A good newsletter sender/maker?

[holidays2crete]

I have been collecting emails for some time for my newsletter but have yet to send out a newsletter. my html isnt great and would prefer something online that gives you nice templates to use or walks you through a decent newsletter design. Im looking for newsletters that are easy customizable, have a few graphics etc.

bit like the uk business forum newsletter or lowcostbeds or cheapflights newsletter 9sign up to the last 2 to see what i mean.

Im really not sure how newslwtters work with regards to html and where the images/links are hosted so any information on an easy and simple way to make an effective newsletter would be great (with links or suggestions)

Thanks

 

[domokun]

I'v heard good things about the following:
mailchimp.com
campaignmonitor.com
aweber.com

Regardless of which one you choose, read the free guide from mailchip about sending emails to mass groups of people. Make sure you stay within the lines of the can-spam act. Best of luck!

 

[born2becool]

Hi - Mailchimp gets 5 stars from me. I use this in my 'day job' - it has impressive features, nice to use and cheap as chips. For your html needs i wou;d suggest hiring a freelance html designer who has experience with email campaigns & not just web design.

 

[Onehourpa]

Hi,

I've been using Constant Contact for a few months now. I had the same issue when I first wanted to start sending email newsletter, I didn't really know how to make it happen! I've found Constant Contact great, they give you a 1 month free trial, they have templates that you can use to build your newsletter and once you have a play around with it you start to get the hang of it.
However, having said that I have been reviewing things lately and have read some great stuff about Mail Chimp, who I believe also do a free trial.

 

[jonlogix]

HI Duncan,

We provide a set of 80+ free email templates with our system and we can also help you create a bespoke version should you require some help. If you go to http://www.design-logix.co.uk/email-marketing you will be able to see the features and i would be happy to give you a free tour around the system should you wish.

With kind regards

 

[holidays2crete]

thanks for all the replies guys. I looked through your last website for the templates but couldnt find them so think I went wrong somewhere. i have just paid out for some boxedart templates so hopefully I will find something there.

mailchimp got on my nerves but I will go back and try again. i tried ymlp but the newsletter maker just looks amateur. I will try the others in a day or so and post my results.

 

[Call Tracker]

we do our own html pages but I would recommend www.mailingmanager.co.uk or www.dotmailer.co.uk as they will either design you a bespoke template or you can use their templates which are quite good. It is worthwhile adopting a package like this to mass mail as you get great reporting and know who has opened, clicked through to the website etc.

 

[publicityheaven]

Hi Duncan

We use a (differently branded) version of sign-up.to which has pretty awesome functionality, although the templates aren't great

PLUG FOR OWN BUSINESS ALERT: If you're looking for someone to just do everything for you including content and HTML, we have a good deal on at the moment at www.publicityheaven.com/email

 

[JElder]

If you are writing HTML yourself remember:

• Always include a plain text alternative (most bulk senders support this)
• Use basic HTML markup (<B>, etc) or inline styles only. You can link to external stylesheets, but this is not reliable
• Try to keep your HTML simple - it cuts down on transmission/reception time, and makes it less likely to look like obfuscated spam
• Link to non-critical graphics rather than embedding them, and leave the graphics up for a long time in case someone comes back to the email.

 

[holidays2crete]

well i have signed up to mailchimp and created a basic email, which i think looks, although some testing is in order.

only problem is mailchimp doesnt let me make a signup form (or it does but for some reason the forms dont show up so i can test it by entering email/names etc)

all the help on this has been much appreciated.