Yet another "what e-newsletter provider should I use" question

June 10, 2013 9:52 AM

If you've used Vertical Response and something else, which one would you use now? I am proficient at sending e-mail newsletters for clients. Currently one client has me using Constant Contact, and another has me using Vertical Response. Now a third client wants to start a newsletter. Do I go with Vertical Response, or make a switch?

Looking for first-hand opinion from people who have used Vertical Response and one of the other pay-per-email options (MailChimp and Campaign Monitor seem to have a lot of fans).

I use Constant Contact for one client - it's pricey but we've been using them for years and the pain of switching makes it worthwhile to just stay with them. I have no major complaints about their service or useability.

I use Vertical Response for another client because the pay-per-email is way more cost-effective (sending quarterly to a small list, <250 names). I am not particularly thrilled with their email content editing UI, nor with the ability to do reporting/ exporting opens-clicks / managing bounces, but I can live with it.

Now a third client wants to send emails. Small list, quarterly emails.
- should I just use VR, since I'm already familiar with it?
- is MailChimp, Campaign Monitor or other SO MUCH BETTER in terms of newsletter creation and reporting that it's worth the mental overhead to learn and use yet another e-newsletter interface?

posted by evilmomlady to Technology (11 answers total)

Best answer: I've used several and I prefer Campaign Monitor. I like it because of the flexibility in design, analytics and you can send small to large lists with the option to pay per use or not. I used it when I worked with a museum here in Los Angeles, and the design contractor I worked with preferred it as well.
posted by happysocks at 10:01 AM on June 10, 2013

is MailChimp . . . SO MUCH BETTER in terms of newsletter creation and reporting that it's worth the mental overhead to learn and use yet another e-newsletter interface?

I don't find the interface to be terribly complicated and as the web director for a 501(c)(3), I really appreciate not having to do customer support for them. Our least technical volunteers and board members are perfectly capable of figuring out everything they need, which says more about the interface than I could.
posted by toomuchpete at 10:34 AM on June 10, 2013

Best answer: MailChimp is awesome. I've used Constant Contact and a few other smaller services in the past and MailChimp is just way prettier and more intuitive.
posted by anotheraccount at 10:41 AM on June 10, 2013

To give you another option: We use Contactology, and it is great. The customer service is superb, and their templates are really nice and easy to use.
posted by jbickers at 11:02 AM on June 10, 2013

If you're talking under 250 people, MailChimp has a free offering that should have you covered. Why not try it out and make up your own mind?
posted by jsturgill at 12:15 PM on June 10, 2013

If the organization in question is a 501(c)(3), it may be relevant to know that Vertical Response lets nonprofits send up to 10,000 emails for free per month. I haven't used other services enough to compare, but I've been reasonably happy with Vertical Response.
posted by soleiluna at 12:34 PM on June 10, 2013

Have you tried Aweber? You can sign up for a $1 for the first month.

I was taught Aweber during an online and social media marketing class, then I helped set some up for clients. I like that it is very user friendly and very easy. The other thing about Aweber - if I remember correctly - is that your verify email for your your double opt-in that gets sent to a follower can have your incentive link in it. For example if you offer a free PDF to sign up, their "Click here to verify your subscription" link can go straight to your offer of the PDF on your website.

I have also used IContact (and hated it) and I have used Campaigner, which was okay. However my understanding is that Aweber is very user friendly and cleans your lists automatically.

My teacher (adjunct marketing teacher with her own consulting business and online store) used Mailchip and had major problems. At one point they said she was responsible for cleaning her own lists of spam reported emails, and then her account got suspended and she lost thousands of contacts from her lists. Then she switched to Aweber. That is anecdotal though, but I thought I'd share. I also don't know if they updated services since she switched, but taught us that Aweber was better.
posted by Crystalinne at 12:38 PM on June 10, 2013

Best answer: is Campaign Monitor or other SO MUCH BETTER in terms of newsletter creation and reporting that it's worth the mental overhead to learn and use yet another e-newsletter interface?

YES. Oh God, yes. You learn so much about the recipients of your newsletter, it pays for itself several times over. CM offers incredible, incredible stats porn. And the templates are really easy to use and look nice out of the box.

And I vastly, vastly prefer CM to MC because the signup mechanism is so much better in terms of integration. Plus they are lovely people with awesome support. CM all the way.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:58 PM on June 10, 2013

Response by poster: Based on recommendations I decided it would be worthwhile to give both MailChimp and Campaign Monitor a test-drive, through customizing a template and starting a campaign. I liked MailChimp a lot until I broke it. (Style editor hung up and never came back, and a couple other small glitches.) Campaign Monitor is quite nice. I like the interface for customizing templates and creating content and appreciate the insights about the signup mechanism. Thanks!
posted by evilmomlady at 6:23 PM on June 10, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Additional follow-up for future readers: Have sent a campaign via Campaign Monitor and am now browsing my reports - just, Wow. I'm impressed. It was well worth the effort to switch.
posted by evilmomlady at 12:29 PM on June 19, 2013

am now browsing my reports - just, Wow. I'm impressed. It was well worth the effort to switch.

I know. I love CM so much I sent them a valentine back in February.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:41 AM on June 20, 2013