Some Helpful Tips

Tis the season for many small business owners to create and send email newsletters. For many of you, the email newsletter is a great way to update your customers, employees and partners about what is happening at your business. The email newsletter is also a great way to promote Holiday discounts as well.

Based on the questions we've received this past week from customers, I've come up with a short list of things to consider when creating and sending your next newsletter.

1. Your List is Critical - One size does not fit all.
   Divide up your lists according to age, gender, industry type, and more. Segmenting your audience and addressing them directly is important. Sending the same message to everyone may be easier to manage, but will limit the effectiveness of the email.
   
2. Fancy Isn't Always Better
   Simple, straight-forward emails have consistently proven to be much more effective AND have an easier time of getting through ISP filters. Too often, people think they need to add tons of images and fancy backgrounds - which oftentimes becomes distracting and confusing to the end reader. Bottom line, if you have a legitimate brand and something useful to say (or sell), make it obvious. When in doubt, use a logo and basic text (Artial 10) for solid results.
   
3. Don't Be Afraid To Ask
   The Obama campaign mastered this in the recent election. EVERY email the campaign sent out to the rank and file included MULTIPLE links to make donations. There was never any doubt as to why the emails were being sent. Get excited about what makes us great >> Be afraid of the alternative >> Donate Money to help us win. This simple formula was placed in millions of inboxes each day... and worked! In other words, don't beat around the bush. If you have something to sell, give people a reason to buy and make it easy for them to buy it.

We'll continue to add more tips in the coming weeks.

Stay Tuned!

3Step

Already Drawing Comparisons To...

It's been less than one week and we're already being compared to other email marketing platforms! See for yourself:

Pricing: How we compare:

The way that most email marketing platforms price their services can be confusing. Here's a quick way to determine which platform is right for you.

If you send more than 3,000 emails per month to a list of more than 500 people, then 3Step offers the best pricing by far. If you have a list smaller than 500 people and send less than six times per month, than iContact and 3Step are about the same.

Ultimately, 3Step provides the best value for the price!

Stay Tuned!

3Step

An Even 'Faster' 3Step!

Last week we upgraded our servers to speed up our deliverability rates, which was good news. The bigger news I'm pleased to announce however, is our recent partnership with Fast Pitch! - one of the fastest growing online business networks in the world.

For those of you unaware, Fast Pitch! is an online business network designed to help professionals market their business - as opposed to other networks designed for career advancement and social interaction. The site is used by hundreds of thousands of people from around the world to make connections, distribute press releases, post events, create video and now, send email campaigns - courtesy of 3Step!

The partnership allows any paid member of the Fast Pitch! network free access to our email marketing platform. Depending upon their level of membership, Fast Pitch! members can send anywher from 5,000 - 50,000 emails through 3Step each month.

The partnership puts us 'on the map' from day one as thousands of Fast Pitch! premium members are essentially, 3Step customers with the potential to help spread the word about our simple, cost-effective email marketing platform. In fact, since Fast Pitch! announced the feature on their network late last week, over 500 of their members have already set up their accounts and started sending. We look forward to working closely with the dynamic management team at Fast Pitch! in the coming years as we continue to enhance our platform and provide even more value to their membership packages. Check them out http://www.fastpitchnetworking.com/upgrade.cfm

Stay Tuned!

-3Step

We're Live!

Last week we officially went live!

Although we were 'technically' live with our initial 100 Beta customers, we weren't officially ready to make the announcement. A special thank you to those first brave 100 for their patience while we worked out the kinks.

We look forward to a big marketing push as we head into the New Year.

Stay Tuned.

3Step

Welcome

3Step Contact is excited to make it's forray into the world of email marketing. Our goal is to build the most simple, cost-effective email marketing platform in the world. Through this blog we will communicate to our customers support issues and hopefully offer some tips and insights about best email marketing practices along the way. Also, keep an eye out for new features announcements in the coming months.

Stay tuned!

3Step