Your list management solution is crucial to your success if you use permission-based email marketing. It can also hurt your sales, lower your credibility, cause frustration and waste time, and more. Your results will be affected by the one you choose.
There are three types to choose from for list management:
1) Desktop software: This program is installed on your computer and allows you to send emails through your ISP.
2) Self-hosted List Management: This is a script or software that you install on your web server.
3) List hosting services
Let's take a look at the pros and cons of each option.
Email Delivery Problems
Email marketing success depends on the ability to deliver. Subscribers who don't get your emails won't be able to act on them. The problem is that mass emailing without the right systems and expertise can lead to lower email delivery rates.
You should cooperate with major ISPs and blacklists in order to maintain higher delivery rates ("whitelisted") and prevent your messages being blocked ("blacklisted") List management systems must be updated and designed in accordance with the latest legislation and technological advancements related to email delivery.
Do-it-yourself lists management solutions allow you to handle all deliveryability issues and updates in-house.
Spam Complaints:
Spam complaints may occasionally occur, even if your lists have been double-opted in.
Spam complaints can be handled by you if you manage your own list. These sensitive issues can be handled by professionals using outsourced tools.
Bounce Management
As users move or change ISPs, a portion of undeliverable email addresses becomes undeliverable over time. According to some statistics, "churn rates” are between 25-35% per annum. Some list management systems don't have the ability to properly manage bounced emails. For example, they may not be able to remove hard bounces right away or soft bounces after several failed delivery attempts.
Because email systems of ISPs or other networks can block senders' emails, which results in too many bounces (common for spammers), poor bounce management only makes delivery problems worse.
Other drawbacks include increased bandwidth usage and extra load on mail servers curriculum email.
Server Compatibility Issues
Compatibility issues between server-side and client software may not be apparent until after the installation.
Problems with ISPs or Web Hosts
Some web hosts may shut down your website and/or charge you for spam complaints that were triggered by emails from domains hosted on their servers. They are trying to protect their business, which is understandable.
Many ISPs prohibit the use of desktop software for mass email sending. If you are caught, your Internet access may be canceled.
Hidden Costs
Do-it-yourself scripts and software may not require a purchase at once, but be aware of hidden costs that could become recurring.
1) Software installation fees.
2) Upgrade fees.
3) Reduced productivity due to extra time spent managing in-house lists
4) Lower profit due to email delivery problems
Be wary of investment claims that are made once and only. They can prove to be much more costly than you think.
Do-It-Yourself List Management: The Seeming Benefits
The benefits of self-managed email list management seem appealing at first glance. There are no recurring fees, greater control over your emails, and operations are managed in-house.
Let me tell you, from my "school of hard knocks" experience, that doing-it-yourself is not the best option for managing a professional online business's list. This lesson took me some time to understand.
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