Case study for email marketing own system vs. hosted service
Case Study 1 JHB Live JHBLive is a one-click stop to everything that is cool in Johannesburg this online content service run by The Content Bar sends a weekly email newsletter update to all of its readers, about 20,000 recipients (www.jhblive.com). Previously JHBLive was using the bulk mail component that was included with the content management system that runs their website. This in-house mailing system was found to be inadequate for the following reasons: We had zero reporting on our newsletters, so we had no idea how many were actually being delivered let alone read. The unsubscribe feature was also very basic and did not handle duplicate addresses across databases very well.
JHBLive currently sends out its newsletters using TouchBasePro, the following is a comparison of how the two different systems measure up. Type of system used previously: Bulk mail component included in website content management system
Features and Performance Comparison: Satisfaction with Reporting or Metrics on Campaigns Deliverability (in terms of bounces, open rates and click throughs) Delivery speed and high volume capabilities Embedding of images Automatic handling of database management unsubscribes, subscribes and send to friends Monitoring of legal and regulatory issues including spam complaints, Black Listings and actions that negatively affect deliverability Ability to self manage campaigns (and ease of use) Own System No reporting available Delivery rates and response to campaigns unknown Campaigns delivered within 6 8 hours Embedding of images not possible Unsubscribes were removed automatically but the system did not handle duplicates across databases well leading to frustration and complaints Unaware of these issues Had the ability to manage and send own campaigns but the system was not user friendly Indepth reporting available including deliveries, bounces (with reasons), opens, clicks, unsubscribes, send to friend, right down to server message level for individual emails Campaign reporting revealed that database was not as large as previously thought as a result of previously unknown Bounces. On one hand this was disappointing, but was also very important information. Campaigns delivered within 15 30 minutes Embedding of images is done by default and does not affect cost. There is no need for recipients to click on download images, images are already displayed upon delivery to their inbox. Unsubscribing from (and subscribing to) databases is handled automatically, recipients can control exactly which lists they remain on. Automation of this system aided in improved customer satisfaction and minimised human error. Abuse complaints, ISP complaints and Black Listings are monitored and appropriate action is taken. TouchBasePro protects the reputations of its servers very carefully. Easy to use intuitive interface allows you to create and schedule your campaigns and manage databases easily
Acquisition cost (cost of purchasing or developing the email system to be used) Price Comparison: Own System cost unknown Included in initial website development costs (>R100,000) R0.00 There are no admin or setup fees for TouchBasePro Annual maintenance, development or licensing costs Monthly costs (bandwidth or other charges from ISP or other service provider) R0.00 No improvements or enhancements were done on the in house email system so features were lacking Cost unknown Included in bandwidth of website hosting (±R2000pm), percentage of costs attributed by emails was unknown R0.00 TouchBasePro software and features are updated and improved constantly at no extra cost to users R1000pm 100,000 emails per month @ 400kb per email, the bottom line: mailers are costing a bit more than previously but are producing better results.
Case Study 2 Large Corporate Enterprise 1Time is one of South Africa s low cost Airlines operating scheduled domestic flights nationwide (www.1time.aero). 1Time sends approximately 1.25million emails each month to their subscribed client base informing them of specials available on flights or holiday packages. 1Time Airlines were previously using an externally hosted email service that was part of a broader offer of various services. This external mailing system did not include reporting and did not allow embedding of images: We were looking for a bulk email solution with in-depth reporting and delivery speeds equal or better than our existing solution, and we needed to get it at 2c per email.
1Time currently sends out its mailers using TouchBasePro, the following is a comparison of how the two different systems measure up. Type of system used previously: Externally hosted bulk email service
Features and Performance Comparison: Satisfaction with Reporting or Metrics on Campaigns Deliverability (in terms of bounces, open rates and click throughs) Delivery speed and high volume capabilities Embedding of images Automatic handling of database management unsubscribes, subscribes and send to friends Own System No reporting available Delivery rates and response to campaigns unknown Campaigns delivered within 8 hours (images not embedded) Embedding of images not possible Unsubscribing from (and subscribing to) databases were handled automatically in a satisfactory manner Indepth reporting available including deliveries, bounces (with reasons), opens, clicks, unsubscribes, send to friend, right down to server message level for individual emails Campaign reporting provides insight into database quality and responses to each campaign. This functionality also aids in measuring ROI Campaigns delivered within 8 hours (images embedded) Embedding of images is done by default and does not affect cost. There is no need for recipients to click on download images, images are already displayed upon delivery to their inbox. Unsubscribing from (and subscribing to) databases is handled automatically, recipients can control exactly which lists they remain on Monitoring of legal and regulatory issues including spam complaints, Black Listings and actions that negatively affect deliverability Ability to self manage campaigns (and ease of use) Abuse complaints, ISP complaints and Black Listings are monitored and appropriate action is taken. Could not manage own campaigns Abuse complaints, ISP complaints and Black Listings are monitored and appropriate action is taken. TouchBasePro protects the reputations of its servers very carefully. Easy to use intuitive interface allows you to create and schedule your campaigns and manage databases easily
Acquisition cost (cost of purchasing or developing the email system to be used) Price Comparison: Own System cost unknown Explicit setup costs unknown as they were part of the setup cost of a broader range of services R0.00 There are no admin or setup fees for TouchBasePro Annual maintenance, development or licensing costs Monthly costs (bandwidth or other charges from ISP or other service provider) R0.00 Improvements or enhancements were done on the system at no additional cost 2c per email 1.25million emails per month @ 50kb (or less) per email (images not embedded). R0.00 TouchBasePro software and features are updated and improved constantly at no extra cost to users 2c per email 1.25million emails per month @ 100kb per email, with images embedded.
Feature List: Desirable features based on current international best practices Email Creation Features Supports Unicode Contact Management Features Import Mailing List Remove Unsubscribed Contacts Group your Email Contacts Automatically Detect Duplicate Emails Add Custom Demographic Fields Require Opt-in Add Images Add Hyperlinks Basic Formatting Import Web Pages Create Plain Text Messages Create HTML Messages Create Messages from Template Custom Order Design from Service View Overall Preview (WYSIWYG) View HTML Source Code in Program Add Email Footer (Unsubscribe Link) Create Web Forms Image Hosting Create Auto Response unlimited Create Surveys
Email Sending Features Email Job Scheduling SPAM Test (Make Sure your Emails Aren t Spam) Feature List: Desirable features based on current international best practices Create Email Aliases (Different From and Reply email addresses per campaign) Test Email Email Reporting Features Click-Through Tracking Sent Emails Delivered/Undeliverable Bounced Emails Opened Emails Forwarded Emails View Unsubcribed Contacts Unsolicited Email Complaints Technical Support Email/Online Forms Phone Support FAQ Section Help Documentation Free Trial/Demo/Tutorials Articles and Resources Online Community Compare Message Reports On map for 2010 Export/Download Reports Integrate with Google Analytics and Conversion tracking On map for 2010
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