Print Solutions Magazine, April 2003 -- The E-Files

To drum up business for his small, upscale children's retail furniture store in Manhattan, Steven Eisdorfer tried everything from $2,300 New York Times ads to radio spots. He didn't see a return on his marketing investments until November 2002.

That's when Eisdorfer began using NetMail Express, marketing software developed last year by New York distributorship Classic Business Solutions. The software enables companies to send HTML email announcements to their clients efficiently, professionally and inexpensively, says David Beck, Classic Business Solutions' president.

Eisdorfer recognized the merits of sending customized, monthly messages to inform potential customers of new products and promotions. He provided Classic Business Solutions with email addresses of the furniture store's clients and prospects, and Beck's staff used the list to develop an individualized database. NetMail Express uploaded the database, and Classic Business Solutions designed a personalized HTML template for the firm.

NetMail Express emails HTML announcements, then tracks the percentage of messages opened, lists recipients who opened them, and lists links viewers clicked on. It also captures new email addresses when recipients click on a link to refer friends or associates. Databases are updated after each mailing with new referrals, inactive addresses and addresses of people wishing to unsubscribe. Templates are updated monthly with articles and other information.

Invest in CRM Technology

U.S. companies are failing at online customer service, forcing consumers to bypass email service for the telephone, according to a new study from Jupiter Research. The study shows that 88 percent of consumers surveyed expect responses to email inquiries within 24 hours, but only 54 percent of companies meet that expectation. To avoid high customer service costs and lost revenue, consider implementing customer relationship management software.

Try Unified Messaging Voice Mail

If most of your business trips are short and you don't receive loads of email, consider subscribing to a unified messaging system. Most of them provide access to email, voice mail and faxes via telephones and internet-connected computers, and most enable you to conduct conference calls. Some enable you to call a toll-free number and listen to an automated voice read your email. Most systems aren't expensive (approximately $13 a month). One downside is you can't respond directly to emails accessed via the phone.

Beware of Email Spoofing

Forging an email header to make it appear as if it came from somewhere or someone other than the actual source is called "email spoofing." It's often an attempt to trick recipients into making damaging statements or releasing sensitive information such as passwords. This happens frequently because the main protocol used for email (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, or SMTP) lacks authentication. If a site configures its mail server to allow connections to an SMTP port, anyone can connect to the port and spoof email. To battle the problem, consider a single point of entry for email to your site. You can implement this by configuring a firewall so that SMTP connections from outside the firewall must go through a central mail hub.

Eisdorfer says traffic has increased in his store, and his firm has landed new sales because of messages sent via NetMail Express. He began with only a few email addresses in his database, but gains new ones daily, he says. "People call and ask questions," Eisdorfer says. "They say they got the email and want to know what's new." He says the response to the marketing strategy is the "best I've experienced."

Still 'Classic,' But Now High-Tech

Offering tried-and-true products such as forms and stationery remains important to Classic Business Solutions, Beck says, but he now regards the firm as a marketing and communications provider. The distributorship created NetMail Express because it "wanted to find a better way for businesses to communicate with their clients" cost-effectively, he says.

NetMail Express users send monthly email messages for a variety of reasons, Beck says. Some, like Eisdorfer, use them mainly to attain business from potential customers. Others use the software chiefly for branding or gauging customers' interests. The software's ability to track links recipients click on is valuable to companies designing new promotions or considering how to better serve clients, Beck says.

Classic Business Solutions charges each NetMail Express user an initial setup fee. It also charges a monthly fee to each user who wants the distributorship to maintain HTML templates, supply content and images, manage email address databases and send email messages. At the end of each month, NetMail Express provides each user with a report on the effectiveness of its last campaign. Beck says approximately 35 percent of recipients open messages. In contrast, he adds, companies don't know how many potential customers look at printed direct mail pieces, or how many of those higher-cost pieces are thrown away.

To improve NetMail Express' scope, Beck and his staff are developing a comprehensive reference library for several industries. Firms targeting specific markets will be able to select articles to place in their templates. "They don't have to think about it or write it," Beck says. "It's done."

Distributors Can Sell or Use System

Beck isn't just the president of Classic Business Solutions--he's also a client. The company used NetMail Express first, then marketed it to potential customers. Beck suggests that distributors try the same strategy. Industry firms can use the software themselves to communicate with clients, or can act as authorized resellers and provide the software to their customers.

Distributors "don't need to take an HTML course or learn the art of graphic design," Beck says, because NetMail Express takes care of technical aspects of email marketing. He says distributors with small accounts are ideal users of the software. In fact, most of NetMail Express' 100-plus users--including Eisdorfer's firm--are small businesses.

"I'm a computer idiot," Eisdorfer quips. But each month, his customers receive a professional-looking email announcement for a fraction of what other marketing strategies have cost him. NetMail Express is "consistent and flexible," he says.

Lisa Post is a freelance writer in Alexandria, Va. Email us your comments at bholt@printsolutionsmag.com.

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