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Emailing prospects

by Matt Lee
7 replies
I would like to start an email marketing campaign to promote a product I created outside of the forum to other businesses. To be honest, until now I haven't done a lot of email marketing to prospects.

I'd like to train my project manager the best way to go about doing this, so after I learn, he'll learn. Right now, I'm basically gathering contact information of business owners and I'd like to email them my sales letter.

But I know it's a numbers game, and I plan to send out 100's of emails a day. So what is best way to ensure the highest delivery rate?

I searched through threads here on the WF, and some other places, and I've read things like use multiple gmail addresses, use getresponse or mailchimp, use a domain based email, and the list goes on.

Which if these is the best & why? Will someone please enlighten me? Any advice would really help me out. This is just something that I'm not well versed in.
#emailing #prospects
  • Profile picture of the author tudexo
    Originally Posted by Matt Lee View Post

    I would like to start an email marketing campaign to promote a product I created outside of the forum to other businesses. To be honest, until now I haven't done a lot of email marketing to prospects.

    I'd like to train my project manager the best way to go about doing this, so after I learn, he'll learn. Right now, I'm basically gathering contact information of business owners and I'd like to email them my sales letter.

    But I know it's a numbers game, and I plan to send out 100's of emails a day. So what is best way to ensure the highest delivery rate?

    I searched through threads here on the WF, and some other places, and I've read things like use multiple gmail addresses, use getresponse or mailchimp, use a domain based email, and the list goes on.

    Which if these is the best & why? Will someone please enlighten me? Any advice would really help me out. This is just something that I'm not well versed in.
    Stay away from Gmail. Just get hold of a conventional SMTP server and a Linux VPS. As long as the emails are not going to the same host, 100 or so emails shouldn't be a problem. An attachment would increase inbox rates too. Hope that helps.
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    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      Definitely will add that Aweber is a good choice to go with as an Autorepsonder. Been with them 6 years

      I know Get response has had rave reviews. And that is also an alternative.


      - Robert Andrew
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Matt Lee View Post

    I searched through threads here on the WF, and some other places, and I've read things like use multiple gmail addresses, use getresponse or mailchimp, use a domain based email, and the list goes on.

    Which if these is the best & why?
    As I understand your question, no autoresponder service is going to allow you to use their facilities to send out emails of the type you desribe, Matt.

    They're for sending email to subscribers (people who have voluntarily given you their email addresses because they want to hear from you).

    Email marketing is permission-based.

    Originally Posted by Matt Lee View Post

    I'm basically gathering contact information of business owners and I'd like to email them my sales letter.
    Am I right in thinking this involves sending out unsolicited, bulk emails? The Can-Spam Act has things to say about this (and its provisions are effectively incorporated into the terms of service of all the autoresponder companies, too).

    If you can find a legal way to do this, I strongly suspect that some kind of self-hosted autoresponder will be your way forward. But be aware that if recipients regard whatever you send as "spam" and click the "spam button" in their own email client software, there'll still be adverse consequences, even if you have found a legal way to do it. Bulk emailing of an unsolicited sales letter is (perhaps rightly and understandably?) never going to be easy.

    .
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    • Profile picture of the author Matt Lee
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      As I understand your question, no autoresponder service is going to allow you to use their facilities to send out emails of the type you desribe, Matt.

      They're for sending email to subscribers (people who have voluntarily given you their email addresses because they want to hear from you).

      Email marketing is permission-based.



      Am I right in thinking this involves sending out unsolicited, bulk emails? The Can-Spam Act has things to say about this (and its provisions are effectively incorporated into the terms of service of all the autoresponder companies, too).

      If you can find a legal way to do this, I strongly suspect that some kind of self-hosted autoresponder will be your way forward. But be aware that if recipients regard whatever you send as "spam" and click the "spam button" in their own email client software, there'll still be adverse consequences, even if you have found a legal way to do it. Bulk emailing of an unsolicited sales letter is (perhaps rightly and understandably?) never going to be easy.

      .
      Actually, I'll be soliciting businesses & B2B has different guidelines.regarding email solicitation than B2C.. That being said, it's my understanding that as long as I make sure that use a subject line that is relative to my email message and provide a way to opt out of future solicitations- I'm playing by the rules.
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      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Matt Lee View Post

        I'll be soliciting businesses & B2B has different guidelines.regarding email solicitation than B2C.. That being said, it's my understanding that as long as I make sure that use a subject line that is relative to my email message and provide a way to opt out of future solicitations- I'm playing by the rules.
        I hear ya'.

        Good luck in persuading an autoresponder company that that somehow makes it legitimate for you to use their services; and especially good luck with your own hosting, ESP and ISP if you use a self-hosted solution and get (m)any spam complaints.

        Apologies if I sounded "dismissive" of your plan: that wasn't my intention at all. Nor am I claiming that it would necessarily be completely illegal (I'm not a lawyer, myself).

        I just wanted to mention to you, in the interests of realism, that however you manage to do this, it is going to be difficult and complicated, and that it isn't going to be entirely risk-free, either. And that there are kind of "reasons for that".

        .
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  • Profile picture of the author sdingram
    Hi Matt,

    Try Reachmail.com. You can upload your list to them.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by sdingram View Post

      Try Reachmail.com. You can upload your list to them.
      Under some circumstances.

      But not the kind of "list" that Matt's describing here. It isn't actually a "list" within the normal email marketing definition/description at all. They're not people who have opted in.

      List / Data Collection Best Practices – ReachMail

      Email marketing is permission-based.

      As explained above, no hosted autoresponder service is going to allow people to use their facilities to send out emails of the type desribed here. There are reasons for that!

      .
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