by Zac
5. November 2009 20:48
A colleague of mine decided to do a bit of research and compare "once off" purchased marketing software with the GraphicMail hosted email marketing solution. Before making assumptions about once off marketing software, we decided to do a bit of product testing to see if going the hosted route really is better. It only seemed fair to gain a bit more insight and arm ourselves with knowledge before vigorously blogging away about the subject. Truth is, although a hosted solution is not for everyone, we still find it far more useful than a once off solution because of its advanced and progressive functionality.
We stumbled across the following during our testing.
1) Templates on once off programs seem to be outdated. Hosted solutions must stay ahead of their online competitors, which is why you’ll find updated template libraries and new templates added for various seasonal holidays.
2) Once off programs don't seem to have advanced features, just the basics of newsletter creation and sending are available. GraphicMail, for example, offers extra features such as a microsite (an archive of old newsletters), RSS feeds, API's, an ROI calculator and a subscriber segmentation tool.
3) Only basic tracking and statistics tools were available with purchased packages. You could only track new subscribers, unsubscribes and bounces. GraphicMail allows you to track links clicked and how many sends were rated as spam. The hosted solution provides an opportunity to really drill down into subscriber behavior, allowing you to send a more targeted campaign.
4) Not possible to integrate your customer database, CRM, CMS, or e-commerce shopping cart with an API on a purchased package. With the GraphicMail API you are able to integrate GraphicMail's functionality into your existing application or website.
5) Once off programs have to be downloaded onto your computer, which always bares a risk of inviting a virus to your PC. It also takes up memory on your PC. With GraphicMail all you need to do is log into the application.
6) There are extra costs if you need the purchased product on more than one PC. In other words, you will need a multi license version. This can end up being fairly costly, not to mention that you cannot access your account from anywhere else except those specific computers. All that is needed with a hosted application is your username, passwords and access to a PC.
Not all email marketing software packages are the same. Some are more advanced than others and they vary in price. When cross comparing various purchased email marketing packages, consider signing up for free trials with hosted solutions. That way you can compare the various features and what best suits your needs. Make your decision an informed one - this is your brand you are promoting!
Below are just a few of the innovative, forward thinking features that GraphicMail, a hosted email marketing solution, can offer you:
- Flexible monthly and pay as you go pricing structures and a FREE trial
- Over 100 free email newlsetter templates in the template library which are updated regularly. New templates are added for festive holidays.
- The in house design team will create custom made templates for an extra cost.
- A WYSWIG editor for creating and modifying newsletter templates. Easy to use for those with and without HTML skills.
- Updated help center, FAQs, video tutorials and a knowledgeable in house support team (There is no outsourcing of support!)
- No downloading of application necessary, no licenses required and you can access your account from anywhere in the world.
- Build and manage databases of mailing lists from within the GraphicMail application.
- Upload, store and control all of your images and documents within the GraphicMail interface.
- Send thousands of emails from within the application, instead of slowing down your own server.
- Advanced email campaign tracking and statistics. Drill down into specifics of your report such as which subscriber clicked on a link and monitor how many people have opened your newsletter.
- Profile your subscribers and create segments based on certain criteria. This functionality allows you to send more targetted email campaigns.
- Compliant with US can-spam standards and the EU privacy directive.
- Customize footers with your logo
- Each user gets a Microsite where all your archived newsletters are kept. A microsite is basically a mini website. It will look something like this: www.graphicmail.com/hollywoodcats
- Become a reseller of the GraphicMail product.
- Advanced features such as RSS to email, automated trigger emails, schedule sends, importing databases are available.
- Boost your brand online by submitting a case study or testimonial and receive links to your website and a company logo on the GraphicMail website.
- Once you have an account with GraphicMail, you will access to numerous promotions