As part of my internship at The Hub Marketing Communications, I was allocated the task of researching into the various e-newsletter choices available online. I used two different e-newsletter developer websites to compare options; mailchimp.com.au and campaignmonitor.com.au. After conducting research into both of these developers' offerings, I was amazed at the hundreds of different options that were available to help an organisation transform the way it delivered information to a client.
To help you better understand the degree of creativity that goes into creating an e-newsletter, here are a few examples of what e-newsletter developers can offer clients today:
- Mobile ready templates - or more simply, any template you design on a monitor will be automatically optimised for both desktop and mobile clients (i.e. how you see it on the desktop is how you see it on the mobile)
- Segment your email list based on any category of difference to ensure clients and customers are only receiving information necessary to them (and customise the content)
- Free reports - after you have distributed an email/e-newsletter, you will have access to a variety of charts, graphs and calculation tools that will show exactly who has opened the e-newsletters, what they have been looking at, any links they have selected to open and how many times they have re-opened your e-newsletter.
- 'World view' feature - shows you exactly who has opened your email and from what exact location in the world from the view of a fullscreen world map that you can then share
- Give clients access to your reports
- Personalise everything! From the template, to the customised information included to the signup/subscriber forms and confirmation emails
- Have 'time zone' control - ensure e-newlsetters are sent out at exactly the right time using the time zone controller tool
- 'Subscriber snapshot' - a function that allows you to see a single page showing every interaction you've ever had with each of your subscribers (e.g. see which email client they view their emails on
These are just a few of the hundreds of differing options available to organisations who chose to go through a e-newsletter developer when constructing their very own e-newsletter.
This research certaintly gave me an insight into the world of the internet and how it's possible to customise everything right down to the core!
Now, more than ever, public relations firms have the option of going above and beyond competitors by utilising the various techniques for differentiating yourself apart from a client organisation. And whats even more exciting, being creative has never been easier with the ease and simplicity of using websites to develop email campaigns... What's not to love about 21st century technology?!
