needed to set up your message and ultimately send it out to your intended recipients. You can use standard templates that are provided, or upload your own code. Plus, you can upload and manage your lists simply with a few clicks of the mouse.
And once you've sent your messages, you can track results through their reporting feature. Open rates, click rates, unique clicks and bounces. All in one easy to read report. (Be careful though. Reports are real-time and you may get sucked into constantly refreshing your reports to see response rates!) And believe me when I say that they manage SPAM reporting very carefully. You can see how many people reported your message as SPAM and make adjustments from there. It's great!
I've been using Constant Contact now for about 2 months, sending users information at least once a week. It's made keeping in touch and providing helpful information to our users so much easier.
And the best part is that Constant Contact is now one of our Featuretisement partners. That means that our users have access to this powerful email marketing tool right from their BlueTie inbox!
ps - don't forget about CAN-SPAM rules. I mentioned Constant Contact tracks SPAM reports, but brushing up on the guidelines and following them diligently are a must!
