Compiled by Vicky Nolan
Keeping up with the Joneses
Snail mail has very few remaining advantages over email. One of them, arguably, is the existence of a system for keeping up with changes of address. The U.S. Postal Service, for example, offers that handy mail forwarding and address correction service. Keeping track of people who change email addresses isn't so easy, and that's bad news for companies whose bread and butter is email marketing. A group called ActiveNames says it has the answer. The company has developed a new service for email marketers to deliver email change-of-address notification at $1 per name. "Marketing departments are spending millions of dollars building their customer email lists only to see 20-40% of the addresses become 'undeliverable' each year," says ActiveNames Vice President of Marketing and Business Development Brad Shapiro. "Up until now, losing customers due to 'hard bounces' on previously deliverable email addresses has been accepted as a cost-of-doing-business." Participating businesses offer the ActiveNames free change-of-address service, a 150k downloadable plug-in, to their customer base. The plug-in automatically notifies users when they send email to another user's old address and alerts other users when they send email to
that user's old address. Meanwhile, it protects consumers' privacy by allowing consumers to authorize others' access to their new address. If a consumer requires authorization before providing the new address to the business, then the consumer will receive an email from ActiveNames disclosing that the business
is inquiring about their new address, and requesting whether or not they would like it released. Within 72 hours, the business will receive a list of authorized email address changes at a charge of $1 per address. Visit www.activenames.com for more details.
ICe ICe Baby...
ICe 2000, scheduled to take place September 11-14 in San Jose, promises to offer top-tier IT professionals the latest, state-of-the-art products that will help companies improve their online transactions and exchanges. The event, owned and produced by IDG World Expo, has become a showcase for leading companies in the exploding business-to-business e-commerce market. ICe also serves as a unique platform for industry leaders to present new ideas and visions. To register, visit www.iceexpo.com.
Are Your Customers Who They Say They Are?
iVerify.com has launched a new tool for verifying your customers' identities. The service, iV-CallerTM, insures that Web users provide a valid phone number through which they can be reached as part of an Internet application and service that incorporates quickly and easily into virtually any website. New customers can check out the service with a free three-month introductory offer by visiting www.iverify.com.
Another Search Engine Placement Machine
Most Internet marketer agree that sites need to be listed high on search engine lists. Ranking high can be tricky, but TopWebPromotion.com might offer e-betting site operators some hope. Not only does the service provide search engine placement services, operators can also use a Health Check Service to clean up any "bugs" that plague many sites.
Standing Out in the Crowd
Net-mercial's newest ad delivery format attempts to bring the power and interactivity of rich media to standard text and HTML messages. CEO David Lamb says, their e-mail application "allows service providers to charge premium advertising rates while giving advertisers and direct marketers access to the most dynamic e-mail marketing solution available."
Keep Snoopers Out of Your Email
PC Guardian guarantees that its new Encryption Plus (R) Email Freeware program keeps email messages private with the press of a button. The software works seamlessly with Microsoft's Outlook email client by using the Blowfish algorithm to encrypt messages. After downloading the software, users simply write a message, add a password and press the "encrypt and send" button. Recipients don't need special software
to read the message, instead messages are easily accessed on PCs running Windows 95, 98, NT or 2000. The program is available at www.PCGuardian.com.
Writing to Your Customers
Many successful website operators credit the newsletter as a vital part of their marketing mixes. There's just one problem: Newsletters can be a hassle to create and distribute. iMakeNews wants to help. The company has a "one-stop" newsletter service to enable businesses to create and distribute superior newsletters affordably, efficiently and easily at hard-to-beat prices. Clients benefit from iMakeNews' help with layout and design, access the site's library of content, or work with writers to create customized information. The site can even send the newsletter out to a client's distribution list and accept responses from readers.
Jupiter's Holds Online Advertising Forum
The latest developments in the online media buying and selling community will be thoroughly reviewed during research giant Jupiter's Online Advertising Forum schedule August 15-17 at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers in New York. The forum emphasizes the value proposition for advertisers, ad revenue strategies for online publishers, the expanding creative and technological options, as well as general trends within the industry. You can get more details under the "Forums" heading at www.jup.com.
Get Your MOJO Here
Mediaplex, Inc. and RealMapping have jointly created a product that's designed to deliver digital advertising tailored to a customer's country of origin. Leveraging a vast database of more than 4 billion global IP addresses, the RealMapping Country software has the capability to determine where a visitor to a website, or virtually any digital platform, originates. Using Mediaplex's proprietary MOJO (mobile Java objects) platform technology, an advertiser's up-to-the-minute data is used to instantly tailor message content and vary the message to incorporate content relevant to the recipient's country of origin. Check it out at www.mediaplex.com.
Wireless and Hands-Free
The new Sprint PCS Phone SCP-4500 by Sanyo features a built-in speakerphone with one-touch access for hands-free communication. Included in the phone is Sanyo's Interactive Voice Package, which includes voice-activated dialing, voice-announce ringer and voice memo recorder. The phone also boasts environmental ringer settings that allow customers to preset ringer, volume and display settings.