Archive for the ‘E-mail marketing’ category

About email autoresponders.

April 5th, 2011

Email autoresponders can become a vital feature of your online marketing plan. In order to use them effectively, it’s important to understand the different options available, and methods of increasing their effectiveness.

There are important features to look for when choosing your autoresponder program or service. These include:

  • Allowed length: be sure to check whether the service limits how long sales letters can be.
  • Response time: how long do customers wait for an answer when they visit your site for information? They should be receiving an email from your service immediately.
  • Options: you should be able to choose between HTML and plain-text versions of emails, and subscribers should be able to “opt-out” or unsubscribe if they don’t want to receive further emails.
  • Daily Reports: since your autoresponder emails are part of your marketing program, you’ll want to know how successful it is (and which ones are working!) by being able to view stats on subscribers, unsubscribe requests and other information. This information will help you target your marketing efforts, and drop or change the emails that don’t generate a good response rate.
  • Flexibility: make sure that you can change or personalize your emails, free of charge. You will want the option of making changes to emails, since most marketers like to “tweak” their copy from time to time.

Making Autoresponders Part of Your Marketing plan

Autoresponder emails can be an integral part of any business CRM (Customer Relationship Management plan). Autoresponders let you contact your customers, but without paying for human manpower, and can literally add fuel to a good web site in gathering sales.”

autoresponders are an important part of online marketing, but adds that they don’t replace other methods. “They’re an addition, not really a replacement. Each sale does generally require a “human touch,” however there are some times that the autoresponders will close a deal by itself. They are our “automated follow-up” mechanism, and do that extremely well.”

1) Drive qualified hits to the site.
2) convince a prospective customer to sign up for a free trial account.
3) Send out auto-responder messages frequently.
4) Personal follows up by telephone / email as soon as reasonably possible.

Email autoresponders are an integral part of the follow-up process in this marketing plan.

You do need to make sure that you set up your autoresponder to prevent inadvertently Spamming people. IT HAPPENS! Sometimes autoresonders can hurt you too, so you need to be careful when using them. ”

So How useful Are Autoresponders?

While it’s impossible to generalize completely since email copy varies widely, as well as methods of sending them out (monthly, weekly, or series of ten versus a one-time mail), overall autoresponder emails stack up favorably against other methods of marketing. In fact, they can be less expensive and generate better results than some of the more traditional methods such as direct mail.

In general, direct mail averages about a .5 to 1 % response rate. Email responses are usually higher, around 1.5 to 3% with a decently strong email; some of the really good ones can get a response rate of up to 10%!

Autoresponders are an integral part of the sales process, and yes, they’ve increased sales. Being a small shop, it generally takes us 3+ days to respond to new signups. In the meantime, potential customers are being reminded of our services on a daily basis – each sales letter explains the benefits, new ways to use the service, and gives more bonus items when they purchase. Currently, we are closing about 10-20% of our qualified leads with the auto-responders and new sales method. Before, we were doing about 1 in 100.

In today’s online market, email autoresponders are being used more frequently for a simple reason: they work, and help to save valuable hours in customer follow-up. According to our web marketing experts, it definitely pays to understand how this effective marketing tool works, and to add it to the items that you use to generate inquiries and sales.

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Posted in E-mail marketing, Email hosting

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Send Email from a PHP Script Using SMTP Authentication

March 30th, 2011

This post about “Sending Mail using SMTP and PHP“. Now you can send emails with SMTP authentication using this script. Every mail needed server authentication, So you have to buy mail server. It’s very useful you can implement this on your web projects.

This tutorial contains three files.

- Index.php //Run Mail Form
- SMTPconfig.php // SMTP Server Cofiguration
- SMTPClass.php // SMTP Mail Sending Class

SMTPconfig.php
You have to change SMTP server details.

<?php
//Server Address

$SmtpServer=”127.0.0.1″;
$SmtpPort=”25″; //default
$SmtpUser=”username”;
$SmtpPass=”password”;
?>

 

SMTPclass.php
SMTP mail sending class.

<?php

class SMTPClient
{

function SMTPClient ($SmtpServer, $SmtpPort, $SmtpUser, $SmtpPass, $from, $to, $subject, $body)
{

$this->SmtpServer = $SmtpServer;
$this->SmtpUser = base64_encode ($SmtpUser);
$this->SmtpPass = base64_encode ($SmtpPass);
$this->from = $from;
$this->to = $to;
$this->subject = $subject;
$this->body = $body;

if ($SmtpPort == “”)
{
$this->PortSMTP = 25;
}

else

{
$this->PortSMTP = $SmtpPort;
}
}

function SendMail ()
{
if ($SMTPIN = fsockopen ($this->SmtpServer, $this->PortSMTP))
{
fputs ($SMTPIN, “EHLO “.$HTTP_HOST.”\r\n”);
$talk["hello"] = fgets ( $SMTPIN, 1024 );
fputs($SMTPIN, “auth login\r\n”);
$talk["res"]=fgets($SMTPIN,1024);
fputs($SMTPIN, $this->SmtpUser.”\r\n”);
$talk["user"]=fgets($SMTPIN,1024);
fputs($SMTPIN, $this->SmtpPass.”\r\n”);
$talk["pass"]=fgets($SMTPIN,256);
fputs ($SMTPIN, “MAIL FROM: <”.$this->from.”>\r\n”);
$talk["From"] = fgets ( $SMTPIN, 1024 );
fputs ($SMTPIN, “RCPT TO: <”.$this->to.”>\r\n”);
$talk["To"] = fgets ($SMTPIN, 1024);
fputs($SMTPIN, “DATA\r\n”);
$talk["data"]=fgets( $SMTPIN,1024 );
fputs($SMTPIN, “To: <”.$this->to.”>\r\nFrom: <”.$this->from.”>\r\nSubject:”.$this->subject.”\r\n\r\n\r\n”.$this->body.”\r\n.\r\n”);
$talk["send"]=fgets($SMTPIN,256);
//CLOSE CONNECTION AND EXIT …
fputs ($SMTPIN, “QUIT\r\n”);
fclose($SMTPIN);

//

}
return $talk;
}
}
?>

 

index.php

<?php

include(‘SMTPconfig.php’);
include(‘SMTPClass.php’);
if($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == “POST”)
{
$to = $_POST['to'];
$from = $_POST['from'];
$subject = $_POST['sub'];
$body = $_POST['message'];
$SMTPMail = new SMTPClient ($SmtpServer, $SmtpPort, $SmtpUser, $SmtpPass, $from, $to, $subject, $body);
$SMTPChat = $SMTPMail->SendMail();
}

?>
<form method=”post” action=”">

To:<input type=”text” name=”to” />
From :<input type=’text’ name=”from” />
Subject :<input type=’text’ name=”sub” />
Message :<textarea name=”message”></textarea>
<input type=”submit” value=” Send ” />
</form>

 

Download Source Code

 

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Posted in E-mail marketing, Email hosting, Email tutorial and setup, PHP, PHP mySQL Web Hosting, Programming, progrmming, Version Next Technologies

The Benefits of Email Hosting

February 4th, 2011

Email hosting is designed for businesses that cannot or simply do not want to spend their precious time and resources on setting up and managing an internal messaging infrastructure.  This is very understandable because the continued maintenance and support can raise costs and also greatly increase the probability of virus infections, hardware and software problems.  All of these issues could leave your business without email functionality for hours and possibly days.

There are many benefits to outsourcing your messaging needs to a professional hosting company.  This article will go over some of the most significant.

Secure Webmail Access

Email hosting providers generally equip their mail servers with industry standard 128-bit encryption, which is active during the entire webmail session.  This essentially means that any data sent to and from the server is encrypted from the moment you sign in, until the moment you sign out.  With this proven security protocol, you can ensure that your sensitive messages will not be intercepted or compromised in any way.

Secure IMAP and POP Access

Businesses are increasingly opting for email hosting solutions because they enable secure access to desktop email clients through IMAP or POP.  All email traffic is encrypted, including user names and passwords sent from the email client to the mail server for authentication.  The best hosting providers support all the popular mail clients such as Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express, Eudora, Mozilla Thunderbird and Apple Mail.  Some even offer support for Linux and BSD clients as well as PDAs and pocket PCs.  Whether you prefer to manage your mail on or offline, an email hosting plan can ensure that is done in an efficient and secure manner.

Adequate Storage Space

When signing up a for an email hosting account, you typically get a robust amount of storage for each mailbox created.  Some give you MB of storage; others give you GB per mailbox.  All tend to provide you with more than enough to efficiently store tens of thousands of messages.  A more flexible solution will allow you to easily upgrade as your storage needs increase.

Spam and Virus Filtering

A quality email hosting solution blocks potentially harmful mail before it even enters the network.  Anti-virus scanners are usually integrated into the host’s SMTP gateways while spam is dealt with in numerous ways.  A company that truly wants to help keep spam out your life will employ filtering methods such as blacklisting, white listing and grey listing, and allow you to make a configuration that automatically sends it to a quarantine folder instead of your inbox.

For more visit: www.version-next.com

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Posted in E-mail marketing, Tutorials, Version Next Technologies

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10 Ways to Get More Clicks in Your Email Campaigns.

December 21st, 2010

We all want our recipients to open our email campaigns, right? But it’s what happens after the open we’re truly concerned about. We want our recipients to read our articles and take action whether it’s buying a product, service or donating to our cause. Here are ten easy actions you can take and put to work in your email marketing campaigns that might just get them clickin’.

1. More Links – Obviously you’ll link your call-to-action such as “Click Here”, but try linking your words within your article or pitch. You might find that people will respond better to more links.

2. Link Your Headlines – If you write a newsletter and you’ve got headlines for your articles, try linking the entire headline. If you sell a product link the product name.

3. Link Your Images – People are used to being taken somewhere when they click on an image. If you’ve got an image that relates to your product or cause, link it!

4. Include a Table of Contents – Let people get to the content they want to see fast by using anchor tags in your table of contents at the top of your email. There are however, issues with anchor tags not working properly for Outlook 2007 and a few other email clients so those who read their emails using these clients won’t be able to click.

5. Tease Them – Include half the story in your email and link off to the other half. Make sure in your link you tell them there is more to read. A good suggestion might be “Click to finish reading this fantastic article…” or something of that nature. Then on the page you direct them to, you can include offers that relate to your content.

6. Link Your Offer – If you’ve discounted a product make sure you link either the text or the image you use.

7. Free Gift – Give a free gift with purchase or donation, but only tell them what it is if they click on the link. Then you’ve got more real estate on the page to tell your story.

8. Give an Expiration Date – See how crazy Neiman Marcus went with their two-hour sale email. Make sure you link the date to where you want them to go.

9. Link to a Customer Video – Perhaps you’ve got a customer who made a video about your business. Why not link to it in your emails? Nothing sells you better than one of your customers plus your customer will tell all of his friends about it.

10. Personalize Your Links – If you’ve got a special offer, why not try including your recipients name in the link. “John, click here for your special discount” or “Stanley, click here to learn more about how you can save the Bay.”

The more clicks the better. Get linking!



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Posted in E-mail hosting, E-mail marketing, Email tutorial and setup

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Capturing an email address.

November 4th, 2010

Capturing an email address is not a science, but getting a customer to respond to your offers is. How can we capture a ‘good’ email address, one that will respond to your offers by opening, clicking and ultimately purchasing the product or service you are selling?

This whole process starts at the point where the email address is collected. There are a few best practices that we can implement to help make sure the person signing up for your emails will know what to expect from you.

• First, give a few simple reasons why they should sign up. This reinforces the value of getting your emails.

• Show them a sampling of the different types of emails to expect. This shows the relevance of your offers you will be sending them.

• In addition to email address, ask them for more information relevant to your marketing efforts on your subscribe page – product preferences, gender, favorites, etc. Use this information to add relevance and personalization to their offers.

• Once they subscribe, immediately ask them to add your sending email address to their safe sender list. Don’t assume they know what this is or why they should do it. Explain the importance and how to go about adding you.

• Send an email to them right away to welcome them. This is a time when they will most recognize your emails as they just signed up to receive them. It’s also a good opportunity to present them with an offer. This first email will identify any bad email addresses too.

• Start the regular email schedule immediately – don’t wait a month or two – they will forget who you are or that they even signed up.

• Periodically send them a survey asking them again for information to update the preferences you’ve captured. This will keep the data on your list fresh and up-to-date.

Using these best practices will help to get ‘good’ subscribers. Next step is to make sure you keep them engaged with timely and relevant offers!

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Posted in E-mail hosting, E-mail marketing, Email tutorial and setup

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An electronic mailing list.

September 28th, 2010

An electronic mailing list is a special usage of email that allows for widespread distribution of information to many Internet users. It is similar to a traditional mailing list — a list of names and addresses — as might be kept by an organization for sending publications to its members or customers, but typically refers to four things — a list of email addresses, the people (“subscribers”) receiving mail at those addresses, the publications (e-mail messages) sent to those addresses, and a reflector, which is a single e-mail address that, when designated as the recipient of a message, will send a copy of that message to all of the subscribers.

How automated electronic mailing lists work
Electronic mailing lists are usually fully or partially automated through the use of special mailing list software and a reflector address that are set up on a server  capable of receiving email. Incoming messages sent to the reflector address are processed by the software, and, depending on their content, are acted upon internally (in the case of messages containing commands directed at the software itself) or are distributed to all e-mail addresses subscribed to the mailing list. Depending on the software, additional addresses may be set up for the purpose of sending commands.

Many electronic mailing list servers have a special email address in which subscribers (or those that want to be subscribers) can send commands to the server to perform such tasks as subscribing and unsubscribing, temporarily halting the sending of messages to them, or changing available preferences. The common format for sending these commands is to send an email that contains simply the command followed by the name of the electronic mailing list the command pertains to. Examples: subscribe anylist or subscribe anylist John Doe. Some list servers also allow people to subscribe, unsubscribe, change preferences, etc. via a website.

Electronic mailing list servers can be set to forward messages to subscribers of a particular mailing list either individually as they are received by the list server or in digest form in which all messages received on a particular day by the list server are combined into one email that is sent once per day to subscribers. Some mailing lists allow individual subscribers to decide how they prefer to receive messages from the list server (individual or digest).

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Posted in E-mail hosting, E-mail marketing, Email tutorial and setup

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What Email Marketing Can Do to Boost Your Business

July 17th, 2010

Email marketing is by far the most cost effective method of promoting any business. Any business, whether it be internet based or a bricks and mortar business.

Unlike the spam mail you may be getting bombarded with daily in your email you can build a relationship with your current and potential customers using email and it is easier than you may think.

The first thing you need to do is offer a free report, download, newsletter, or something that will entice visitors to subscribe to your list. This means that you are collecting email details from people who genuinely are keen to obtain information from you on a regular basis. It also provides the option of stopping receiving information at any time.

The terms used to do this form of collection of emails is commonly called subscribers, leads, or opt-ins – all meaning the same thing.

The most powerful part of email marketing is that you can automate it. Setup your emails to send at scheduled times so you don’t have the worry of meeting deadlines. You can broadcast special emails to your list fast and easy.

Of course there is the cost effectiveness and environmental advantages of using email. Instead of printing flyers and having them delivered to homes and businesses you can send your information direct via email to those who genuinely want to hear from you.

Further environmental impact minimization of paper wastage and other resources that are involved in the production of traditional flyer marketing.

Email marketing need not only consist of text, you can include images and videos.

Email marketing builds a relationship between your business and the recipients simply because they want to receive information from you. This trust creates business relationships that are financially powerful over the long term.

It does not matter what type of business you have email marketing works. Not only is it a powerful marketing option but it is really very very inexpensive as most businesses have email available to them as a minimum.

Another advantage of email marketing is it is measurable. With conventional marketing it is very hard to know who is reading/watching, normally only snapshots can be provided only. With email marketing you know who has opened your email and what they have done after opening the email. This makes each and every email you send 100% measurable!

Email marketing is a major boost for business. Email will continue to develop into being one of the most popular and expected forms of marketing contact.

About the Author
Katherine Quirke is a successful Australian based business entrepreneur with an IT background, has owned a number of businesses over the last 20 years. She also runs and owns an art gallery. Sharing her business knowledge is a passion. For more information on creating email marketing visit: http://www.version-next.com/email-hosting/index.html

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