Theme: E-Mail Program Selection
Issue 91, Summer 2005

Dear Friend,

I'm nearly finished with the completely re-written and revised E-Mail Marketing Handbook. One of the purposes of the Handbook is to guide readers in selecting the right e-mail marketing software for their needs.

This issue contains a fairly lengthy chapter that discusses each of these features in some detail and 99 questions to ask a prospective e-mail vendor. I hope you find them helpful.

God bless you,
Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, Editor

How to Select an E-Mail Marketing Program (Bulk Mailer)

http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmtp8/email_program_selection.cfm

This article is an excerpt from The E-Mail Marketing Handbook (Second Edition), Chapter 9, "Selecting an E-Mail Marketing Program." Each feature included in e-mail marketing programs is discussed in some detail to guide the reader in selecting the e-mail marketing program (bulk mailer) that is best suited to his needs.

Features discussed include: Types of e-mail software, simplicity vs. sophistication, subscription management features, bounce management features, user administration features, database flexibility, database tracking features, data segmentation, conditional messages, and SQL commands, e-mail headers, e-mail formatting features, miscellaneous tools, autoresponder functions, sending features, deliverability, spam law compliance, summary reporting, customer service, hosting infrastructure, integration, and fee structures. Read the Article.

99 Questions to Ask a Prospective E-Mail Vendor

http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmtp8/email_99questions.cfm

Comparing one e-mail vendor with another is difficult, since the features vary so much from one to another. This 99-question collection tool is designed to be used once you've narrowed down the field to the programs you wish to consider more carefully. It contains a comprehensive set of questions that will keep you from forgetting features that may be important to you.

The questionnaire is the basis of a massive appendix in The E-Mail Marketing Handbook (Second Edition) (to be released in August 2005), in which more than 50 top e-mail vendors answer these questions in detail about their products. If you desire to understand the significance or importance of any feature, see Chapter 9, "Selecting an E-Mail Marketing Program."

I've purposely made this with wide margins so you can print it out easily on your printer for use with several vendors. See the 99 Questions

New Ecommerce and Web Marketing Articles

Each month our team of link editors scours dozens of online periodicals and resources to find key information on e-commerce and Web marketing. With so much new literature available to you, how do you find what you need quickly and painlessly? Here's a selective and searchable database of article and resource links to help your research and keep you up-to-date in the field. (Links gathered in a given month are usually available during the second week of the following month.)