New Email series - how to do it?

Text, HTML, newsletter or 'series' style?

[CromeYellow]

Hi

We are in the preliminary stages of setting up a new email 'series' from our site and I was wondering if you guys could give me your opinions on a few things to help the old thinking along a bit.

I am considering two main options:

1. Newsletter Style
It seems that most people, for long-running campaigns use a newsletter style - sent regularly and created for each mailing. This is of course the way to go if you are adding time-sensitive information.
Pros: Can drop in new material at any point.
Cons: Requires more regular work than 2

2. 'Series' Style
The other way I am considering is to just set up a series of auto-responses. With this, the customer would simply sign up, and recieve their regular email via the autoresponder, appropriately personalised of course ;)

Pros: Every subscriber gets every copy of the series, making the most of time invested creating content
Cons: Difficult (impossible?) to add content 'on the fly', such as links to new articles, news, product promotions etc.

Question: Can you see any other pros/cons with the above approaches?

Question: Could we get round the 'con' with 2 by doing the series in HTML and including some kind of SSI link, or graphic link that would be blank unless we had something to put in?

The 'drop in' content would be put on the server for the period of one cycle, so that all subscribers received it, then replaced.

Hope this makes sense, and thanks for donating your thinking power!

Cheers

Cy

[CromeYellow]

Now it's not usually this difficult to get an opinion! ;)

[dcheney]

I suppose a lot would have to do with the nature of the topic of the mailings. If its seasonal at all then obviously #2 won't work.

If its something more like "10 new uses for product x", or tips relating to a topic, etc. then #2 might be fine.

[CromeYellow]

Thanks dcheney!

Can anyone else spot anything I have missed about the 2 options above?

Cheers

Cy

[Marcia]

Cy, sometimes it can take a bit on the kind of days when people are out lazing at the lake or beach. :)

I'm not familiar with these systems, but I have seen where people can sign up for a free three or five-day email course. The ones I've personally seen or subscribed to were automated, and I seem to remember reading that the best way to do these is automated enough where there's no human intervention necessary.

[CromeYellow]

Hey marcia

No rush, but I'll tell you, if you were out lazing on the beach where I am, it would be the last lazing you ever did!

Christchurch (NZ) is currently experiencing somewhat of a cold snap. :)

Cy