Self-Publishing Using Low-Cost Internet Tools

There are a number of very easy to use self-publishing solutions available to small businesses. The costs of these tools are low – from USD $20 per month and up – and they are usually offered at a monthly or per-1000 email rate.

The solutions are hosted entirely online, allowing you access from any computer connected to the Internet. Further, they are designed for small business owners with little technical knowledge. At a minimum, they offer a database, where you can house and manage your email addresses, a selection of HTML templates for your email messages, the ability to import your own templates, plain-text options, testing functions, and added extras such as customizable auto-responders and forward-to-a-friend and unsubscribe features.

You may even find an email publishing tool designed specifically for your industry. For example, the real estate industry has a number of do-it-yourself and fully managed email newsletter solutions available, some of which even include “canned” articles that users can choose to include in their own newsletter.

Here are some popular self-publishing solutions to consider:

Constant Contact – www.constantcontact.com
MyMailOut.com – www.mymailout.com
Topica – www.topica.com
Microsoft – www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness