As more businesses use email to stay in touch with their clients there are many different methods used today. In order to determine which is best for you, consider your list size, budget, frequency, and tracking information you wish to gather.

EMAIL PROGRAM

While you can send to small groups in Outlook, many providers will limit how many emails you can send at one time. It is not recommended to try to send to more than 50 people in Outlook to prevent being considered a spammer. If you use Outlook you may want to blind carbon copy (bcc) everyone so recipients can’t see everyone’s email address. Outlook will often work for small contacts and if sent only in small numbers or in batches, you can avoid being seen as a spammer.

• When to Use: Are you emailing to only a few hundred people, which can be done in batches? This is often okay as well if it is a group where everyone knows everyone.
•  Cost: Free
• To Know: Be sure to BCC members so everyone will not see each other email addresses. If you use Exchange you can set up groups, so you just send to one email address that email addresses are assigned to.

LIST SERVER

If you are looking to send more than what your email program can handle, a List Server may be the answer. You will want to find a list server provider that is a legitimate email provider. You can set up list servers as a distribution list or discussion list. They often offer a program to help you manage your email list, manage bounces, and even manage the messages being sent. Welcome email and other templates are often included. If you are trying to manage a growing legitimate list, this is often a very cost effective way to handle them.

• When to Use: If you have a legitimate list to send regular updates, such as a company newsletter, member subscription services, or organization/community group.
• Cost: $5.00 to $50.00 per month depending on the size of your list.
• To Know: You can set up a discussion or distribution list and take advantage of a website and templates that are included.

EMAIL MARKETING PROVIDERS

If you want it all for your marketing campaign -- a mailing list management, html templates, and tracking -- a company that specializes is email marketing is your best bet. Many will even help you link into and combine with your social networks. They can handle large numbers and you get easy to use tools to help you create and manage your campaigns. You just want to make sure they are not known spammers and enforce their rules that keep them off of spamming list. While they may cost more, they offer more.

• When to use: Marketing campaigns with very large numbers. You will get additional freedoms in creating your message with the ability to track your messages.
• Cost: $15.00 + per month and depends on the number of emails sent and users.
• To Know: If you use this service, take advantage of the tracking and reporting features. You may be limited with the templates, but you can always create your own.

In conclusion, if you are using email to stay in touch with your clients, make sure you understand what your goal is, what information you want to gather from your emails, and the rules in sending mass mail.