MeebleMail Provides Personalized Stationery Designs For Emails
Email has, for the most part, eliminated the use of the Post Office for everyday communication. We have traded personal, unique letters for quick and easy (and somewhat bland) messaging. A new NY-based startup, MeebleMail, is seeking to fill this void by offering a wide array of personalized email stationery, helping users add a little “me” to their emails.
Founded by Sharon and Edmund Gaffney in 2010, MeebleMail features unique designs, as well as many from well-known fashion, home and paper stationary brands, including Kara Ross (fashion), Celerie Kemble (home) and Jack and Lulu (stationery).
NY Convergence recently had the opportunity to sample MeebleMails offerings, and we came away with somewhat mixed feelings.
As a whole, MeebleMails website is simple and easy to navigate, clearly laying out the steps for selecting, personalizing, purchasing and employing the stationery to your emails. MeebleMail charges $4.99 per design for unlimited usage for one year, donating 50 percent of the purchase price to a non-profit organization, including The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Wildlife Conservation Society.
While the number of designs can seem daunting, there are many categories and colors in which to narrow your search. However, it is hard to identify what exactly you will get in the categories, with broad labels ranging from “Whimsical” to “Layout.”
After settling on a design, the user is prompted to input his or her name, monogram, address and an additional image on to the design. There are multiple fonts in which to chose, but the color of the writing is constricted based upon the design, a feature which does slightly limit the users freedom in personalization. In addition, MeebleMail does not allow users to upload their own images, such as a company logo, on to the stationery, which is, again, limiting.
Once purchased, MeebleMail prompts the user to drag a link to the “stationery selector” to his or her bookmarks toolbar. The user can then open a new, blank email, click on the “stationery selector” to input the design on to the email, add text to the body and send. We found it problematic that MeebleMail currently works on Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail platforms, with Microsoft Outlook “coming soon.” This is extremely limiting, as a major part of online communication, particularly in the business world, happens through Outlook.
This, in turn, is our main concern, that MeebleMail does not seem practical for business use. While there are many designs to choose from, MeebleMail lacks more professional stationery that would be desirable for corporate correspondence. It is a cute tool to include on personal emails, especially online event invitations, but does not seem to have much use beyond that.
Overall, we were satisfied with MeebleMails services, but think more developments to its functionality and designs are necessary before it will really gain traction and popularity.
MeebleMail
[Editors Note: NY Convergence received a $10 gift certificate from MeebleMail, a credit that was used up while in the process of reviewing the site]
Lloyd Trufelman is publisher of NY Convergence.
http://nyconvergence.com/nyconvergence-contributors
Symbian OS for Smartphones: Microsoft Exchange Support
There are so many reasons why a pairing of Symbian OS and Microsoft Exchange or Hosted Exchange Email is a good thing. Your Smartphone will do things you never thought it could with this powerhouse combination.
Symbian leads the way in Smartphone technology. Mobile messaging is now possible with Hosted Exchange on Symbian Smartphones. Customers can enjoy the ease and security of push email that eliminates the need for hitting the refresh button and checking for new email.
For people who just want their email to work and arrive in their inbox right away, Hosted Exchange Email is definitively the way to go. With push email systems in place all emails come through at the time they are sent. They don’t have to sit on a server for hours until you refresh your system. You can also send email attachments and sync all your contacts and calendars with the Exchange Email server.
You can make use of email flags with Microsoft Exchange. You can flag mail right from your handheld so that when you return to the office, you’ll remember what is most important. You’ll also get your mail much faster. Attachments and connected messages in threads load up faster so you don’t have to go searching to review a conversation for details.
Those emails you sent weeks ago and now can’t find? They can be searched for and found easily with the Symbian Microsoft Exchange system. You don’t have to resync everything. Just start an online mailbox search.
You can do so much with the Microsoft Exchange platform. You can set your out of office message, revise your calendar and view your emails in HTML. Work on the go knowing you can open the files that are sent to you and also edit them at the same time. Gone are the worries that a file won’t open or is too big.
The future of the Smartphone is here. Microsoft Exchange is changing the face of how people do business. No longer are employees chained to their desktop. Mobile work situations are entirely possible and telecommuting will save the employee and the company valuable dollars. Now it no longer matters where you live. Work anywhere with a Smartphone and feel like you’re right in the loop with the people at headquarters. The Symbian OS Smartphone platform with Microsoft Exchange Support is changing the landscape of the business world for the better.
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Email Enhanced: The Windows Phone 7
As the software developer of Outlook, the most popular desktop mail client and general information manager, it is only natural that Microsoft – and of course, Windows, by definition – should focus on the email experience found in their line of mobile phones.
The Windows Phone email supports most of the syncing capabilities of ActiveSync. Both the 6.1 and 6.5 versions of the Windows Phone – Microsoft’s past contributions to the booming smartphone industry – host a number of Exchange ActiveSync functions from past to present versions of the synchronization platform.
Microsoft’s newest brainchild, however – the Windows Phone 7 – does away with half, if not most, of the features in later ActiveSync versions. Still, it seems that its email functionality is well on the right track. Better yet, it holds its own against other smartphones and handheld wireless devices that have dominated the market for the past year.
It might lack of some more comprehensive ActiveSync features, but the Windows Phone 7 nonetheless supports Exchange ActiveSync 14.0. All the vital functions and necessities for Exchange email are intact. There are features like DirectPush, email, calendar, and contacts sync, remote wipe, desktop and Internet sharing, Global Address List (GAL) lookup, and secure SSL encrypted transmission.
The Windows Phone email client is a powerful tool that allows users to sync to an email account or another client altogether. More importantly, it allows for managing multiple items seamlessly. The interface offers a pristine list-type display of received items that feature the sender’s name and subject prominently, and with the time affixed to the right of each entry. Tapping to the left of this list reveals a checkbox for selecting individual and multiple items all at once. Tapping the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen brings up a menu where selected items can be marked as read or unread, flagged or unflagged, moved, completed, and of course, deleted.
There are also multiple options to view messages. From the default view, users can slide the display to the right to get a list of only unread messages. Sliding to the right again brings up flagged messages. A third time brings up urgent messages, while sliding again from this view brings the display back to the default email list.
Composing an email is just as easy as reading or managing one. Pressing the compose key on the menu calls up the email editor that allows for setting the priority and the cc’s and bcc’s of an email – options which are not readily available on other smartphones, even when they’re running on Exchange email clients as well. Users can also attach a photo from their phone gallery to the outgoing message.
As the latest smartphone to hit the market, and with both hardware and software that are still in their beta stages, this kind of comprehensive email capability is quite an accomplishment for this brand new Windows phone.
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How To Improve Your Email Safelist Response Rate
You’ve just created your online home based business website, decided which product you’re going to promote and now you’re devising your Internet marketing plan and you’ve decided to place email marketing high on your list. One of the most popular types of email advertising used by Internet marketers is safelist marketing.
According to internetmarketingdefinitions.com “a safelist is a form of e-mail marketing and advertising where the members have agreed to receive each other’s messages. Usually, the safelist administration reserves the right to mail its’ members. Types of safelists include paid, credit based, and free.”
In order to be successful with your home business email advertising campaign you need to evoke a high response rate from your list. A high response rate largely depends on the effectiveness of your message or advertisement, therefore the first thing you must concentrate on, to improve your response, is the content of your message.
The first part of your advertisement to jump out at your reader is the headline, so your header is the most important part of your message. You only have a limited amount of time to catch and maintain your reader’s attention therefore a powerful headline is a must for any successful campaign. If other members of the list don’t find your subject line interesting they won’t even bother opening your message.
Try to avoid the headers which have been used over and over again. Subjects such as: “How To Get Rich Online”, “Make Money Tomorrow”, or “Make A Million Dollars In 12 Months” will only get your message fast tracked to the trash bin. You need an original, eye catching and attention getting subject to which your readers can relate.
A great way to grab other list member’s interest is to pose a problem and offer a solution to the situation. For example, “5 Reasons Why Most Affiliate Marketers Fail” suggests a problem, which is failure, and then illustrates five ways you can avoid this situation. You’ll notice that all the words in the preceding headline have the first letter capitalized which is another way to make your subject line stand out. Also use the member’s first name, if possible, to personalize the message.
Some keywords have proven to be more effective when used in headlines than others. Words such as sex, money, love, unique, learn and so on seem to have elicited higher response rates. When it comes to your ad copy keep it short and to the point. People receive a large number of messages from other list members so their time is limited and nothing is more off putting than a long winded sales message.
In your message body outline what this product can do for the reader. People love benefits and enjoy having their problems solved. Please don’t make outrageous promises which you know you cannot deliver. This only diminishes your reputation as a reputable Internet marketer and once your character has been tarnished it’s very difficult to reestablish in the eyes of the online community.
If you have no idea how to write an effective advertisement or you have never written one before conduct a search for tips on writing good ad copy online. When you think you’re ready to proceed take your time and write your ad over and over again if necessary. Read it to someone or email it to a friend to get their opinion. The time you invest in getting it right will reap benefits for you later on by way of increased sales.
Be sure to include your link within the ad copy several times. Don’t lose sight of your overall objective which is to have the reader click on your link and visit your sales page. Finally, promote to your list on a regular basis and be sure to track your results. If something isn’t working why would you continue to keep doing it? Tracking is a great way to save time on ill conceived advertising campaigns and save money on promotion.
By adhering to these safelist marketing tips and techniques your home business email marketing strategy will help jump start your enterprise down the road to online success.
Bob Withers is a professional sales and marketing person with over twenty years in the field. He has now set his sights on Affiliate Marketing and creating successful Home Based Businesses online to apply his trade. If you want to get in touch with Bob or learn more about Affiliate Marketing or setting up an Internet based Home Business please visit:
Free Home Business and Affiliate Marketing Advice
6 Ways To Make Money Using Your Opt-in Email List
As any Internet marketer worth his or her salt will tell you, “the money is in the list.” In my opinion an opt-in email list is worth its weight in gold and is crucial for achieving any level of business success online. For any type or size of venture on the web, whether it’s a small home based business or a large e-commerce website a credible opt-in email list is a must and should be a top priority for anyone just starting out with a home based business on the Internet.
An opt-in list is comprised of email addresses that people sign up to receive because the subject matter is something they find of interest. Names and email addresses are collected in various ways including squeeze pages, requesting email information in return for a free gift and requesting an email address in order to gain access to information on your website. Once you’ve compiled your list this allows you to market your offers and website via a mass e-mail campaign. Because of how the contact information was obtained sending messages en masse isn’t considered spamming.
Contacting an opt-in email list is usually the most responsive Internet marketing sales strategy you can employ because your recipients have already declared an interest in your products by signing up and agreeing to receive messages and updates on a regular basis. Your opt-in list also allows you to inform your customers and potential customers about any updates to your home business website and inform them of any upcoming specials or discounts.
As a webmaster you can rest assured, because of the nature of the relationship between sender and recipient, that more than 50% of your messages and announcements will be read and your response rate should be between 1% and 3%, according to net-market.com. Sign up rate and hence response rate will increase exponentially as the quality of your home business website content increases. The more valuable your visitors find your information the easier their decision will be to agree to become a list member.
After you have compiled your opt-in list and it has reached a number large enough to satisfy your comfort level then you can begin sending offers and promotions. These are some of the ways you can use your list to make money online:
(1) Sell advertising space on your list email. Many large companies will pay top dollar for ad space on a large, responsive opt-in email list. This saves them the time and money of having to build their own list and it allows them to reach a large audience in their particular niche. Each ad means money in your pocket but don’t over do it. Too many promotions can be overwhelming for your customers and list members therefore negating the effect of your advertisement.
(2) Create affiliations with other home business owners whose theme closely resembles your offer and whose list would be interested in your product and vise versa. You will allow this business to send a particular promotion to your list in return for the same so you can reach a lot more perspective customers.
(3) You can take this arrangement a step further and ask the business owner for a percentage of the sales made using your list. Therefore the more sales they make to your list members the larger your profits.
(4) If you’re into article marketing and article writing compile your editorials into an e-book which you can promote to your list. E-books are one of the hottest selling items online today and this would be an excellent way to create another income stream from your home business website.
(5) Create an incentive program which you can promote to your members. Ask them to recommend your home business to their friends and family and offer a bonus for each one they recruit who joins your email list and or becomes a paying customer.
(6) Create a joint venture with another business whereby you’ll market a product together and advertise it to both email lists. This is another great way to add another income stream to your business and increase your profits.
These are some of the ways you can profit from your opt-in email list and as you can see it provides an excellent opportunity to explode your profits and put your online home based business on the Internet marketing map.
Bob Withers is a professional sales and marketing person with over twenty years in the field. He has now set his sights on Affiliate Marketing and creating successful Home Based Businesses online to apply his trade. If you want to get in touch with Bob or learn more about Affiliate Marketing or setting up an Internet based Home Business please visit:
Free Home Business and Affiliate Marketing Advice