Managing a bulk email list
This implies:
- The process of building and permanently enriching the email list;
- Keeping the readers (clients) in permanent contact through newsletter service;
- Real-time feedback to readers that contact you;
- Honouring unsubscribing options immediately;
- Managing bouncebacks;
- Keeping separate records of subscribers' previous actions/ purchases;
- Managing spam accusations, that with mass email are almost inevitable.
If the list of subscribers is small (up to 100 persons), you can run an email marketing campaign using no other software than your email client and — if needed — a software for editing the newsletter, such as Macromedia Dreamweaver or MS Front Page, but we wouldn't recommend that for objective reasons.
There's no point in adding that such a small list should be entirely opt-in, probably based on personal contacts, and the spam susceptibility almost inexistent.
You may have persons that want to unsubscribe, and you must respect their decision, no matter how sure you are they won't sue you. Of course, given the personal contact, it is much easier to get feedback. Telephone is recommended.
Bouncebacks may also appear. Either the mailbox is full for the moment, or it has been abandoned because of unsolicited emails, or the server is down. You can probably pay a phone call to ask about the problem or wait for a few weeks and see if the situation doesn't change. It's your decision. Sometimes, by phoning you can obtain a valid email address right away.
One thing that's hard to do — or pointless at this level — is personalizing the messages. However, you should take the time to personally answer complaints and even positive feedback. We can guarantee that with such a small list, situations that require personal answers won't be a major time consumer.
One last thing: use Blind Carbon Copy option (BCC) to send your newsletter. Even with such a small list you can find a ill-willing person that “harvests” email addresses to sent unsolicited messages.
If the contact list gets bigger and bigger, it's a good sign: your business is growing stronger and (most probably) you're making more money. But at the same time you can't continue to rely exclusively on your email clients' options to send mass email. You need an email marketing software.
In the following sections we'll see how an email software manages your list automatically, step by step.