Module 7: Managing Mailing Lists Contents Overview Introducing the ListBot Service Types of Lists Creating a List in ListBot Managing Lists Managing List Members 14 Managing Messages 18 Viewing Reports on Lists Created in ListBot 22 Lab 7: Managing Mailing Lists 23 Review 30 Information in this document is subject to change without notice The names of companies, products, people, characters, and/or data mentioned herein are fictitious and are in no way intended to represent any real individual, company, product, or event, unless otherwise noted Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation If, however, your only means of access is electronic, permission to print one copy is hereby granted Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property  2000 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved Microsoft, BackOffice, bCentral, FrontPage, Hotmail, LinkExchange, MS-DOS, MSN, PowerPoint, Windows, Windows Media Player, and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S.A and/or other countries The names of companies, products, people, characters, and/or data mentioned herein are fictitious and are in no way intended to represent any real individual, company, product, or event, unless otherwise noted Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners Development Lead: P.M Murali (NIIT) Instructional Designers: Sangeeta Nair (NIIT), Vijayalakshmi Narayanaswamy, (NIIT) Technical Contributors: Scott Swigart (3 Leaf Solutions, LLC); Gary Gumbiner (Great Barrier Technologies) Program Manager: Steve Merrill Graphic Artist: Scott Serna Editing Manager: Lynette Skinner Editor: Dennis Rea Copy Editor: Ed Casper (S&T Consulting) Publications Manager: Miracle Davis Test Manager: Eric Myers CD Build Specialist: Jenny Boe; Eric Wagoner Production Coordinator: Marlene Lambert (Online Training Solutions, Inc.); Susie Bayers (Online Training Solutions, Inc.) Manufacturing Manager: Bo Galford Manufacturing Support: Laura King General Manager: Robert Stewart Module 7: Managing Mailing Lists iii Instructor Notes Presentation: 120 Minutes Lab: 60 Minutes This module introduces the concept of mailing lists as a promotional tool for ecommerce Web sites The module describes the role of the ListBot service of Microsoft® bCentral™ in the creation and management of mailing lists Students will also learn the steps required to use the ListBot service After completing this module, students will be able to: ! Identify the benefits of using the ListBot service ! Create a list in ListBot ! Manage lists ! Manage list members ! Manage messages ! View reports on lists created by the ListBot service Materials and Preparation This section provides you with the materials and preparation tasks you need to teach this module Required Materials To teach this module, you need the following materials: ! Microsoft PowerPoint® file 1933A_07.ppt ! Module 7, “Managing Mailing Lists” ! Lab 7, “Managing Mailing Lists” Preparation Tasks To prepare for this module, you should: ! Read all of the materials for this module ! Complete the lab iv Module 7: Managing Mailing Lists Module Strategy Use the following strategies to present this module: ! Introducing the ListBot Service When explaining the concept of mailing lists, emphasize the importance of using mailing lists to promote e-commerce Web sites Then, briefly discuss the features of the ListBot service of Microsoft bCentral ! Types of Lists Describe the three unique types of lists that a list owner can create by using ListBot Emphasize that for an online business, a moderated list gives the list owner control over the types of messages that reach list members ! Creating a List in ListBot Explain the steps for creating mailing lists by using ListBot, and demonstrate the steps by using the PowerPoint presentation on the instructor computer ! Managing Lists Explain the need for editing, deleting, and restoring mailing lists, and how to carry out these tasks by using ListBot Demonstrate each step by using the PowerPoint presentation ! Managing List Members Describe how new members are invited to join a mailing list, how membership subscription requests are approved, and how undesired members are removed from a list Demonstrate each step by using the PowerPoint presentation ! Managing Messages Describe how to moderate messages, and how to view archive messages that belong to a mailing list Explain the steps and demonstrate them by using the PowerPoint presentation ! Viewing Reports on Lists Created in ListBot Describe the purpose of all of the reports created by the ListBot service, and demonstrate the report process by using the PowerPoint presentation Module 7: Managing Mailing Lists Overview Topic Objective To provide an overview of the module topics and objectives Lead-in In this module, you will learn about the concept of mailing lists used for the promotion of e-commerce Web sites You will also learn how the ListBot service of Microsoft bCentral helps you to create and manage mailing lists ! Introducing the ListBot Service ! Types of Lists ! Creating a List in ListBot ! Managing Lists ! Managing List Members ! Managing Messages ! Viewing Reports on Lists Created in ListBot An Internet mailing list is a powerful way to reach your online target audience or customers Internet mailing lists are communities of people who discuss their favorite topics through e-mail messages Consider the following examples: ! Students can join an education mailing list where they can meet other students and exchange e-mail messages to discuss educational opportunities and career options offered by various schools ! People who are interested in health and beauty can join a health and fitness mailing list and discuss health products, hair care, skin care, weight loss, nutrition, and promotional offers for related products from top online retailers ! IT professionals can join software, e-commerce, Web design, or similar mailing lists to enhance their knowledge and keep updated on the latest technological developments A common type of Internet mailing list is the newsletter or announcement format, in which the list owner periodically sends e-mail messages to an interested audience The audience does not participate directly, but might communicate with the writer later As the owner of an online business, you will find a mailing list particularly useful for promoting your e-commerce Web site You can invite your clients and customers to become members of your mailing list, or you can place a link on your site that lets anyone sign up for your mailing list With the consent of your mailing list members, you can broadcast newsletters and online flyers with announcements about your online business Module 7: Managing Mailing Lists For example, you can use your mailing list to advertise new products or services, mail weekly newsletters and brochures, invite members to attend your exhibitions, or offer special rates and discounts on your products or services You can easily keep your list members informed about the latest developments in your online business, and encourage them to visit your Web site repeatedly In addition, periodic mailings keep customers thinking about your site and your business Some mailing lists also allow customers to offer suggestions, post complaints, and hold discussions The ListBot service of Microsoft® bCentral™ lets you create and manage mailing lists for the promotion of online businesses After completing this module, you will be able to: ! Identify the benefits of using the ListBot service ! Create a list in ListBot ! Manage lists ! Manage list members ! Manage messages ! View and interpret reports generated by the ListBot service Module 7: Managing Mailing Lists Introducing the ListBot Service Topic Objective To introduce the important features of the ListBot service ! Lead-in ListBot is a powerful service that helps you to create and maintain mailing lists for your e-commerce Web site ListBot includes the following features: # Creates a Web site that hosts lists # Allows a user to subscribe to a list on invitation by the list owner, or from an e-commerce site # Sends a verification message when a user subscribes to a list # Provides demographic information on list members # Maintains an archive of the past list messages # Automatically maintains the list subscribe and unsubscribe functions # Allows an unlimited number of subscribers, messages, and lists # Allows a list owner to decide which messages should be distributed The ListBot e-mail marketing service of Microsoft bCentral is an effective tool for creating an Internet mailing list that you can use to communicate with your clients or customers ListBot manages mailing lists, manages list members, and provides reports on the demographic data of your Web site visitors A mailing list in ListBot consists of a list owner and list members The list owner sets up and maintains the mailing list The list members are the people who subscribe to the mailing list, receive e-mail messages sent by the list owner, and participate in discussions by sending messages to the list The list owner authorizes the messages sent by the list members before they are posted on the mailing list Mailing lists are of two generic types: ! Opt-in mailing lists are used for sending e-mail messages to the people who voluntarily subscribe to your mailing list ! Opt-out mailing lists are used for sending e-mail messages to the people who have not subscribed to your mailing list Mailing lists created by using ListBot are opt-in mailing lists Module 7: Managing Mailing Lists Features of ListBot The following are the main features of ListBot: ! When you create a mailing list, ListBot automatically creates a Web site that hosts that mailing list ! Web users can subscribe to a mailing list through either of the following methods: • The list owner invites people to become list members by sending them invitation e-mail messages through the ListBot service Recipients of invitation messages can give their consent to join the list by replying to the message • A Web user can also subscribe to a mailing list from the Web site that hosts the list You can place a link to this site on your e-commerce Web site • Alternatively, a Web user can subscribe from the e-commerce Web site itself This is possible only if the list owner adds the ListBot HTML code to the e-commerce Web site ! When a customer subscribes to your mailing list, ListBot sends a verification message to the customer The purpose of the message is to verify the customer’s e-mail address and confirm that the customer wishes to join the list When the customer replies to the verification message with a blank message, the customer is added to the mailing list ! Prospective list members are asked demographic questions when they subscribe to the list from the Web site, but not when they subscribe by email The list owner specifies which demographic questions must be answered and which are optional ListBot uses the responses to these questions to analyze the popularity of the mailing list in specific geographic areas or among specific age groups or profiles of people This information is provided to the list owner in the form of ListBot summary reports The list owner can then target sales promotion efforts toward people who have the appropriate demographic profile ! ListBot maintains an archive of past messages sent to the mailing list by the list owner and members These messages can be reused as and when required ! ListBot automatically manages the list subscribe and unsubscribe functions ! ListBot allows unlimited subscribers, messages, and lists ! ListBot gives the list owner complete control over what appears in the messages distributed across the mailing list Module 7: Managing Mailing Lists Types of Lists Topic Objective To introduce the types of lists that can be created in ListBot ! Lead-in You can use ListBot to create several different types of mailing lists The type of list that you create will depend on the specific needs of your business and your e-commerce Web site ! ! Announcement lists # List owners have the right to send messages # List members not have this right Discussion lists # All list members can send messages # The messages go to everyone on the list Moderated lists # # The list owner must approve messages The list owner can either send the messages or delete them You can use the ListBot service to create several different types of lists, depending on the unique needs of your e-commerce Web site The following table describes the different types of lists that you can create by using ListBot Type of list Description Announcement list Only the list owner can send messages to the list List members cannot send messages Discussion list All list members can post messages to the list Any message sent by a list member will go out to everyone on the list Moderated list All messages sent by list members first go to a message queue The list owner must review the messages in the list message queue and decide whether to send a message to the entire list or delete the message Each type of mailing list has its own unique advantages Announcement list You can use an announcement list to the following: ! Keep in touch with your employees by sending them regular updates about benefits or company news ! Keep in touch with your suppliers, contractors, and partners by letting them know what is going on in your company and sending them regular updates on prices, procedures, products, and personnel changes ! Keep in touch with your regular customers and clients by sending them regular product and price updates Module 7: Managing Mailing Lists Discussion list A discussion list enables you to the following: ! Facilitate discussions with your employees about company issues ! Create a forum for discussing your favorite topic, such as clubs, ecommerce, education, health and fitness, the latest pop music, toys and amusement parks, travel, and so on ! Create a discussion list to encourage feedback and discussions about your ecommerce Web site’s products and services Moderated list A moderated mailing list is typically used to: ! Maintain control of messages sent by your list members ! Restrict messages that contain objectionable material If you want to create a mailing list for your online business, you should preferably create a moderated list This will help you to restrict messages that might misrepresent your products or your business In addition, if you create a mailing list for an e-commerce Web site that features items of interest to children, you need to monitor all of the messages carefully to prevent messages with adult material from being circulated across the list ... mailing lists are used for sending e-mail messages to the people who have not subscribed to your mailing list Mailing lists created by using ListBot are opt-in mailing lists Module 7: Managing Mailing. .. this module, you should: ! Read all of the materials for this module ! Complete the lab iv Module 7: Managing Mailing Lists Module Strategy Use the following strategies to present this module: ... presentation Module 7: Managing Mailing Lists Overview Topic Objective To provide an overview of the module topics and objectives Lead-in In this module, you will learn about the concept of mailing lists