Hello. I am looking for an opt-in email marketing expert. And when I
mean opt-in, I mean opt-in. I am not talking about spam here! I have
been asked to help an organization with some email delivery problems
they are having sending email to EXISTING customers and clients who
want to receive the emails. However, anyone who has expertise in
commercial email knows that it can be hard to get legitimate email
messages through, even to those who have asked to receive them.

The volume of email this firm uses is beyond what they can manage
internally. Currently, they are using a well-known third party email
interface called Topica. They really have a few options: stick with
their current provider, move to a new third party provider, or build a
custom solution. Each has its pros and cons.

What is needed right now is an email marketing expert who can advise
in more detail on the pros and cons of each option they might
have...the main objective is to get their delivery rates much higher,
and to an extent they are willing to pay to make that happen.

I am posting this question here for this reason: I'm looking for an
email marketing expert to consult with who can be of help with this
situation. The consultant would be paid hourly for their time. I do
NOT want this person to be affiliated with one particular solution. I
don't have a problem if someone wants to mention a solution they have
used that is exceptional from the vantage point of delivery success to
opt-in subscribers, but I'm only paying for an answer if it leads me
to a person with some objectivity about various email marketing
options for a firm that is very strict about opt-in permissions and so
is in a position to qualify for any type of whitelisting.

I will pay the $100 after I have a satisfactory phone or email
interaction with the person referred. I don't mind if someone refers
themselves if they fit the description. In the case of a tough choice
between a couple of good experts, the tiebreak would definitely be
some knowledge of Topica's delivery success and how it compares to
other providers. I expect the first interaction to be free but I will
pay for any additional conversations. As is
shown by the price on this answer, I believe in paying fair value for
expertise.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Dear johnwr,

Bruce Miller is a respected Internet activist who offers consulting
services on ethical email practices. He abhors spam and refuses to
deal with anything but the strictest opt-in mailing lists. Bruce does
not promote any particular method or service, but will work with you
to find the best supplier for your needs.

To initiate the consulting process, send a message to
brucem@wa-state-resident.com in which you tell Bruce the size of your
firm and the nature of your project: should you keep Topica, switch to
some other firm, or build an in-house solution? Ask for a brief
outline of the possible approaches and inform Bruce that you will pay
him hourly after an initial free email exchange. I am confident you
will agree that Bruce knows his stuff.

Regards,

leapinglizard

This is a good answer but it came too late. I'm not sure what to do, I
can't find any info in Google on this.

I've had positive results with a company called Constant Contact. They
specialize specifically in managing opt-in and permission-based email
campaigns.

www.constantcontact.com
1-866-876-8464