How Many of You Would Use Constant Contact...

[PampChefJoy]

if the newsletter articles were already pre-input for you, and all you had to do was tweak it and send?

I am working on a contract with Constant Contact to offer my newsletter as a template. You would still have to subscribe directly with Constant Contact, but as a paid subscriber of mine, they will automatically put my newsletter in your account each month for you to use and send out to your list.

I haven't finished working out the logistics with them yet but they seem very confident that we can pull this off without alot of hassle, and at a price that I can afford to continue to offer my services without raising my rates.

I'm just wondering if there enough interest in this out there...

 

[chelynn]

I probably would. I don't subscribe to either right now, but will be starting an e-mail newsletter next month (sent out a hard copy this month). I really like the look of Constant Contact, and I love your content!

Would we still have the ability to change stuff if we wanted? I'm sure the answer is yes.

I guess it would also depend on price and length of contract. I would have to make sure it was cost-beneficial for me. Sounds like a great idea!

 

[KellyTheChef]

Joy~

With Constant Contact (and what you are proposing) THEY send out the email? Reason I am asking...no matter what I have been sending (used your newsletter for a while...now doing my own short email to direct them to my site...) I am hearing that many are NOT even receiving them! Even though I send them out in SMALL batches. This is a huge hassle for me and I would LOVE an inexpensive fix!

Will it be able to see how many are opened/caught as spam/etc.?

This sounds like a super opportunity for you! Congrats!

 

[PampChefJoy]

You would have a regular Constant Contact account. You would add/delete your customers' emails. I would not have access to your account. CC would take the newsletter I create in my account and copy it over to my subscribers' accounts. Then when you log in, you would see it as one of your un-sent campaigns. From there, you can edit some more -- add an article, delete, move around etc. This would save you the trouble of coming up with your own articles and uploading pictures. The only thing I can think of that would not be possible is a direct link to your PWS -- because that is a specific URL for each person.

 

[sfdavis918]

I would absolutely do this! I subscribe to constant contact now, but I am not creative at all in putting together newsletters. I would love to have it done for me!

 

[KellyTheChef]

Joy~

So we would be a CC subscriber, as well as a subscriber to you (Tasty Tidbits) too? Or, your newsletter will be there if we are a CC subscriber?

 

[cmdtrgd]

WOOHOO!!! Joy that would save me so much time!!! I would DEFINITELY do it!

 

[jenniferp417]

I would do it. I think CC is great but I've signed up for your newsletters and didn't want to do both and try to figure out how to re-do your newsletter and stuff it into their templates.So you've got one for-sure customer!

 

[PampChefJoy]

GRRRRR -- okay, we've hit a snag.... apparently they want ALOT more money to do this than I was originally quoted. And they want to charge it EVERY time they transfer a template over... so I'm not sure I can make it work this way.

I do want to make it simpler for people to use the content with CC, so I am still thinking I might design a document that has the articles and links ready to cut and paste, for my CC-user subscribers...

Back to the drawing board.....

 

[jenniferp417]

Oh, that's such a shame. Keep us posted!

 

[sfdavis918]

GRRRRR -- okay, we've hit a snag.... apparently they want ALOT more money to do this than I was originally quoted. And they want to charge it EVERY time they transfer a template over... so I'm not sure I can make it work this way.

I do want to make it simpler for people to use the content with CC, so I am still thinking I might design a document that has the articles and links ready to cut and paste, for my CC-user subscribers...

Back to the drawing board.....

That really is disappointing.

 

[aried]

Too bad, I would have done it. Let us know if you come up with something.

Ann R

 

[chef_kimmo]

that is disappointing. I used Constant Contact for a while but no matter what I do - I spend too much time making newsletters. I had received another e-mail contact like Constant Contact and it figured to be a little bit cheaper but I couldn't tell if it was the same quality.

 

[chef_kimmo]

With Constant Contact at least we could send out some test newsletters to limited number of people. I tried to send to my yahoo group and it wouldn't go there - no surprise they blocked that!

 

[chef_kimmo]

Has anyone noticed that the e-mails we can send through our website that info doesn't always come through? I have had that problem with the nice boxes with the X in the middle of it. I thought they were so sharp until that happened!

 

[mpkegley]

Joy, keep up posted! I would love to do that.

 

[sailortena]

Constant Contact charges like $16 for the first 500 emails you have on your list, and it goes up for the more people you have.I use Vertical Response (verticalresponse.com). I got a promotion to send 500 free emails (which is about 5-6 months for free for me) and they also have tiered pricing like Constant Contact, but it's a bit cheaper.Each online program has a do-it-yourself area, and it's helpful if you know a little HTML to make your newsletters pop.

 

[PampChefJoy]

That's interesting... if anyone else uses a service other than Constant Contact, please let me know. Perhaps I can work out a deal with a different provider that is more flexible.

 

[mpkegley]

Does Vertical Response work basically like Constant Contact? I love that with CC that I can see who has opened my newsletter every month. I will have to check into that.

 

[PampChefJoy]

Okay, I have heard back from Vertical Response and I like what they're saying... I am going to develop a sample newsletter and forward it out to my subscriber base to see how much interest there would be. I'll also forward it out to those interested here. Let me see if I can work on that this weekend

 

[jenniferp417]

How exciting!