SONG CONTEST BLOG

Whether you’re tricking out your MySpace page or performing at your local venue, you should always consider the things you can do to collect more email addresses.

Believe me, there is nothing more important than your email list…

…Except what you do with it!

Using an online newsletter service allows you to create gorgeous newsletter designs yourself, turn new fans into subscribers, track how many of your readers are actually reading your message, and schedule promotional campaigns.

It’s powerful marketing on autopilot, simpler than you thought possible and more potent than you probably realize.

Of all the newsletter services I’ve used, Mad Mimi is the friendliest.

But for good measure, here is a list of some other newsletter tools, some that I’ve tried and some that I haven’t:

Campaigner
ConstantContact
Emma
FanBridge
FanReach
Graphicmail
iContact
LetterPop
MailChimp
MyNewsletterBuilder
Newsberry

Further to the Email & Newsletter Marketing Services post, I wanted to add another player in the game: FanBridge.  The service advertises an email and mobile fan list management bundle, something the competition I mentioned earlier does not.  It’s also exclusively tailored for musicians which is a plus.  Their free account is enticing with a 400 messages a month limit and the paid plans are certainly cheaper than their rivals’ at $12 for 10,000 messages a month, with a significant discount to larger plan commitments.  One of FanBridge’s unique selling points is the free branded browser toolbar which allows artists to syndicate their news and content to their fanbase, drive traffic, and communicate directly without the need for an email or mobile client.  Conduit is a pioneer of this technology if you’d like to learn more.

Learn more about email marketing.

We Are Listening’s first web-based newsletter client was Constant Contact, a fiddly system with customer support reps reminiscent of US immigration officers.  Geared toward corporate email marketing and communication, the company boasts a huge client-base and offers a 60 day free trial with restrictions.  After one year, we moved to Emma which I loved!  Their user interface is gorgeous and they clearly invested into attractive newsletter templates and superb design features, albeit the most expensive web-based newsletter service I stumbled upon.  Customer support was also fabulous.  In fact, I remember sending a newsletter out about an up-coming trip to Nashville and one of Emma’s reps picked up on it and invited me to visit their offices in town.  Nice, huh?  With Emma, you have to pay set-up fees rather than enjoy trial runs but, if you can afford it, the service ? and its savvy team ? will consistently add value to your marketing efforts (from my experience).  Mad Mimi is my most recent discovery.  If we had not developed our own newsletter system last year, that’s where I would invest my newsletter marketing dollar today.  From the outset, the service is uber cool and does away with unnecessary features.  It’s easy to use and looks fantastic.  One of the founders, a charming South African bassist by the name of Gary Levitt, attended Berklee College of Music with me.  In a recent conversation, he seemed pumped about Mad Mimi’s commitment to a “sensible”, no-bull web service that’s both design conscious and user friendly.  Mad Mimi is cheaper than Emma and offers a “100 contact free trial”.  I recommend signing-up and playing with it.  iContact is another consideration and seems to be making a splash at the moment.  Offering a 15 day trial limited to 250 subscribers, the service is not as attractive as Emma or Mad Mimi in terms of design but appears to be easy to use and boasts excellent email delivery rates and server reputation.  Apparently, 9% of the company’s client-base is in the music field.  MailChimp, which I haven’t tried but I know is popular, positioned itself as a flexible service, advertising its Free Starter Plan as “perfect for bands, little league teams and groups with tiny lists”.  I’m not sure what the differentiation is but I like the UI.  I shall investigate further…