We get a ton of questions about email marketing. Since 1999 people have been using cBizSoft products to send mass emails of all kinds. Part of the reason people love our tools is because of the flexibility we allow when sending email. Below is a comprehensive overview of your options in Exelare, as well as a video overview at the bottom of the post. We hope this helps you when deciding the best methods for employing email marketing inside of your organization!
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Exelare is platform agnostic when it comes to email marketing. This means you can use any email server (or combination of mail servers) to send email from Exelare. It allows our clients to choose which method works best for their team and even to mix and match email marketing methods as their business needs evolve.
No matter which option you choose, Exelare allows:
- Unlimited Email Sending (No limits imposed by Exelare)
- Send as many emails as desired at once (no need to split up lists & waste time)
- Email Marketing Templates & Merge Tag Support
- Customizable Job List & Candidate List Marketing Style Sheets
As a user, you have these options when sending email through Exelare
- Send Email Using Your Own Server
- Send Email Using any Third Party Servers
- Send Email Using Exelare Managed Servers
- Send Email Using SendGrid Integration
You don’t have to choose just one option either. Many of our clients use their own email servers for day to day “one off” emails between clients & candidates. Then they use our managed servers or third party servers to send out large mass mailings. Exelare allows you to setup unlimited sending accounts, each with their own server info and sending/replying rules.
It is important to note that Exelare does not have any limits on the number of emails you can send. It doesn’t matter to us whether you send 1, 10, 10,000 or 1 Million emails. The only limits you will run in to are those imposed by the sending method you choose. Keep reading for explanations on each option…
Method 1: Using Your Own Server
The most popular option, and suitable for all of your day to day “one off” emailing between clients and candidates. Just as you would with Outlook or Gmail, simply enter the account details your mail provider gives you, and you will be able to send email from Exelare using your own domain name and mail server.
- Use any domain/email provider you choose (Gmail, Office365, GoDaddy, BlueHost, etc…)
- Email sending volumes limited only by your provider’s limits
- Manually Manage Bounce Backs, Out of office Replies, Undeliverables using the ‘Bounce Wizard’ tool inside of our Outlook Plugin, xBar.
- Manually process Unsubscribe Requests
- IP Reputation Monitoring Not Included
Method 2: Using Third Party Servers
Great option for companies starting to grow their email marketing efforts. Very similar to Option #1 above, simply setup a sending account in Exelare using SMTP details provided to you. This could be a secondary account used just for email marketing purposes. The benefit of using a third party is they can send email using their own IP addresses instead of your own. This can help to ensure that your primary mail server isn’t blacklisted by the ISP’s and ensures your day to day emails have a high deliverability. Additionally, many third party services provide additional services like IP reputation monitoring and also tracking capabilities (open rates, deliverability rates, click rates, etc…) You can use a service like Mandrill or MailJet which allow a certain number of emails per month for free. Those are just examples. There are hundreds or even thousands of companies who can provide mail servers to you.
- Use any third party you choose (Mandrill, MailJet, SparkPost, Etc…)
- Email sending volumes limited by your sending plan (Free service tiers available)
- Manually Manage Bounce Backs, Out of office Replies, Undeliverables using the ‘Bounce Wizard’ tool inside of our Outlook Plugin, xBar.
- Manually process Unsubscribe Requests
- IP Reputation Monitoring Usually Included
- Very High Deliverability Rates
- Reporting & Analytics Typically Included with third party accounts
Method 3: Using Exelare Managed Servers
When volume is king, consider a mail server managed by us. For a flat monthly rate, your team can send unlimited emails through Exelare. We work with you to monitor your IP reputation and keep you from being blocked by ISP’s. This option ensures you don’t have to think about the number of emails you are sending each month.
- Use a dedicated mail server/domain provided by us, or transfer your mail to us entirely
- Send Unlimited Emails – No cap whatsoever
- Manually Manage Bounce Backs, Out of office Replies, Undeliverables using the ‘Bounce Wizard’ tool inside of our Outlook Plugin, xBar.
- Automatically process Unsubscribe Requests
- IP Reputation Management
Method 4: Using SendGrid Integration
If your business depends on email marketing and you value both quantity and quality equally, then this is the option for you. Delivery rates approaching 100%, built in IP Reputation Monitoring, Reporting & Analytics, plus a very tight integration for managing bounces and unsubscribe requests. This means we automatically keep your list 100% clean and up to date for you with no extra effort on your part. All through the Exelare native interface. SendGrid is a step above using other third party mail servers because it automates every step and ensures that the people you think are getting your emails actually are getting your emails. No guesswork involved.
- Requires SendGrid Account (Silver or Above)
- Email sending volumes limited by your account level. See SendGrid Pricing here.
- Automatically keeps email lists clean (Bounce Backs, Out of office Replies, Undeliverables)
- Automatically process Unsubscribe Requests
- IP Reputation Monitoring & Management
- Highest Deliverability Rates Possible in the Industry
- Reporting & Analytics Included
- iPhone App for on the go Administration/Reporting of email metrics
As you can see, there are a lot of methods you can use when sending email from Exelare. It is important to re-emphasize that you do not have to choose one or the other. Exelare can use multiple methods to send email, allowing you to have multiple sending avenues available, depending on the type and volume of emails you are sending each and every day.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team for further clarification. We are happy to answer any questions and help you choose the best option(s) for your team!