I responded to this post in another forum, however taking a look at your post in this forum, you have given a few more hints.
You mentioned a couple of issues:
* You purchased a list management script for $100.00, but your web host won't let you install it.
You have not told us the brand name of the script. I am going to guess and say it is
Listmail Pro which is sold for $100.00.
You have also not told us why your web host will not allow you to host the software on their servers. Two reasons which come to mind. Your web host has general concerns about spam complaints, or has restrictions on list size.
I am making a presumption, which is always dangerous, but if that is the case, you need to find the appropriate web host.
Possible solutions:
I suggest you contact the manufacturer of the software and see which hosts they recommend. I notice the Listmailpro site has a forum, allowing users to ask questions and also offers online support.
One web host which does cater to publishers that want to do mailings to their lists is this
service.
(As an aside, from your post it seems that apart from publishing a newsletter, you also are promoting a business opportunity. Many network marketers purchase leads and unfortunately this can result in spam complaints. The service I have referenced will want to know the source and origin of the list.)
* With the demise of the autoresponder service you were using which was web based, an email service provider or ESP, you are wondering about which service to use.
I don't know your list sizes. Also, you have not told us whether your lists are single opt-in with a verification notice, or confirmed (double) opt-in.
It seems that at least some of the lists likely contain purchased leads.
There are a number of good ESPs which specialize in list management and offer sequential autoresponders, along with broadcast abilities on the market place.
In making a decision about chosing an ESP, some general comments:
* Check the feature sets. I am not certain why you were attracted to Infogenerator, but clearly they had the feature set, service, delivery rates and pricing which suited your needs.
(I also appreciate that changing ESPs is not easy.)
* Assess delivery rates. This involves a number of checks, including finding out whether any of the mail servers used by the ESP are black listed and doing some test mailings.
(There are a variety of checks that I would run, but ... I will not want to bore you with the details.)
* What are the rules on importing legacy lists The better services will impose a variety of restrictions to ensure existing users do not find their mailings "infected."
As to specific recommendations, without knowing the size of your lists, the nature of your data base, how your lists were created and what you specifically are seeking, it is difficult to make a specific recommendation.
In the circumstances, I will reference three services:
*
AWeber;
A lot of marketers like AWeber. Tom Kulzer is the owner. The feature set is strong and the service has good delivery rates.
You will likely have to re-confirm your mailing list, unless you can establish the list is confirmed (double) opt-in. Please check with support for the specifics.
One specific restriction. AWeber will not allow you to import any legacy lists containing purchased lists.
At least one of the IPs used by AWeber to send mail is presently listed in IADB. This is an accreditation data base which provides a rating on the mailing practices of those listed, along with assistance in dealing with delivery issues.
*
Bighip;
Bighip is not as well known in the IM crowd. William Nicholson is the owner. It is a relatively new service. The feature set is good. The service has good delivery rates.
Dealing with legacy lists, you will have to speak directly with the owners. Customers can not import lists. It is handled on a case by case basis.
If your legacy list contains purchased leads you will not be able to import the legacy list.
Even if the list is "a house list," you will need to speak with the owner.
What specific restrictions apply will depend on how the list was created, the target market and what verification you can provide as to the list origin.
Bighip is presently listed in Bonded Sender, which is a white listing service and the service meets the Bonded Sender plus standard.
These are extremely rigorous standards. Therefore the sender must take great care to ensure these standards are not placed at risk.
*
Email Aces. This is another new service and is better known in the IM community. Gary Ambrose is the owner and has been around the marketing world for quite a while, even though he is relatively young.
Dealing with legacy lists, this service has taken a slightly different approach. Please visit the site and contact the owner for their rules.
Strong support and good delivery rates. The feature set is not as robust as AWeber, however if you like ease of use, you may prefer Email Aces.
(I suspect, given what I think is the likely make up of your lists, you will probably find this service, or the one below best suits your needs.)
* Some more on the topic of delivery.
In general terms, being listed with a white listing service like Bonded Sender or safe listing service like Habeas can provide better delivery rates than not being listed.
Being listed with an accreditation service like IADB, or
Trusted Email Sender can provide assistance in dealing with delivery issues, depending on the strength of the initial accreditation and the relationships with any partner network.
A number of factors have a bearing on delivery rates.
There is delivery through the ISP's servers and delivery to the recipient's in box.
Delivery depends on the overall sender's reputation, the sender's reputation with the receiving ISP, how the mailings are done, the content (text versus html, plain html versus html with graphics), and whether the individual recipient has white listed or safe listed the from email address (presuming he or she has that ability).
Given these variables, this is why I have said "good" delivery rates for each provider.
In each case the owners are concerned about delivery rates, pay attention to them like a hawk and monitor issues on a day to day basis.
* More on importing legacy lists
Simply put, if the list owner is honest about the list origin and the list is double opt-in, moving data from one ESP to another should not be a problem.
However, if the list is:
* not double opt-in; or
* was not created "in house;"
I would either:
* chat with Gary Ambrose at
Email Aces; or
* look at hosting your legacy lists on a web server and use the existing script you have to do the mailings.
Trusting this information is of some assistance.
Kind regards,
John
P.S. A small prediction. I thought this would happen last year, however with the collapse of the IETF working group set up to establish rules on email authentication, there has been a delay.
However, I remain of the view that at day's end, the big consumer network owners and those relying on services like SpamAssassin will take the stance, all email is bad unless proven otherwise.
This means bulk mailers will need to have a rating, be accredited, certified, white listed or safe listed, depending on your particular flavour and perspective to allow for delivery of mail.
John Glube
Toronto, Canada
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