Bulk Email Software vs Web-Based email marketing

As you may know MaxBulk Mailer is one of the products we develop and market. It is a Bulk Email Software (and email merge tool) for both macOS and Microsoft Windows that allows anyone to send out customized offers, press releases, price lists or any text or HTML message to a list of subscribers, friends or customers. Basically you can create, manage and send your own powerful, personalized marketing message to small to medium lists. The good thing is that MaxBulk Mailer is a software tool that you purchase once, no need to pay on a per-email basis to submission services.

You know that Email Marketing is spreading around the whole world because of its high effectiveness, speed and low cost. If you want to introduce and sell your product or service, the best way is to use e-mail to contact your targeted customer. We created MaxBulk Mailer with that in mind.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is indeed one of the best marketing technique mostly because it is the cheapest form of advertising as compared to traditional forms of advertising and it is suitable for every industry. As a result and to fulfill the demand, software companies (like us) started to offer bulk email software. The demand continued to grow and new web-based email marketing services poped-up all other the internet. Well, using a web-based email marketing service is not exactly the same as using a bulk email software since you no longer send your messages in-house. You actually ask a company to do it for you, in exchange of a fee. This is called outsourcing.

We are talking about Email Marketing services like Mailchimp, Vertical Response, Constant Contact and so on. A couple of years ago I heard that those systems were so great that they would eventually kill us along with all the companies that develop and market bulk emailers like we do. That did not happen, we sell as many copies as usual, nothing has changed actually. Many companies and individuals still want to send their messages themselves. Using a web service is sometimes an excellent architectural approach, in my experience, especially on huge lists but some people seem to think that web services should always be used.

So why are we still alive then?

I don't think that web services are the universal solution, indeed you may not feel confortable sharing private information and you may not have money to spend. Yes, it is quite obvious that in exchange of the service you make some sacrifices, you have to share your lists and your message contents. You also have to pay. Indeed, not only you may have to pay a monthly subscription but a fee for each email you send. Sending messages in-house with a bulk mailer software like MaxBulk Mailer is totally free.

All the people that publish stuff by email do not have the same needs, not the same requirements, not the same amount of subscribers, not the same goals and not the same financial means and opportunities. Some of us (publishers, list admins, marketers,...) prefer to pay for a lifetime software license and send messages without limitations. Small companies and individuals actually dislike subscriptions and monthly fees. You may also be worried about your lists security and your subscriber privacy. Your subscribers may not like you sharing there info with third parties (maybe you should ask them first). There are lots of things you need to be aware of but so to summarize I believe web-based systems are not that ideal. Especially when you are running on a very tied budget (or no budget at all) or if you are worried about such valuable and sensitive information leaving your office.

Let's be a bit paranoid about privacy

- You have to transfer your lists to a remote service thru an internet connection. Then they will be available online, supposedly to you only. What if a hacker breaks into the system and steals them? A well-known web-based email marketing service may be a target since e-mail lists are valuable and can be resold quite easily.

- Angry, underpaid or dismissed employees may even steal and sell your lists. What if the company goes bankrupt? What happens to the lists? As I said above e-mail lists are valuable and can be resold quite easily.

- Your list are almost priceless if they are targeted. Indeed web-based email marketing services know exactly what you are selling, at what price, every single e-mail address in the lists, the click-through rate and so on.

And also,

- As said before, you have to pay a sending volume fee, the more emails you send the more you have to pay. Some systems even ask for a subscription fee.

- Web-based email marketing services monitor your lists and the sending volume you are allowed is based on a progressive trust system. Yes, you have to start with small lists and demonstrate you are a good guy. Those systems can't put their reputation at risk actually.

- You can get banned. Indeed, if too many people complains about your message the mail service will suspend your account. That can be really frustrating if you are a legitimate sender.

Using a Bulk Email Software

With a Bulk Email Software like MaxBulk Mailer:

- Your lists are safe, they remain on your computer.

- Sending messages is free, you simply use the SMTP server you already have.

- Nobody will spy on you, you are free to send whatever you like to whoever you want.

- Your click-through statistics are private, nobody will know about what you do and how your mail campaigns perform.

If you list is really really huge, and you need to send your message quickly, perhaps you have no choice, you'll need to investigate a bulk emailing service. Sure, you can still do it in-house, but it can be slow and expensive. For small to medium lists, our recommendation is, just do it yourself. If your mail server has a delivery limit you can still use a bulk mailer with a bulk email server. It always be far cheaper and secure.

More information:

- Marketing by email (Wikipedia)
- Software for sending mass email