List management software is useful for companies engaging in any type of email marketing campaign. This could be a regularly occurring newsletter, an online discussion group or even a personalized direct email push. Regardless, the only way to achieve success in your next email campaign is to use strong email list management software. Without the right list management solutions, your campaign will likely falter before it even begins.

So what makes contact list management software truly useful? The answer to that depends somewhat on your needs and how autonomous you prefer your mailing list management software to be. But there are some characteristics that are inherent to all effective email campaign management software solutions. They need to offer your customers the ability to sign on and off the list on their own. They also need to allow you to track the success of your campaign.

When choosing a piece of list manager software for your company, consider these points:

1. The location you prefer for storage of your mailing list manager software;

2. The ability for customers to participate in online list management;

3. The capability of the email list manager software to track click-throughs on your campaign.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Determine whether you want to administer your list management software applications yourself

For some companies, the ability to completely control every aspect of their list management solutions is vital. For others, it's preferable that someone else manage the list management server, software upgrades and customization. Before you can decide on a particular piece of software, you need to be able to answer this dilemma.

I recommend: Constant Contact's SpeakUp! Email Marketing is a leading option in the realm of list management software applications housed on the solution provider's servers.

Ensure that you customers can manage their own subscription

One of the biggest annoyances about being on the receiving end of email campaigns is when your customers can't easily change how they receive your emails. You absolutely must offer your customers easy options to change their subscription to avoid being relegated to the Spam folder.

I recommend: iContact offers your customers the ability to manage their subscription through both your website (linking to theirs) and your emails.

Track the success of your next email campaign with your list management software application

One of the best ways to grow your next email campaign is by learning from the last one. The only way you can learn what works and what doesn't is to know how your customers responded to the email. Many mailing list management software options offer you the ability to count how many of your customers open your email or click on one of the links contained therein.

I recommend: Campaigner gives you the ability to track your success in a variety of methods that can be tailored to your needs.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  In today's email list management software world, 'spam' is an evil word. If your email is relegated to your customer's Spam folder, your message isn't being properly delivered. Find out if the list management solution you choose offers whitelists to major ISP's, allowing your email a better chance to get through.