Bulk Email Marketing

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Were you aware that over 70% of all Internet users in the USA have made purchases as a result of email advertising? Bulk email marketing is a very powerful and effective marketing tool that should be an essential part of any marketing plan for any company or organization. By definition, this type of marketing is classified as “the management of mailing lists and targeted electronic communications with a diverse subscriber base”. In other words, it’s the mass distribution of electronic newsletters, promotions, advertisements and corporate announcements for use in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer industries. It’s a very popular form of marketing and is increasingly used by small and large companies alike for attracting potential customers. Businesses like it because it’s cheap and is a solution that delivers results and is a great way to target unlimited number of prospects, with the goal of converting as many of them as possible.

With this in mind, bulk email marketing typically uses special software that captures email addresses from the bulk list and automatically sends one message to each entry, so maintaining opt-in list maintenance is crucial to success. For those not familiar with an “opt-in” list, it’s the form on a webpage that users type information into (stuff like “name” and “email address”). Once the information is “captured” via the opt-in form, it is stored in a database (bulk list) for that particular site. Specific bulk email software can then be used to send each recipient a unique e-mail message without any other recipients' names or email address. When you send an email to the bulk email list, that message is automatically sent to everyone on that list, hence bulk email. Dedicated software like this makes sending these emails a lot simpler and less time consuming. Typically the software is managed via a third party or can be downloaded to your computer for private use. “Constant Contact” is an example of a third party email management system that can handle sending bulk emails to potential customers. Most of the time it’s just easier to outsource this kind of service and frees you up to focus on more important elements like customer service.

The software is the backbone of the bulk email marketing plan. It can make and send an e-mail to general e-mail addresses, any contacts and distribution lists, and send newsletters to your subscribers. Basically, anything with a name and email address is fair game. It allows for the management of mailing lists and targeted communications to a diverse base of subscribers. For this reason, targeting a list of opt-in recipients is usually viewed as the key to such a campaign’s success.

One of the most appealing aspects of bulk email marketing is that it can be set up to send an email marketing campaign to your customers at anytime day or night. This adds up to extending your reach into your customer base economically and effectively. Also, the software can permanently delete all sent copies from “Sent Items” folder after sending for avoiding duplicate email copies. For example, some software features incorporate an opt-out option that automatically processes your remove requests, sparing you the time-consuming process of manually removing them one by one from your email address lists.

Another thing to consider is the free bulk emailing software that is available on the Internet. This software extracts email from the given path such as temp folders, saved webpages, etc. If you are really industrious and feel like saving a few bucks, you can use bulk emailing software that you can download for free. However, this usually means putting up with someone else’s advertising on your emails that are sent to your customers. Remember – if it’s “free”, there’s probably a catch. On the other hand, some of this software actually gives you a choice to send both plain text emails as well as html email with “lightning speed without using your ISP's smtp server”.

No self-respecting article on bulk emailing would be complete without mentioning the “S” word. That’s right SPAM. The term SPAM originates with the infamous canned meat and is used as a synonym for unsolicited email, or unsolicited bulk e-mail (UBE). Although bulk email marketing does not necessarily constitute as spam, many spam campaigns are launched using this very method. The difference her is the opt-in list. This list gives you permission to email people who have requested more information or signed up for your newsletter. If bulk email is unsolicited and sent to recipients who did not agree to receive it, it is often considered spam. Since sending spamming is against the law in most states, but sending out mass emails is perfectly acceptable, it's important to understand the difference between them.

To recap, bulk email marketing can be a very cost effective and economic way to extend the reach of any business into their customer base. A good software program is essential for positive results. Spamming is bad, but mass emailing is perfectly acceptable. Businesses of all shapes and sizes can use bulk email marketing to generate new sales for one reason and that’s because it works! Though it is generally viewed as a direct marketing tool used by large companies, bulk email can be used by small businesses and individuals as well. For small business owners looking to get ahead, bulk email marketing is the way to go.