This month's issue is all about... this month's issue! Well, not exactly, but I thought I'd share more information about how Red Kite handles its own monthly newsletter for clients.
We started using Semaphore to manage our e-newsletters in January of this year, and it is so much easier than the server-based PHPList that we used for several years before that. Semaphore is a lot more similar to the big providers like Constant Contact in the way you use it, but unlike many of them, there are no monthly fees. You pay when you send out a mail campaign, and the prices are very comparable if not lower. When you don't mail anything, you don't pay.
You can import Excel and text files containing your client email addresses and other data and manage your clients from an easy interface on your account page.
As far as the look and feel of your newsletter, you can choose from a collection of pre-made templates that are ready to go, or have a template made that matches your website, like we're using here.
When you start a new campaign (an individual mailing), you name your campaign, set the return and 'from' email addresses then add your content. Adding text and images to a template is easy; you just click on an 'edit' icon then you see a window with Word-like tools - bold, italic, text alignment, text color, links and lists. Type or paste your content, click 'save' and the template has instantly changed.
When you're happy with your newsletter, you can send a test copy to yourself or anyone else. Then choose your recipients (from your imported clients or by adding them manually) and choose how to send your campaign. You can schedule it days in advance.
You pay when you're done with all of the above. The rate is $7.50 per campaign + $0.015 per address.
When your campaign is delivered, Semaphore will provide you with nice reporting tools and will track each link in your newsletter for you. You can also generate a snippet of code to put on your website that will display a full list of your archived campaigns.
If you'd like to try Semapore for yourself, contact us and we'll be happy to set up a free account for you. Learn more about this offer here.
Another Newsletter Alternative
If you have a WordPress blog, there's an easy way to manage a monthly email newsletter sitting right under your nose.
Basically, you create a new category in WordPress into which you’ll only post newsletter contents. Hide the category, then set up an RSS feed for just that category. Get a FeedBurner account, provide your new RSS feed and use their email update feature to send out your newsletter posts. It's easy and quick to set up - if you'd like to learn more, email Red Kite.
Interested in learning more about our WordPress blog services? We can create a fully customized WordPress theme based on your current site or a new design, or we can integrate WordPress seamlessly into your existing website. Email for more information.