Mass mailing services Initiator des Themas: Robert Forstag
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Robert Forstag 
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 03:34
Spanisch > Englisch
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About a year or so ago, I came across a couple of sites on the Internet for companies offering mass mailing services to agencies. As advertised, the services would send a program to you to allow you to send a single letter to hundreds or thousands of agencies giving your essential information, and to the recipient it would appear that only their single e-mail was sent to. Now that I am ready to do this, I cannot find info regarding companies providing this service.
Anyone here hav... See more About a year or so ago, I came across a couple of sites on the Internet for companies offering mass mailing services to agencies. As advertised, the services would send a program to you to allow you to send a single letter to hundreds or thousands of agencies giving your essential information, and to the recipient it would appear that only their single e-mail was sent to. Now that I am ready to do this, I cannot find info regarding companies providing this service.
Anyone here have info regarding such services? To me, it would seem worthwhile to utilize such a service, given 1.) how time consuming it is to send a separate e-mail to each individual agency and 2.) given the low rate of return on such mailings.
Any info on this will be greatly appreciated.
A good day to all,
Bob ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lagom
Vereinigtes Königreich
Local time: 08:34
Schwedisch > Englisch
| Mass mailing | Jul 11, 2005 |
Hi Bob,
I would guess that the companies offering such a service were the ones responsible for most of the junk that our mailboxes are bombarded with. You can easily send bulk mail shots yourself using either freeware or via plugins for standard mail programs.
I suggest that you visit http://www.tucows.com/ and do a search for 'mail merge' or 'mailmerge' software.
If you do ... See more Hi Bob,
I would guess that the companies offering such a service were the ones responsible for most of the junk that our mailboxes are bombarded with. You can easily send bulk mail shots yourself using either freeware or via plugins for standard mail programs.
I suggest that you visit http://www.tucows.com/ and do a search for 'mail merge' or 'mailmerge' software.
If you do some searching under mail merge on Google I am sure that you will also find a better explanation of what the programs offer than I could give you.
Good luck,
Ben
Robert Forstag wrote:
About a year or so ago, I came across a couple of sites on the Internet for companies offering mass mailing services to agencies. As advertised, the services would send a program to you to allow you to send a single letter to hundreds or thousands of agencies giving your essential information, and to the recipient it would appear that only their single e-mail was sent to. Now that I am ready to do this, I cannot find info regarding companies providing this service.
Anyone here have info regarding such services? To me, it would seem worthwhile to utilize such a service, given 1.) how time consuming it is to send a separate e-mail to each individual agency and 2.) given the low rate of return on such mailings.
Any info on this will be greatly appreciated.
A good day to all,
Bob ▲ Collapse
| | | | kimjasper
Dänemark
Local time: 09:34
Mitglied (2006)
Englisch > Dänisch
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| GroupMail from Infacta | Jul 11, 2005 |
I have tried an agency but am now using GroupMail from http://www.infacta.com/
Using an agency you have to put together documents and mailing lists anyway - so in fact I do not find it more complicated using software running on my own machine.
I am using the free version - so far I can live with its restrictions (e.g. 100 recipients per mailshot but you can just run as many of those as ... See more I have tried an agency but am now using GroupMail from http://www.infacta.com/
Using an agency you have to put together documents and mailing lists anyway - so in fact I do not find it more complicated using software running on my own machine.
I am using the free version - so far I can live with its restrictions (e.g. 100 recipients per mailshot but you can just run as many of those as you want, one after the other...). It is in fact quite impressive in terms of function, not the least the editor which is at par with many web page editors I have seen. And it is very fast.
With all mass mailings I would recommend that you send the mailshot to a test list first - a list only containing your own e-mail address(es) - so you can check how he e-mail looks and remove errors before you send it out to all those companies that your life depends on... ▲ Collapse
| | | | | You are lucky.. | Jul 11, 2005 |
..if the recipients won't remember your name for too long as a spammer.
I could tell you how to do it, but I would not appreciate to find your spam in my inbox next days...
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gianfranco
Brasilien
Local time: 05:34
Mitglied (2001)
Englisch > Italienisch
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| Mass mailing is not effective | Jul 11, 2005 |
Dear colleague,
I don't think mass mailing is acceptable, let alone effective. In fact it is largely despised. Its only advantage is the low cost, but not being very welcome by the recipients (and they are potential customers) I would seriously think before sending it.
Last time I had the need to increase my customer base, I sent out 3 messages and acquired 2 customes. The secret is to send very few messages, very professional, and aiming at the subject that a careful ... See more Dear colleague,
I don't think mass mailing is acceptable, let alone effective. In fact it is largely despised. Its only advantage is the low cost, but not being very welcome by the recipients (and they are potential customers) I would seriously think before sending it.
Last time I had the need to increase my customer base, I sent out 3 messages and acquired 2 customes. The secret is to send very few messages, very professional, and aiming at the subject that a careful research identifies as likely to need a specific services.
Also, a marketing campaing needs to be articulated in several coordinated and timed actions, including an inquiry/phone call before writing, a customized message, a follow-up call 24-48 hours after the message, listening to the customer needs, etc.
Mass mailing is not the best tool for professional services, but rather for mass produced goods.
At least, this is how I would design a marketing action.
Gianfranco
[Edited at 2005-07-11 22:39] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jack Doughty
Vereinigtes Königreich
Local time: 08:34
Russisch > Englisch
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In stillem Gedenken | Keep within the law | Jul 11, 2005 |
I believe the sending of mass emails is strictly regulated by US law - not as strictly as some people would like it to be, but if you do it, be careful not to fall foul of the law.
| | | | Agnieszka Hayward (X)
Polen
Local time: 09:34
Deutsch > Polnisch
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| Why mass mail? | Jul 12, 2005 |
Harry_B wrote:
You are lucky
..if the recipients won't remember your name for too long as a spammer.
I could tell you how to do it, but I would not appreciate to find your spam in my inbox next days...
Indeed.
Dear Robert, IMHO mass mail does more harm than anything else...
Regards,
Agnieszka
| | | | Ralf Lemster
Deutschland
Local time: 09:34
Englisch > Deutsch
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| Reasons for low rate of return...? | Jul 12, 2005 |
Hi Bob,
I realise that this isn't an answer to your query - but have you considered why mails to agencies don't get many returns?
Anyone here have info regarding such services? To me, it would seem worthwhile to utilize such a service, given 1.) how time consuming it is to send a separate e-mail to each individual agency and 2.) given the low rate of return on such mailings.
I will not respond to any enquiry that is recognisable as a mass mailing (no specific recipient e-mail address visible, generic wording, "Dear madam, dear sir...", etc.). This is because quite obviously, the senders of such mails have not invested a few minutes to check our website, find out what we're doing, research a contact name, etc. Don't forget that you're trying to establish a business relationship - demonstrating that you've done some research, and customising the message to the recipient is a mark of respect for your potential business partner. (Obviously, a mass mailing is not...)
Best regards,
Ralf
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Astrid Elke Witte
Deutschland
Local time: 09:34
Mitglied (2002)
Deutsch > Englisch
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| One organisation advertised that service | Jul 12, 2005 |
Hi Robert,
I could tell you exactly where you read about it. One organisation advertised that service, about a year ago, but they have stopped doing it now.
The best thing to do is to send intelligent letters to very carefully selected local end customers, in the industry in which your translation experience is focused.
Astrid
| | | | | Thanks + Rant | Aug 10, 2005 |
Ralf Lemster wrote:
Hi Bob,
I realise that this isn't an answer to your query - but have you considered why mails to agencies don't get many returns?
Anyone here have info regarding such services? To me, it would seem worthwhile to utilize such a service, given 1.) how time consuming it is to send a separate e-mail to each individual agency and 2.) given the low rate of return on such mailings.
I will not respond to any enquiry that is recognisable as a mass mailing (no specific recipient e-mail address visible, generic wording, "Dear madam, dear sir...", etc.). This is because quite obviously, the senders of such mails have not invested a few minutes to check our website, find out what we're doing, research a contact name, etc. Don't forget that you're trying to establish a business relationship - demonstrating that you've done some research, and customising the message to the recipient is a mark of respect for your potential business partner. (Obviously, a mass mailing is not...)
Best regards,
Ralf
Thank you, Ralf.
My opinion in short: Mass mails=SPAM.
Added rant: Spellchecking your e-mails before sending them to the agency also never hurts. Just in case anyone didn't know that. After all, you ARE applying for a job as a LANGUAGE PROFESSIONAL.
And PLEASE note: It is extremely annoying and impolite if you send your applications to the webmaster of the potential client's website. The webmaster is the guy who's responsible for content, layout and technical administration of the website. Not for translations. Not for Human Resources. Not for correspondence with colleagues. Just for the website. Okay?
We get tons of applications to that address although both our profile and our website(s) CLEARLY state that applications are to be addressed to our freelance@... account. What's the difficulty? If you obviously can't read clear and simple instructions, how do you expect us to entrust you with the professional translation of complicated texts?
Ah, that was relieving. I've been meaning to say all this for a long time.
Best regards and good luck with your applications,
Benjamin
| | | | Samuel Murray
Niederlande
Local time: 09:34
Mitglied (2006)
Englisch > Afrikaans
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| Personal mass mailing can be more successful | Aug 11, 2005 |
Robert Forstag wrote:
To me, it would seem worthwhile to utilize such a service, given 1.) how time consuming it is to send a separate e-mail to each individual agency and 2.) given the low rate of return on such mailings.
Such a mass mailing's success depends on how up to date the list of addresses is and how saturated they are with mails from previous users of the same software.
You're not the first client to use this particular list. You're probably the 1000th or the 10 000th (otherwise the list owner wouldn't make a profit). This means that everyone of those agencies have received 10 000 e-mails that look vaguely similar (even if you write your own message).
However, if there is software that can help you, then you should try it. The software should also help you keep record of whom you sent what message to, as well as what their responses were. Also, the software should enable you to track the specific needs of each agency so that your follow-up mailings can be as successful as possible. You're sending out a generic message and you'll probably get generic answers. How you deal with those answers will determine how successful the mass mailing is in the end.
But software that simply allows you to write a message, add a list of 1000s of agencies, press SEND and forget about it, is not worth it. You're not a machine... you make money because you are human, and agencies like to deal with people in the end.
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