Starting a Mailing List

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Having read about and participated as a subscriber on some mailing-lists that interested me, I decided to start my own. Within two months, I had over 600 subscribers, but, that is only the surface of the experience. Read on for the "good" news and the "bad" news of this experience in Internet Marketing.

First, there is a difference in creating a mailing- list and creating a Usenet Newsgroup.

A discussion mailing list message is only seen by the subscribers, whereas, a message posted to a Newsgroup is seen by anyone who can access that group. I recommend starting by putting together a discussion mailing-list. Newsgroup creation, as you will discover takes longer, and is more structure ridden - you can get some good information on biz oriented hierarchy - Usenet at their FAQ (http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/Services.html).

But, more about mailing lists. Usually, you or your ISP, using a software program called a list server, maintains the mailing-list you sponsor. For example, National Consultant Referrals, Inc. created and sponsored "consulting-tools." All subscribers E-mail messages to a central E-mail address. If the software works correctly and the sender conforms to the format required, it takes the message and distributes it to all the subscribers. That is a big "IF". The problem is two fold. Part of the time the software can be a problem and part of the time, it is the participant. Because of the software/hardware, called an autoresponder which has to be precisely addressed and may be programmed with little regard to ergonomics, the malfunction is caused by "human error".

Once the idiosyncrasies of list servers are understood, the autoresponder can be a real time saver. But, remember, most of the subscribers are not technically oriented and seldom address the system in a way that it understands. You, as the sponsor, have to be prepared to understand thoroughly and to correct the problems of non- conformity by the sending subscriber. If you are not maintaining your own server, it pays to have a good ISP who will respond to your frustration and tolerate your mistakes as you learn.

Your best bet on learning about the level of customer support is to check references. Find out who else is using this ISP, or this software, if you are using your own server, and talk to them about their satisfaction. Learning the "hard way" can be a bitter and frustrating experience that may cause you to give up before the mailing- list returns dividends. It can also cost you part of your audience. Good pre-planning and taking the time to learn can benefit all concerned. Once you have decided on the type of list server or provider to handle the mechanics of your list, you need to tackle many of the same issues you deal with in any marketing program.

Here is a list of some purposes you may want to consider:

But, don't make the mistake of believing your audience (subscribers) will stick with you if all you offer is commercials. Decide early what your format is going to be based on your goals for this marketing vehicle. Remember that even with a targeted mailing-list, subscribers read only a few messages received from you. Their "read or don't read" decision depends on:

(Note: This is the first of a series of three articles devoted to the use of mailing-lists as an Internet marketing vehicle)