If you use Outlook Express (Windows XP) or Windows Mail (Vista) there’s something you should know about Windows 7 – there’s no bundled email client.
The problem is, I don’t know what will happen to your email if you upgrade to Windows 7 before moving your email to a third-party email client. Is it still somewhere on your computer? If you add a new email client after upgrading to Windows 7 will it still import your email and settings? Microsoft doesn’t say.
Which means you should migrate to a new email client before you upgrade.
I don’t know how many people still actually use Microsoft’s built in email client. I’m doing a survey now of all of our clients to see if any of them still use Outlook Express or Windows Mail.
There are plenty of third-party email clients out there. The one we use is Mozilla’s Thunderbird. I’ve also added the Lightning calendar add-on, and there are lots of other add-ons you can use.
You can also try migrating to a web-based email client like Gmail, Windows Live Mail or a ton of others. I have always used a local email client (installed on my computer that downloads my email) to control backups and have better search capabilities.
But, here’s my recommendation. Download and install Thunderbird. When it installs it will ask you if you want to import email and settings from your current email client, whether that’s Outlook Express or Windows Live (or any other installed email client for that matter). Click Yes.
Once you have Thunderbird installed use it for a few days to make sure everything is working properly, then do your upgrade to Windows 7.
This may also be a good idea if you are buying a new computer with Windows 7 and want to move your email from your old computer. It’s easier to move your Thunderbird email onto your new computer than OE or WM.
Just install Thunderbird on your new computer and move your profile over. Your data is located at C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\xxxx.default
The xxxx is a randomly generated name. Delete the profile installed on your new computer and replace it with the profile off your old computer..
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The video below shows how to use your web host to transfer large files without using email attachments.
It’s a simple matter of creating a ZIP file, FTP it up to your web server and adding a link to it in your email to whoever needs to download it…
Transferring files larger than 10 MB or so can be a pain. Most email inboxes are limited to 10 MB and your email will either be rejected or fill up their inbox so their other emails are blocked – not good in either case.
Well, if you have your own web site you can use your web server to transfer large files. You zip it up using something like 7-Zip (free), FTP it up to your web server using a program like Filezilla (free) and create a link to that file that you send to the email recipient. They download the file, extract it and Voila!.
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I’ve just read an article on strategies for email marketers to defend their policies in-house from overzealous managers trying to ramp up sales.
The article, from MarketingSherpa.com (available free til Aug 13th) shows how email marketers should ‘protect their list’ but the advice is applicable to any small business with a mail list.
To summarize, the higher-ups want to increase the size of the list, make more frequent mailings and not spend any money to do it. The problem, says MarketingSherpa, it that they are concerned with numbers, not the list members.
Things to learn from the article:
1. It’s not the size of the list, it’s the quality. Most good mail lists fall into a 90/20 or even 80/20 category; 10-20% of your list makes most of the purchases. By rapidly increasing the size rather than the quality the ratio drops and their is no real net gain.
- Seemingly fast techniques to grow your list — such as co-registration, sweepstakes, and list rental — don’t always generate high-quality names.
Another problem with only mildly interested new subscribers it that it increases the likelyhood of someone reporting your email message as spam. A few of those and you can start getting blocked by ISP’s or major company firewalls.
2. You can overwhelm subscribers. 44% of those surveyed in a MarketingSherpa poll said they unsubscribed because they received to much email from the sender. Only 31% said they unsubscribed because they received too much email overall.
How often is too often?
- Benchmarks for the appropriate email frequency are tough to come by. How often you can send to your subscribers depends on the nature of your mailings and your audience.
You are going to have to test or survey your specific subscribers to find out. Don’t just start sending mail til they all quit.
3. If you want better results, invest more money. Some suggestions are hiring a copywriter to add content, examining your email list software to see if it’s doing the job and integrating your list with your Customer Relations Management software.
Database integration is essential for lead nurturing, closed-loop reporting, and a much clearer picture of ROI. Those characteristics are the hallmark of a great email program that’s going to provide value in the long term.
As I said, the above strategies apply to all email marketers. Mail lists are not “free” marketing – they take a lot of work and care..
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Every online business should have a mail list of prospects and customers they send regular emails to. But how many people who sign up for your mail list actually receive your message?
There are many list building techniques, but the object of a mail list is to build trust so that prospects will be more inclined to purchase your products.
However, a recent report from Return Path shows that deliverability of opt-in commercial (non-spam) emails and newsletters is running at about Continue reading .
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