FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about Direct Digital Marketing with inwise 

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FAQs - Direct Digital Marketing

What is direct digital marketing?
Digital marketing is the promotion of your organization or brand using one or more of the various digital channels, such as email, cellular phones, social networks and the like. This can include a classy birthday greeting sent to the customer's smartphone, a personally relevant coupon sent by SMS to the customer or a weekly newsletter than includes updates and specials. You can learn more about direct digital marketing here.

Why would I use direct digital marketing?
Direct digital marketing provides the ability to distribute information to a wide range of potential customers at a relatively low cost. An exact return on investment (ROI) can be measured and, when done properly, can be exceptionally high. Compared to a mailed advertisement, the delivery time of a digital marketing message is much shorter. An advertiser is able to "push" the message to its audience as opposed to website-based advertising that relies on customers manually visiting the advertised website. Direct digital messages are easy to follow. An advertiser can track users via bounced messages, unsubscribe requests, read receipts, click-throughs, etc. Advertisers can reach substantial numbers of subscribers who have opted to receive messages on subjects of interest. Direct digital marketing is also paper-free (i.e. "green").

What benefits do I get from direct digital marketing?
The effectiveness of direct digital marketing cannot be overstated. Direct digital marketing can enable you to take personalization and customization of your marketing materials to a new level. Any detail that you know about the company, or person you are targeting can be included in the message. This doesn't mean just their name or job! You could, for example, tailor the messages they receive to  concentrate on their interest in products you know they like, or to introduce them to new ones. The effectiveness of your digital marketing publications is enhanced by the feedback you receive. So if a recipient of a previous digital message expressed an interest in a certain product, you can ensure that you follow up on their interest. In effect, direct digital marketing software and service agencies also become their own market research tools. The cost-benefit of sending marketing material through digital channels is thus enormous. Once the material has been prepared, the distribution cost is negligible, comprising just a small fraction of your annual Internet expenses.

Does direct digital marketing = SPAM?
The answer to that question is an emphatic - No! The term 'spam' is applied to unsolicited messages that are indiscriminately sent out to huge groups of recipients. No one likes receiving 'spam,' and these days it is easily blocked by 'spam' filters. Just about everyone who does receive 'spam' immediately deletes it, rendering it useless and a waste of time.. Conversely, direct digital marketing is designed for and sent to businesses or  people that you already know and have contact with. Direct digital marketing is about attracting people to your business - not antagonizing them! Furthermore, in the USA and Europe, the practice of 'spamming' is prohibited. In the USA, anyone considering launching a digital marketing campaign should ensure that they are complying with the 'CAN-SPAM' regulations. Direct digital marketing can be set-up in several different ways that will ensure compliance with any relevant 'spam' regulations. One such way is to have an 'opt-in' or permission-based system - where the recipients agree to receive your marketing materials sent through digital channels. Also, a good company using direct digital marketing will ensure that there is an 'unsubscribe' option for the recipients.

How can I start using direct digital marketing?
Simple - if you've got a computer, an email address, a list of recipients' email addresses and/or mobile numbers and an Internet connection, you could start direct digital marketing now. However, unless you're highly skilled in presenting material for viewing and reading on the Internet, you should also consider either employing a direct digital marketing service to work on your behalf or, at least, purchasing some specialized direct digital marketing software. You could also employ a direct digital marketing service and have the software as well, using the service provider for 'big' jobs while handling smaller ones yourself. There are many resources available to inform your decision whether to use a specialized software or a specialized service provider.

What can I know after sending the digital messages?
After sending direct digital messages, you'll be able to access a wealth of information about how the recipients of the digital marketing material reacted. Apart from finding out who opened the message and when, a range of other reports can be obtained showing if any of the messages 'bounced' or if the marketing material contained or generated any errors. You can read more about the information provided here. A significant advantage of the direct digital marketing software is that it allows you to view statistics about exactly which links were clicked on in the message. This will help inform you what is popular, promising or needs to be revamped in the next edition. All these statistics and many more will help you constantly refine your direct digital marketing techniques in order to maximize your sales and customer satisfaction.

Using inwise Frequently Asked Questions

What is inwise used for?
The inwise tool is typically used by corporations, associations, clubs, small businesses and private individuals. Its uses are endless. Most customers use inwise to communicate with clients, staff, members, colleagues, relatives or friends. Private uses include invites, announcements, travelogues or family albums. Small businesses might use inwise for press releases, newsletters, product launches, quotes, general letters and proposals, etc. Corporations, on the other hand, might have an in-house communications department that needs to send out internal newsletters, reports, memos and/or directives to other offices, as well as a range of opt-in or other marketing functions.

Can inwise be used for sending unsolicited messages (=spamming)?
inwise was NOT designed as a SPAM tool, and it would be illogical to use it as such. inwise was designed as an online, added-value service which can be used for a range of functions, such as personalized opt-in marketing to clients, in-house communication with colleagues or private use. You must use inwise according to our terms of use.

Do I need technical experience to use this software?
No. The product is designed with a simple user interface, requiring only basic knowledge in sending digital messages such as email and SMS.

Do I need to know HTML?
No. inwise includes a simple content editor that allows users to edit messages, change fonts and colors, add images and links and other features.

How do I start using inwise?
Getting started with inwise is very easy. Signing up for a free trial only takes a minute. Once you have logged in to your account, you will want to do the following:

• Import your contacts details
• Set up initial account information (company name, logo, etc)
• Send a test campaign

And there's more! During your free trial, you will also receive a series of coaching emails. As always, our support team is on call, available to help you with any questions you may have.

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System Requirements Frequently Asked Questions

Can I download the inwise software and install it?
No. inwise is a hosted application, similar to services like Gmail or Yahoo. The service is used online by logging in with a username and a password. We do have a version of inwise called "inwise Enterprise," which is suitable for companies that would prefer to install the system on their servers. For more details, contact us.

What software do I need to use inwise?
Any Windows PC with Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 or higher or Firefox version 2 or higher will run inwise. No downloads or plug-ins are required. Some advanced editor functions will be available only when running Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6.0, IE 5.5 or 6 or Firefox 3 or higher. They can be downloaded for free from www.download.com.

Security & Privacy Frequently Asked Questions

Do you sell email address lists or other contacts information?
No. Your address lists, or any other contact lists information, will never be disclosed to third parties. inwise does not sell lists of targeted email addresses. Read our Privacy Policy for further details.

Are stored newsletters, messages, images and recipients lists secured?
inwise is hosted at multiple secured sites. Our hosting providers have state-of-the-art network operation centers providing full security, firewalls, backup, and multi-tier, redundant high speed network connections. Our Privacy Policy strictly precludes us from providing personal data to any third party.

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What happens to my list after I upload it to inwise?
Your list is safe behind our heavily secured firewalls. It will reside in your inwise account until you remove it. inwise will never rent, share or sell your list. For more details, read our Privacy Policy.

Managing Recipients Lists Frequently Asked Questions

Can I rent or buy an email list to use with inwise service?
inwise can only be used with email lists with which you have permission to communicate. Please read our ANTI-SPAM policy.

Will I know when there are new subscribers (and un-subscriptions)?
Yes. With the inwise reporting tool, you can see who the recipients are and who has requested to unsubscribe. You can also get an email notification through your website for every time a new recipient subscribes to your email list.

How do I import my list to my inwise account??
inwise will accept your email addresses and contacts details in .CSV (Comma Separated Values) format which can be created in Excel. Simply browse to the file's location on your computer and let the inwise wizard guide you through the import. You can also connect directly to databases like MS SQL and collect directly the recipients.

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How do subscribers unsubscribe?
Each message you send using inwise has an unsubscribe link appended to it.

How do I get new subscribers?
The inwise web site registration form (available under the "My group" menu) enables you to collect new subscribers with a form on your website. The website link enables users to subscribe to specific contact lists (which you can set up to correspond to your messages categories). You can design your subscription form with logos, fonts and colors (HTML knowledge needed).

Can I use my pre-made recipient lists?
Yes. You can import Excel (CSV) files into inwise and within minutes, your pre-made lists will be ready for use.

What if I don't have a recipients list?
Not a problem. There are several ways you can collect email addresses and other contacts details. inwise provides a list building tool in the form of a sign-up box that can be placed on your website. Your site visitors can sign up for your email list and their addresses will automatically be imported into your account. You are also given access to this tool in the free trial.
Another method of collecting emails would be to set up a guest registration and have customers provide you with their contacts details, which you can then import into your inwise account. At trade shows, conferences, etc., any time you come in contact with your customer, invite them to join your list.

Will I receive bounced return emails from (newly) invalid addresses?
No. This is where inwise saves you time and removes the headache of hundreds of undelivered emails bouncing back and clogging your inbox. inwise automatically flags invalid email addresses so they are excluded from future campaigns, after the emails bounce multiple times.