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Another thing to look for is the customer support provided by the vendor. You should ideally have a vendor that offers at 24/7 customer support and is quick to respond to any of your queries or problems.

Always ask the vendor to provide a demo of how the software works. Do not hire anyone who is not willing to offer a free trial. There may be limitations in the software that could only be seen once you test the software.

Lastly, do the required research to compare the prices of different vendors. You would be amazed to see the difference in costs. Besides, ask the vendor for any discount they may provide.

It makes sense to negotiate with the email newsletter software vendors as you have significant negotiating leverage given how many competitors and alternatives exist. Read the agreement terms carefully to chalk out any hidden costs and expenses.

2.10 Acquiring useful subscriber data


We discussed the importance of tracking your campaign. Along with tracking your campaign it is equally important that you track your subscribers as well. Acquiring demographic data from existing as well as prospective subscribers can immensely improve the popularity of your ezines.

Demographic data can be used to tailor your ezine content to suit a specific audience. This can help improve your content. The most popular ways to gather such data is through a feedback form or a survey on your website. You may also post these forms through Email to existing subscribers.

However, most subscribers may deem such information as private. Thus, you should proceed with great care ensuring that you do not ruin the trust of your customers.

Here are some guidelines that might help:

* Clearly mention the purpose of gathering such data

* Have a strict privacy policy pertaining to subscriber data and convince subscribers that you would be abiding by the policy.

* Do not collect any data that is not required; collect only the most essential data.

* Do not provide your subscribers with lengthy surveys. Keep them as short as possible.

* Provide a strong guarantee that all data collected will be kept safe and confidential, especially from spammers.

* Do not force anyone to fill up the survey. Do not keep it as a pre-condition to signing up. Keep this process optional.

* Lastly, automate the feedback process. This will save you a lot of time and effort and would be easier for you to collect data in the future.

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