[David Medina]

I have been looking into auto responders and ways to e-marketing. I checked various services like Constant Contact, AWeber and Icontact. All very good at what they do. And the prices are not that bad either.

But if you are looking for a service that is awesome, check out Mad Mimi. It was recommended to me by the folks at ShootQ and after trying it out I haven't looked back. It is so easy to use yet so powerful that after designing my test newsletter there I went back to the others to create the same newsletter that I felt all thumbs!

Mad Mimi has the exact amount of ingredients and soooo easy to use.

And the price is even righter!

I am so in love with mimi big eyes now!!

So if you are looking for an e-marketing solution try them.

[Jules]

I just sent out an email using Emma, then watched the Mimi promo video. I'm so jealous. That does look a heck of a lot easier.

[Von DeVore]

I think an e-newsletter is a great idea to keep you in front of your clients...but what do you put in your newsletter? What do you talk about? I've been mulling this idea for awhile but am having a hard time coming up with stuff for a newsletter. Any suggestions?

~Von

[joel.llacar]

Anything really! In a way, it is like sending out a press release to the local paper. You can talk about that new album that you are now carrying. Or one of your wedding images that was featured on a bridal magazine. Or that posh venue you recently shot a wedding, and they are now proudly displaying one of your images (as an enlargement, of course.)

You can also use email newsletters to send out promotions too.

The possibilities are limitless.

Von DeVore, on September 4 2008, 10:21 AM, said:

I think an e-newsletter is a great idea to keep you in front of your clients...but what do you put in your newsletter? What do you talk about? I've been mulling this idea for awhile but am having a hard time coming up with stuff for a newsletter. Any suggestions?

~Von

[SAS]

Thanks for the info!! This looks like an awesome tool!

[David Medina]

Jules, on September 4 2008, 01:06 PM, said:

I just sent out an email using Emma, then watched the Mimi promo video. I'm so jealous. That does look a heck of a lot easier.

Emma looked nice but I found it too expensive.

With Mad Mimi is free until you have more than 100 subscribers and you can send as many emails you want. Then is $12 a month up to 5,000 subscribers, unlimited emails. And it i sooooo easy to design nice emails. Dos it sounds that I am in love?

[David Medina]

Von DeVore, on September 4 2008, 02:21 PM, said:

I think an e-newsletter is a great idea to keep you in front of your clients...but what do you put in your newsletter? What do you talk about? I've been mulling this idea for awhile but am having a hard time coming up with stuff for a newsletter. Any suggestions?

~Von

Anything you can think of to get traffic to your sites. If you check the blogs of any of these companies they have tons of info about it. Just don't make it sounds like a sales pitch.

I use it combination with my blog. I put some blurps of what is in my blog, so they have to visit and read the rest, (you provide the link). announce special events, talk about other vendors you are excited about, of what excite you, talk about anything... it is just a marketing tool to get people thinking about you, your services and what makes you unique.

Provide value to visitors. But with goal of getting people to your site and blog, and eventually to your studio.

[miguel p]

david put up a sample of what your newsletter looks like. thanks. can it be customized to look like your branding?

[RBothwell]

thanks for sharing, off to check them out.

[David Medina]

miguelpola.com, on September 4 2008, 08:54 PM, said:

david put up a sample of what your newsletter looks like. thanks. can it be customized to look like your branding?

Totally.

There are no templates. And although there are no templates they are easier to make than those services that have templates. It is basically drag and drop. You upload any images and drag them to the page.

It took me like 15 minutes to make my first one. After that I try to do the same one in Constant Contact and AWeber and I felt all thumbs. Constant Contact has some very nice templates and you could customize them and even create your own, but you need to know HTML really well to do one from scratch.

In Mad Mimi you do them from scratch without having to know HTML. I am just blown away by its deceptive simplicity. Because is so simple you would think is not powerful. Quite the contrary. Its power reside s in its simplicity or approach.

I would put one here but not sure how. In their website they have samples.

[Becka-and-Nate]

OOOO Thanks! I've been looking for this!

[Jules]

David from Puerto Rico, on September 5 2008, 12:56 AM, said:

I would put one here but not sure how. In their website they have samples.

Can't you just give us a link to one of yours? I can give you a link to my latest Emma one, not that you want to see it -- it was targeted at my choir, and listed all the new choir rehearsal music I put up for them on my site. Boring. (But oh-so-useful for those choir members (me) who never seem to make it to rehearsal.)

[David Medina]

Jules, on September 5 2008, 09:20 PM, said:

Can't you just give us a link to one of yours? I can give you a link to my latest Emma one, not that you want to see it -- it was targeted at my choir, and listed all the new choir rehearsal music I put up for them on my site. Boring. (But oh-so-useful for those choir members (me) who never seem to make it to rehearsal.)

Why didn't I think about the link!

Here is one

Here is the other


Please bear in mind these two were my first ones made just to test what I could do immediately after just signing in without listening or reading any instructions at all! It took me about 15 minutes or less each to make including time to figure out how to do them.

Now that I know more about its working I am working on a more elaborate design.

[Jules]

David from Puerto Rico, on September 5 2008, 05:00 PM, said:

Why didn't I think about the link!

Here is one

Here is the other


Please bear in mind these two were my first ones made just to test what I could do immediately after just signing in without listening or reading any instructions at all! It took me about 15 minutes or less each to make including time to figure out how to do them.

Now that I know more about its working I am working on a more elaborate design.

You know what I LOVE about this? There are actual MARGINS around the pictures. With Emma, I have to build in awkward white space around the pictures because the Emma system doesn't allow for any white space between text and pictures. I HATE HATE HATE that. It's SO time consuming to have to do all this tweaking. Plus, the initial design they sent me for my standard template actually made me GAG it was so ugly. I really like your system because it's cheap, and looks so customizable, but in an EASY way. I hate all the money I sank into Emma.

[littler chicken]

David, your first one made me do a doubletake because I don't speak Spanish! But they look great.

One side note for anyone who is contemplating sending out mass emails (and David, I am assuming that Mimi includes this automatically and it's not on your links because those weren't actual emails? but I would love to know for sure that it's there): by law, if you are sending out emails like this you do have to have an "opt out" link or very obvious way for them to unsubscribe from your list. It is super easy to get labeled as a spammer, not so easy to get an ISP to unblock your email accounts (but showing that you do have the opt out will help your case).

One question: I see that the archives are located on the Mad Mimi site instead of yours. I don't know if that is typical for services like this? Do the emails themselves say Mad Mimi anywhere or is it just the link for the archives?

[David Medina]

littler chicken, on September 6 2008, 05:42 PM, said:

David, your first one made me do a doubletake because I don't speak Spanish! But they look great.

One side note for anyone who is contemplating sending out mass emails (and David, I am assuming that Mimi includes this automatically and it's not on your links because those weren't actual emails? but I would love to know for sure that it's there): by law, if you are sending out emails like this you do have to have an "opt out" link or very obvious way for them to unsubscribe from your list. It is super easy to get labeled as a spammer, not so easy to get an ISP to unblock your email accounts (but showing that you do have the opt out will help your case).

One question: I see that the archives are located on the Mad Mimi site instead of yours. I don't know if that is typical for services like this? Do the emails themselves say Mad Mimi anywhere or is it just the link for the archives?

Yes, one was in Spanish but the other one is in English.

Yes, there is an opt-out option in the email. Is in the top and the bottom. Mad Mimi meet all the requirements. The only reason you may get label as a spammer using Mad Mimi is if you are a spammer. Dean at Mad Mimi gave me some pointers (I am totally new at this) on what not to do to avoid been label a spammer.


Yes, all online service (AWeber, Constant Contact, etc) as far as I know store (archive) your emails in their server. What you are seeing is the option in the email where it says if you cannot see the email click here to see it online.

At the bottom of the email, it says "powered by Mad Mimi" in very small letters. But it does not have the big logo Constant Contact places in their emails.

[Lisa Love]

Your first link made me brush up on my Spanish - LOL - love it!!

Thanks for sharing and I'm off to check their website out.
I was very close to signing up with Emma too!!

David from Puerto Rico, on September 5 2008, 07:00 PM, said:

Why didn't I think about the link!

Here is one

Here is the other


Please bear in mind these two were my first ones made just to test what I could do immediately after just signing in without listening or reading any instructions at all! It took me about 15 minutes or less each to make including time to figure out how to do them.

Now that I know more about its working I am working on a more elaborate design.

[LisaC]

Looks great! Might give them a go.

Jules..this may be something you like. I have really liked Emma but here is my beef...I have to pay them every time I want a new template design and I am over that!

[Angela]

Hey there~
Thanks for sharing this resource. I use constant contact. But I like mimi's price.... can you also look at the clicks and stats and so forth on mimi?

[Natasha McCarthy]

I've checked it out and signed up!!! I've got to set time aside for newsletters. I've been meaning to and it keeps getting put off.
Thanks for the info!!!