That’s a lot of emails! And with so many being sent and received every day, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the process of managing them all — especially if you’re responsible for sending them out too.
Group email services can make it easier to manage your email communications and can also help you manage your business more efficiently.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the benefits of using a group email service and what they can do for you.
What is a group email?
Imagine a world where you can send an email to clients, customers, colleagues, members, family and even friends in a single click!
With group email, you can do just that. But what is a group email and how can it be useful?
Your group email list can be created when multiple users are subscribed to the same email list.
This email distribution list can then be used to promote your company’s product or service and share your latest newsletter or content all in one go.
Benefits of using a group email
Managing large groups of contacts
Managing multiple workflows
Scheduling emails
Group emails are an extremely effective way to communicate with your network and build relationships. Keeping people up-to-date on what’s happening in your business, and helping you stay in touch with your community.
Common uses for group email
Inform customers about new products and promotions
Send out newsletters with company news and updates
Communicate with colleagues in other departments
Notify employees about upcoming meetings
There’s no denying that It’s a great way to get your message out there, but it’s also important that you choose the right audience for your group email.
If your message isn’t relevant or interesting enough for the people on your list, they won’t open it and may delete it without reading it.
Want to know how to avoid this?
Many businesses now use group email services as part of their email marketing tools but finding the right service can be hard. In our next sections, we’ll show you how to get the best out of a group email list and top group email marketing tools.
5 reasons why you should opt for a group email list
As a successful business, you know that communication is key and building relationships with customers is essential.
The easiest way to do this is opting for a group email list that will allow you to:
Build a rapport
Generate leads
Create brand awareness
Send/receive feedback
Whether you have a business or a cause, odds are you have a group email list at your disposal.
So you’re all set and you’ve created the perfect email marketing campaign geared toward the right audience, and you’re ready to blast it out to your subscribers.
But have you ensured that your subscribers are going to receive your emails?
If not, they will bounce and end up in the trash/spam folder, which will hurt your chances of a decent ROI.
Here is some important advice and available features of Simplelists email management software to ensure your emails are delivered, rather than thrown away.
If you’re short on time and would prefer to watch it, have a look at our short video explaining Simplelists group email features.
1. Automated and free email list management
List management is a crucial and challenging aspect of email marketing. It can be as simple as having a few email addresses, or as complex as managing a database of thousands of subscribers.
For many businesses, managing your own group email list is not only cost-effective but also gives you complete control over the data. However, it’s not always easy to set up and maintain an efficient mailing list management system.
A useful feature to have is automated bounce processing and removal from your database.
This means if someone unsubscribes from your newsletter or sends back an undeliverable message (bounce), you are notified and this is then handled automatically by the service. So you don’t have to worry about manually removing them from your list anymore, keeping delivery rates high!
The advantage of an email list manager is that it allows you to have a clear overview of your subscribers and manage your lists more efficiently. Keeping track of your contacts, filtering them according to their actions and interests, and managing your list to send out the right messages to the right people at the right time.
You should also be able to automatically forward your emails to other people or groups. For example, if someone clicks on a link in one of your emails, they can be automatically added to another list (e.g. if they want to receive offers about a specific product).
There are many reasons why you might be looking for automated email list management software. Whether it be to reduce manual work and focus on more important things or handle the influx of new subscribers.
2. Customisable group email list
A customisable group email list is an important feature to have in any business.
Email Marketing is a powerful marketing tool that can be used to build brand awareness and increase sales. However, you need to make sure that your email is personalised, consistent and relevant to each recipient.
In order to address these challenges, you will want to use an email list management tool that allows you to create customised email lists.
The biggest benefit of this feature is that you can have a customisable group email list. This means that you can add your own personalised footer or footer text, members’ names, HTML for full customisation and so forth.
You can also choose to archive old emails which can be accessed in the archives section of your account. This is useful if you need to delete old emails or if you want to keep them as backups.
3. Full manage spam reporting
Spam is very common nowadays, so it is important to have a group email service that can handle your spam issues.
Not only is it annoying to have your inbox flooded with messages you don’t want to read, but it also wastes time and money.
In addition to providing tools for sending emails and tracking their results, your group email list services should provide tools for managing your email lists in real time with automatic spam management.
This means that when your email is marked as spam by a contact in your list (whether deliberately or accidentally!), those addresses of people who have reported this are automatically removed.
They then will receive no further emails from the list and prevent them from repeatedly marking it as spam. Keeping your ‘marked as spam rate’ low, delivery rates high and your email list up to date on who wants to see and receive your valuable information.
Keeping your messaging consistent with clear brand design, tone and information will help to keep you out of the spam box or mass unsubscribing.
4. Subscribe and unsubscribe options
Email subscribers are a valuable asset. They’re customers who have opted in to receive your marketing messages, giving you a direct line to them.
But if you don’t have the right permission settings in place, you could be breaking data protection laws and putting your business at risk.
You want to make sure your subscribers know how they can manage their own subscriptions and communication preferences.
You need to give them the option to unsubscribe from your mailing list at any time. In the past, customers had to follow complicated processes to unsubscribe from an email list.
Today, this can be done by setting subscribe and unsubscribe settings, plus the ease of adding a customisable subscribe form to your website.
With these simple adjustments, you’ll be in line with GDPR to give consumers more control over their data.
5. Private group email list
In business privacy is paramount, so having the function to create a private group email list is a must-have.
If you’re sending out information about a new product launch, for example, it’s important that only those who need to know about it get the information.
This feature allows you to create a private group where only you can see the members of your list. This is particularly useful if you want to send out information about a product pre-launch, private event or meeting.
With a private group email list, only you see their emails with no way for anyone outside of your organisation to see who else is on your list or what they are receiving from you in their inboxes.
This means that no one else will get access to your database and you can also remove members from the group email list whenever you want.
The best group email marketing tools
The email marketing landscape is constantly changing, nowadays, business is not just about selling products. Customers expect brands to provide value by sending them educational content or useful tips too.
You realise you need a group email marketing tool, and there are many tools out there to help you reach your audience. However, not all of them are created equal.
Some of them may seem too complex for your needs or too expensive for your budget. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you choose the right tool for your business.
What makes one group email marketing tool better than another?
The answer is simple: features and usability. Here are some features we consider when reviewing them:
Easy to use
Integration
Limitations
Automation
Customisation
Data
Support
Price
This list will help you find the best email marketing software for your business needs:
Simplelists
Simplelists is easy to use and has an intuitive interface that makes creating lists and sending emails a snap.
Simplelists is a user-friendly email marketing tool that allows you to quickly create lists and send emails to your subscribers. It also has a responsive design, so it works well on mobile devices — especially important in today’s world where mobile internet usage continues to rise year after year.
Intended to be both affordable and powerful, you can create a list in minutes and send an email campaign, promotion, newsletter or discussion group in a matter of seconds.
Our features are so simple, anyone can use them. No technical knowledge is required!
With all Simplelists subscriptions, you can easily:
Manage members / list import
Set restrictions
Customise emails
Control subscriptions
Message scheduling
Integrate with your website
Archive emails
Automated list management
Spam & bounce management & feedback loops
Keep emails and contacts secure (ISO27001 certification)
View data and analytics
Whether you want to send a single list or multiple, Simplelists plans range from $8 pcm for a single list to $686 for enterprise-level and plenty of affordable packages in between.
They have a super-friendly and responsive support team that can help you with anything from getting started to managing your account.
Listserv
Listserv is an email list management solution, offered as an in-house software or cloud service.
Listserv allows users to manage email communications such as alerts, newsletters and discussion groups from a central interface.
Providing flexible licensing to meet current and future business needs, Listserv have technical support to help you get your group email list running smoothly.
With Listserve you have:
Manage members
Set restrictions
Customise emails (not with the basic plan)
Control subscriptions
Message scheduling (not with the basic plan)
Integrate with your website
Archive emails (restricted with the basic plan)
Automated list management
Spam & bounce management (restricted with the basic plan)
View data and analytics (not with the basic plan)
Listserv offers perpetual and annual licenses with three plans available, Lite (perpetual only), Classic and HPO. Starting from $1,095 - $4,485 for annual licenses or $2,875 - $28,060 for perpetual.
GroupMail
GroupMail is a free email list and mass email newsletter software.
An easy-to-use group email messaging system that’s great for newsletters, event planning, personal announcements, and more.
You can download their free software to begin sending in seconds. With varied, one-time paid software subscriptions you’re able to:
Manage members/ list import
Set restrictions
Customise emails (marketing plan only)
Control subscriptions
Message scheduling (not with the basic plan)
Archive emails
Automated list management (not with the basic plan)
Spam & bounce management (not with the basic plan)
View data and analytics (marketing plan only)
GroupMail also has the possibility to be installed in English, Spanish, French, German or Polish and the added ability to create autoresponders. They have three packages ranging from $149.95 to $699.95 excl VAT.
Conclusion
After reading and exploring features, requirements and price plans of group email marketing tools, you’ll notice that when it comes to effective marketing, sometimes the best option is the simplest one.
In short, there are a lot of reasons why you should (and probably will) use a group email list. Not only are they easy to set up and maintain, but they’ll also help get your content in front of a larger audience than ever before.
Whether you run an online store, a work-related business or a creative hub, using an email list can help you really make the most out of it.
If you’re running a business, sports club, charity or educational establishment, you’ll understand how important effective communication and collaboration is.
In the modern digital world it seems like there are countless ways to collaborate online, whether it’s via WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups, Slack channels or Discord servers.
But sometimes you want something that is affordable, professional, uses established technology that everyone has access to, and has the benefit of having all messages archived for future reference.
If this sounds like what you’re looking for, you might benefit from using a Listserv.
Listserv: your group communication ally
A listserv is a type of email service that allows a group of people to communicate via email.
By sending an email to one email address, it will automatically be sent to all the people who have signed up to be part of the Listserv.
This makes it a great way for groups of people to easily share information, collaborate, and stay connected.
LISTSERV® is actually a registered trademark of L-Soft, who created one of the earliest and most popular Listserv group email communication tools. But the term ‘Listserv’ is now synonymous with any list-based group email technology.
Think about it in the same way that people refer to a sticky note as a Post-it® note, or a hot tub as a Jacuzzi®.
When we’re talking about Listserv in this article, we’re referring to the commonly used term for the technology.
What are the major benefits of a Listserv?
Easy to set up
Listservs are relatively easy to set up.
Most modern Listserv software is user-friendly and doesn’t require advanced technical skills or development teams to get things up and running.
And once it’s set up, modern Listservs are typically simple to manage and maintain.
Easy to build a community amongst your subscribers
A Listserv provides an effective way for your subscribers to share their ideas and knowledge and collaborate on projects.
This can lead to a greater sense of community among group members.
Cost-effective
Listservs are incredibly affordable. This is one of the things that makes the technology so attractive for small businesses, sports clubs and charities.
Customisable
A Listserv can also be customised to suit the specific needs of each email group.
Some groups might benefit from receiving each individual message to the email address. Others might benefit from receiving a daily or weekly digest of the messages sent to the group.
Archiving
Listservs automatically archive all messages. This makes it easy to search and retrieve important information at a later date if needed.
Subscription management
You’re able to set up a Listserv so that members can easily subscribe or unsubscribe themselves. This can make it easier to manage your email list.
Organically grow your email list
By providing a platform for discussion and collaboration, your subscribers may choose to forward messages from the Listserv with others that they think would be interested in the content.
Your engaged community can help you attract new subscribers.
Additionally, most Listserv technology can be easily integrated with your website. This can make it easy for people to sign up to your email list and begin receiving your content.
Who can benefit from using a Listserv?
Listserv technology is suitable for any organisation that wants to reach targeted groups of people with their message and potentially prompt a group email discussion.
We’ve put together a small list of the types of organisations that might benefit from Listserv and some ways they might use it.
Businesses: Collaborating with internal teams
Listservs can be a great way for businesses to keep their teams connected and aligned on important projects.
You might set up a mailing list for each department or project team so they can share updates, discuss upcoming milestones or review current performance. This can help boost productivity and improve decision making.
Businesses: Email marketing
Listservs can also be a powerful tool for businesses to reach their customers and prospects.
By creating a mailing list of opted-in email addresses, businesses can send targeted messages, promotions and updates to a large number of people at once.
This can help increase brand awareness and drive sales.
Most modern Listserv solutions can support HTML email, so you can still send emails that look eye-catching and compelling.
Sports Clubs
Listservs can be a great low-cost solution for sports clubs to keep their members in the loop on upcoming events, practice schedules and team news. By allowing members to reply to the group and start discussions, it can really help foster a sense of community and bring the team together.
Charities
By using a Listserv, charities can keep their supporters informed about their work and upcoming events. They can also be used internally between volunteers and management to help co-ordinate events and discuss fundraising strategies.
Education
A Listserv can provide an easy and effective way to send out announcements, assignments, and other information. They can also be used for class discussion, managing group projects, and sharing resources.
Event planning
Listservs can be a great way for event planners to coordinate conferences, meetings, and workshops with their subscribed attendees.
How to create a Listserv in a few simple steps
Choose the right Listserv software
There are many different types of Listserv software available, each with their own different features and benefits.
We’d recommend making a list of the things that are important to you in your chosen software, whether that’s cost, ease of use, deliverability of emails or customer support.
By understanding what is most important to you, you’ll be able to choose the software that best meets your needs and has the features you require.
Complete a simple setup process
Once you’ve made your decision on the software you’re going to use, it’s time to set up your Listserv.
Every solution will have a slightly different set up process, but the typical steps will involve creating an account, choosing a name for your Listserv, and configuring your settings.
The settings that are most important are the level of moderation, the type of messages that are allowed, the subscription process, and what types of attachments (if any) are permitted.
With modern Listserv technology the setup process is easy and user-friendly, so don’t worry if you’re not tech-savvy.
Import your email contact list
Once your Listserv is set up and configured the way you want it, you can start adding members.
A common way to do this is by importing a CSV of your email contact list. Most Listserv software will need you to agree that the contacts have all opted-in to email communication, in line with relevant data privacy legislation.
You can also add your Listserv sign up to your website and other channels at this point, to help the organic growth of your subscriber list.
Send your content
Now that your Listserv is set up and has members, you can start creating content, sending messages, and setting up discussion threads.
It’s really that easy!
Interested in exploring the power of Listserv?
After reading this article, you’ll understand the potential applications of Listserv and you might even be excited by the ideas of how you might use Listserv within your organisation.
But the only way to truly appreciate the power of Listserv is to try it out for yourself.
At Simplelists, we offer all our customers a one-month free trial of our service.
By trying Simplelists for free, you can discover first-hand how Listserv email can benefit your organisation.
Simplelists offers the function to search your email archives. This can be useful for people who join your list, helping them to familiarise themselves with the list topic. It is also very useful to have a back up of all of your communications, in case you need to refer to something or check a point of reference. We have written in a previous post about how to set up your archive and personalise it.
How to find the message you are looking for
It would not be entirely unlikely for a busy email list to accumulate hundreds or thousands of emails over a period of years. When you add a new member to a list, they can be given the option to read emails that were sent prior to the date they joined, and/or read emails about a specific topic. For the latter, the keyword search function can be used. Alternatively, it is possible to browse all messages, sorted by date or by thread.
How to access the archive
Log in to your Simplelists account. From the Members home page, under 'What would you like to do?’, select 'View list archives’. At this stage, you may be required to enter a password, if one has been set up by the list manager. If you do not know the password, you can request an access code at this point by entering your email address.
When in the email archive, emails are ordered by month and year. In the search box at the top, you can enter a keyword and any relevant emails will be shown. It is also possible to view list statistics on this page, as well as read more detailed information about the list.
Top tips
These search tips will help you to find what you are looking for:
Search by specific month
This option is useful if you want to browse to a specific month and then search within it.
Wildcard '?’
If you type a '?’, it will be replaced with any single character. This can help when you are not sure how to spell a word. So, if you were perhaps looking for an email related to the 'Worthbury Derby’ but you couldn’t remember whether 'Worthbury’ was spelt with an 'i’ or an 'o’, you can type 'W?rthbury’ and the generated results will include both spellings.
Wildcard '*’
If you type a *, it will be replaced with any number of characters. So, for the Worthbury Derby, if you weren’t sure at all how to spell Worthbury, you could type 'W*ry’ and the results would show all emails starting with a 'W’ and ending in 'ry’.
Simplelists offers you a range of options for managing your group email. It’s important to note that we offer free trials for single and multiple list accounts so you may want to use these to carry out a one-off email campaign or have a go at setting up a group list. In this post, we explain the types of accounts in more detail so you can make the right choice to suit your needs.
Single list or multiple list?
Have a think about the number of email lists that you want to manage. If you manage more than one list, you’ll need a multiple list account but if you only have one, opting for a single list account makes the most sense.
If you opt for the single list account, it’s worth being aware that there are some features that only users with multiple list accounts have access to. These features include the ability to use your own domain when sending your emails so that they come from an email address ending in your domain name, rather than 'simplelists.com’. You can also use your own domain name for your landing pages, which allows you to brand the whole email system as your own. Even though you only have one list, these features may appeal to you.
Pay as you go vs. Unlimited
If you are only planning to send one email or have a short-term project that needs some group email management, our 'Pay as you go’ option is probably best for you. However, if you plan to send a large amount of data (e.g. large attachments), subscribing for an unlimited account for the duration of your project is likely to be the more cost-effective option.
If you have longer-term email management needs, or you’ll be sending emails indefinitely, an unlimited subscription will be most appropriate. This type of payment option allows you to send as much data as you want. However, if you think that you will use only a small amount of data over a longer period of time, a 10GB Pay as you go data bundle may be more cost-effective.
Pay as you go: the detail
The Pay as you go price plans allow up to 20,000 list members. What’s important is the amount of data you wish to send. For short-term projects and/or email campaigns of up to a month in duration, the 1GB and 3GB bundles are a good choice. With this option you can send approximately 48,000 plain text emails (1GB bundle) or 144,000 plain text emails (3GB bundle).
For longer projects and/or email campaigns that last up to 12 months, the 10GB bundle is good value. This bundle allows you to send approximately 40,000 plain text emails per month, each month.
If you have a seriously large email list and plan to send lots of data, the 30GB data bundle will be of interest.
You can estimate the data allowance you are likely to need for your list by using our Pay as you go calculator on our products page.
Unlimited
Unlimited price plans keep on rolling. You pay a monthly or annual fee to receive an unlimited data allowance. How much you pay depends on the number of list members you have. There are options for 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 members. For these price plans, the yearly subscriptions offer the best value.
If you’re using Simplelists for email marketing, you should be aware that segmenting your email list is one of the best ways to boost the effectiveness of any email marketing campaigns that you run. This is because you can ensure that the email suits your client’s specific interest(s) and increase the likelihood that they open your email and respond to your call to action.
If you are using Simplelists for private groups discussions, you may already be pretty familiar with the segments of your list. If it’s something you want to think about some more, or run a specific marketing campaign, here are four tips for email segmentation to help you get the results you want.
1. Split your list into groups that are alike
Your email recipients aren’t all alike and there are very likely to be groups (or segments) that exist in your list. Are there age groups that might respond differently to your call to action, or are there particular interests that you could focus on? Each group will need its own email stream with content that suits the reader. Common groups tend to fall under four headings:
geography (location, language, climate, etc.);
demography (age, gender, income, etc.);
psychology (lifestyle, opinions, values, etc.); and
behaviour (purchase usage, buyer stage, user status, etc.).
2. Recognise that there are stages at which people interact with you
Your list members will require different information, depending on how long they have interacted with your business/activity. For example, someone who has visited your website once and subscribed to your email list will need different information to a long-term customer who is very familiar with your products and/or activities.
3. Build credibility
Segmenting and personalising your emails shows the recipient that you are interested in more than just selling to them. Instead, you take the time to get to know them as well as looking into their needs and interests.
4. Go beyond the obvious
You don’t need to think only about people’s interests now and what other groups they fit into at this time. You could have a think about what they might aspire to them in the future with regards and goods or services that might appeal to them. You could also think about using 'negative data’ i.e. if they prefer one brand, they might be likely to be disinterested in another.
You are no doubt aware that the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force on 25 May 2018. Your inbox was probably full of messages from the various organisations and groups that hold your contact details, checking whether you still wish to receive messages from them and/or updating you about their privacy policy. Our members received an email explaining how Simplelists is complying with the regulation and we have shared that information here on our blog as well.
What is GDPR for?
The regulation aims primarily to give control to citizens and residents over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU.
Who is affected?
GDPR affects Simplelists customers either based in the EU and/or who have list members in the EU.
What has Simplelists done to comply with the legislation?
In order to comply with the legislation, and to also to make it easier for our customers to comply with it, we have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions. The new documents are available on our website in the footer of every page. As a general rule, the updates strengthen your rights, but if you do have any questions about the changes then please let us know. You can find our contact details here.
What do Simplelists customers need to do to comply with the legislation?
We have also added a GDPR Statement to our website, which will provide more information as to our compliance and how we can help you to comply. This statement is also available from the footer of every page on our website.
Simplelists provides email list hosting services to its customers, and as such is responsible for the secure and compliant processing of personal data related to our customers, as well as the protection of our customers’ information (which may include personal data) whilst it is being processed by one of our systems.
We believe that the new documents should assist those customers that do need to comply, but if you have any specific requirements or general questions, then please get in touch.
Simplelists keeps a record of all of the emails that have been sent to your list. This archive can be useful for new list members who might need to quickly get to grips with topics that have already been covered in a private group discussion. It is also a great tool for keeping a back up of all of your communications. If you haven’t already, you can learn how to set up, view and personalise the archive in a recent post on our blog. Below, we explain how to search your email archive, allowing you to find old emails using a keyword search.
Finding the right message in a busy list
Busy lists that have existed for a long time can accumulate thousands of emails over many years. When new members join a list, they can be granted permission to read emails that were sent before they joined, and access old emails about a specific subject. To do this, the Simplelists email archive has a keyword search function that allows you to look for old emails by keyword. You can also browse all messages by date or by thread.
Accessing the archive
You can find the archive search function from the Members Home page once you have logged in to your Simplelists account. Under 'What would you like to do?’, click on 'View list archives’. If your list manager has set up a password for accessing the archive, you will need to enter this. Otherwise, you can request an access code by entering your email address.
Once in the mail archive, messages are grouped by month and year, with the search box at the top. Type in your keyword and the relevant emails will be displayed. On this page, you can also view list statistics and read more information about your list.
Search tips
We all know how to use a search box but these tips might come in useful if you’re not entirely sure of the best keyword to search for:
Wildcard ‘?’ - Type the ? symbol and it will be replaced with any single character. This is handy when you’re not sure how a word should be spelt. For example, you might be looking for an old email titled ‘Worthington Event’ but you had forgotten if ‘Worthington’ was spelled with an ‘o’ or a ‘i’ you can type ‘W?rthington’ and the results will show emails with both spellings.
Wildcard ‘*’ - Type the * symbol and it will be replaced with any number of characters. Using the previous example, if you weren’t at all sure how to spell ‘Worthington’ you could type ‘W*ton’. The search results will show all emails that start with a ‘w’ and end with the letters ‘ton’, including ‘Worthington’.
You can also search by keyword for specific months. Browse to the month of the email that you are looking for and then search while in that month. The search will geneate results only for that month.
We provide a group email manager that allows you to send emails to a group of people using one email address. We think using a group email list is a good idea for a range of reasons, including the ability to have great private discussions that are delivered to group members effectively in a manner customised to match to the preferences of each person receiving messages. Many organisations like to foster community and information sharing using email discussion lists - while discussions are usually straightforward when everyone is in the room, things get more complex when everyone can’t be in one place at one time. In this post, we explain how an email discussion list (or 'listserv’ works) and what benefits it offers to its members.
How it works
People subscribe to a discussion list (normally online - see how to add a subscribe form to your website) or via email. Any subscriber can then post to the list by simply emailing a specific, automated address. Permissions can be set so that only certain people can post to the address, if that is most suitable, or to ensure that all messages are held for approval (moderation by an administrator) before being distributed to the list. A list manager (one or more people) is normally in charge of the list and tends to be knowledgeable of the topic that the list discussion covers.
Personalising the process
Subscribers can also personalise their experience with the list - perhaps a format preference (plain text or HTML), how often they receive emails and whether they receive a digest summary of the latest posts (rather than receiving them all individually as separate emails). It is also possible to customise how the email looks, incorporating a company logo or pointing users to a bespoke landing page that is part of your own website.
Ensuring the message is delivered
It is well-known that most Internet Service Providers place limits on the number of email addresses that you can send an email to. This means there may be a cap on the amount of data that you can send in one go. People can also report emails as spam, even if they signed up to the list, and this can affect deliverability. A group email manager can manage your spam reporting and make sure that your emails are delivered.
Who else benefits?
Email discussion groups can reach a range of people who might not otherwise have access to an online discussion. Anyone who can send an email can take part and many people prefer receiving an email in their inbox to visiting a website to search for updates. Some research has found that over half of internet users subscribe to at least one email list, which is a lot more than those who subscribe to social media platforms. Emails are also preferable for people who have limited access to the internet, or slow internet connections. The discussion doesn’t rely on real-time participation and emails can be downloaded, read and replied to while offline.
HTML emails are formatted like a web page and can include colours, graphics, tables and links. Most emails that you receive from a shop/business that you subscribe to are likely to use this kind of email. Plain text emails are more like what you might expect to receive from a friend or in a typical work email. Before sending an HTML email to your list, it is worth considering the pros and cons of HTML and plain text emails.
HTML or plain text?
HTML emails are colourful and eye-catching. You can include your company logo and make your email look professional. HTML emails can include images and make it possible to break the email into sections that are easy to read or scan. They can also include social media buttons. HTML emails are more likely to be blocked by some spam blockers, especially if they contain a lot of HTML.
Plain text emails are small and light, which means they use less memory and open more quickly. Plain text messages look less commercial and more similar to personal emails. It has also been found that a plain text email is more likely to be opened and clicked through, which is important if you are sending emails as part of a marketing campaign.
Creating an HTML email
First, you need to create your email as a single web page. There are a few special points to note when creating HTML for email:
Use tables to create the layout. Avoid using margins and padding and give the table’s elements fixed widths. This prevents the email looking different in different email clients.
All CSS styles should be inline styles. Any CSS in the head or on external style sheets will be ignored.
Any images should have an absolute URL - they’ll need to be on the server so they can be sourced.
Once complete, view your web page in a browser. First, check that the page looks perfect. Right click and select all and then copy. Note that you should not copy the HTML code. Copy the content of the web page.
Send the email
Open your email client and compose a new message to your list. Simply paste the email and hit send. Your HTML email will be sent to your whole list. Simple.
You can watch these instructions in a short video here.
Archives are an easy way to keep a record of all emails that have been sent to your list. This can be very useful for groups that use Simplelists for private group discussion as new members can quickly become familiar with topics that have previously been covered. Everything that has been discussed can be seen and reviewed, like minutes of a meeting, and revisiting old topics can be streamlined by referencing the previous messages. In this short post, we tell you how to set up and personalise your email archive in Simplelists.
Enable the archive
To enable email archives, simply log in, go to 'Archive Settings’ (in the left-hand menu) and select 'Enable archives’. You can also choose to show or hide email addresses, make archives private, or protect them with a password. When you have changed the settings, click 'update’ to save your choices.
View the archive
To view your archive, simply go to the web address shown at the top of the 'Archive Settings’ page. When you click on this link, you will see that each month’s emails can be viewed by date or by thread. Click on the 'by date’ or 'by thread’ links in the right-hand column to show the view you prefer. You can then browse to find emails that have been sent.
Personalise the archive
It is also possible to personalise your archives page by using your own logo instead of the Simplelists logo. Click on 'General Settings’ in the left-hand menu and add the web address of the image in the 'Custom image’ box. You can also learn more about personalising your landing pages and other Simplelists features in a previous post.
That’s all there is to setting up your email archive. Simple! You can view also these instructions in a short video in a previous post on our blog.
