Switching from Icontact: Tips and Alternatives for Newsletter Email Services

[lovecookn]

I am thinking I would like to cancel my icontact subscription. Before I do, I wanted to solicit your advice...Anything that you guys might want to share about your experiences? Things you wished you'd done differently or thought about before changing services?I am thinking that icontact is not really meeting my needs. I probably only send newsletters every other month at best. It is expensive. And I've had some issues with the whole opt-in process, and spam protection rules. (there is a recent thread where others discuss this.)Anyway, I want to switch to a different service....mostly something less expensive...or one where you pay only when you actually send an e-mail.So, I would love to hear what you've learned along the way! And which services besides icontact, that you like and why!Thank so much for your help!

 

[DEBBI]

I use emailbrain... Very happywith them

 

[lovecookn]

Why? What do you like?

 

[DEBBI]

I'm a not computer savy, but i found it easy to use, track my newsletter, etc

 

[Zsu]

I have no personal experience with i contact.

I am only recently thinking about sending newsletters out. I have not subscribed to TT yet, and when i mentioned this to my husband he told me i do not have to spend money on it.

He is a computer expert and he has shown me 3 different programs that i can use to create my own newsletter and send the emails out. Since i am not great with letters and words i will not do my own newsletters, i'd rather pay TT and be done with it.
But as far as sending them out, the software he has recomennded i think will do the job for me. We already have a personal server that can host it, and since he knows what to do he'll maintain it for me.

For those who are interested in these free softwares.
Sending emails out using a server:
http://www.komando.com/downloads/category.aspx?id=2457

Sending out emails, no server needed:
http://www.komando.com/downloads/category.aspx?id=1639

And if you really want to create your own newsletter:
http://www.komando.com/downloads/category.aspx?id=2768

Hope this helps.

Zsuzsanna

 

[Zsu]

WOW I love how CS puts the links in :thumbup:

 

[DEBBI]

I use: Myemaildesigns.com,very nicely done. My director recomended both to me.

 

[lovecookn]

Thanks for the info. I have used Mike's and Joy's and like them both. I am hoping to find a e-mail service that will work well with either and be much less than icontact and maybe even easier to use.

 

[DebbieJ]

you don't have to use the opt-in on iContact. I bypass that entirely.

 

[Jewel]

I used TT and then use vertical response to send them. its similar to icontact but you can get buy less emails than icontact.

 

[esavvymom]

you don't have to use the opt-in on iContact. I bypass that entirely.

I don't use it either. If someone doesn't want the newsletter, they can unsubscribe. I used the opt-in once and the names just have gotten lost in the black-hole. Now I can never add them to my list.

 

[lovecookn]

Yes I have had similar problems with e-mail address I can never send to because of the opt-in thing. Some are my close friends. I have spent way too much time talking to icontact support and just feel I am way over paying. So I plan to cancel, find another service, save money, and I learned a lot from my icontact experience so I won't make the same mistakes!

So any others you guys like besides vertical response, and the brainemails???

Thanks so much!