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Most websites, even beautiful websites with lots of great content, will languish without traffic unless they are supported by well designed email communication. The secret to good email communication is the use of advanced tools that improve efficiency so those creating the emails can get them done quickly and beautifully without wasted effort dealing with technical issues. Clubessential has developed an industrial quality email engine that allows administrators to churn out high volumes of pretty emails that can be easily targeted to subsets of the membership or external parties.
- Includes both traditional and in-box email (for members with no email address).
- Send emails in the future or on a recurring basis.
- Each email is sent individually to avoid SPAM filtering.
- Advanced editor allows highly graphical emails, including over 100 pre-designed templates. Click HERE to see a sample template. Clients can build their own templates. The Studio Design Group will build custom templates for any occasion for a modest fee.
- SmartLinks in emails jump directly to linked pages. This allows emails to “hook” recipients, teasing them into visiting the website, where “the rest of the story” is displayed.
- Email targeting groups defined 5 different ways: 1) static lists; 2) event registrants; 3) Opt-in groups – these are groups the administrators define (such as “Men’s Poker Club”) that users can elect to join by clicking “opt-in lists” – these can be displayed on any page wherever a user might make a quick decision to join; 4) Those submitting forms; 5) Dynamic Groups calculated on-the-fly based on inclusion rules and data from the marketing database or from members' statements.
- Mail-merge from marketing data for personalized mailings. Over 100 personalized data items can be inserted into emails (e.g., the user’s name or account balance).
- Unlimited email history shows emails sent, who received, who opened (when) and invalid addresses.
- Link tracking shows who clicked on embedded links and when.
- Robust mailing system employs multiple queues to send emails very quickly.
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It is easy to add a link to a website in any email, but usually not very effective, because the user, on clicking the link, is dumped onto the home page of the website (after signing in), without any directions to find the relevant page – it might even be a poster describing an event buried somewhere in a calendar. Instead of these simple links, Clubessential invented “SmartLinks” which take the user directly to the page or calendar item in question. Because the user finds the related information immediately, they are more likely to act on that information and more likely to click on the next link that catches their attention.
- Clubessential makes adding SmartLinks very easy: two clicks will attach a calendar item, a document, a page from the website or a news item to an email.
- Users clicking links are taken directly to the item in question (after signing in), bypassing the home page altogether.
- SmartLinks permit the creation of special “Landing Pages” which cross-market other events or services
- SmartLinks are a key tool to overcome the user’s reluctance to learn their passwords. By sending “teaser” emails that capture the user’s interest, but placing the “rest of the story” on the website through a SmartLink, administrators can push users into becoming website regulars.
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More and more members use their cell phones and Blackberries to send text messages to each other. Many of them prefer the less intrusive text message to receiving a phone call, and also prefer a text message to an email because they are shorter and allow for easier responses. Clubessential first introduced text messaging as a way for golfers to receive notifications about their tee times reservations. Now text messaging is being integrated throughout the Clubessential product line.
- Notify golfers of tee time reservations or frost delays.
- Send group text messages to targeted groups.
- Allows members to designate whether they wish to receive text messages.
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Surveys are based on questionnaires answered and submitted by members or visitors. Clients can survey any group in the roster (public or private) as often as desired.
- Questions can be custom defined using a form generator.
- Past questions can be reassembled to create new surveys
- Question types include: true/false, multiple choice, pick list, long text
- Survey selected groups, including Dynamic Groups
- Reporting/exporting of individual or consolidated answers with graphical displays
- Automatic end dates
- Surveys can be anonymous (optionally)
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A “polling station” can be placed on any webpage and asks a single question. The results are captured in a database for review/reporting/exporting.
- Polling stations can be intermixed with other content on any page
- Each polling station can be controlled individually and contains only one multiple choice question. The same question can appear in multiple polling stations and the results will be consolidated.
- “One-time” voting or “Change-mind” voting are both possible.
- Poll can be set to expire on a certain day.
- Optionally, the results of the poll can be displayed in the polling station to those who have already voted, in the form of a chart.
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In various circumstances, clubs and other organizations may wish to open a forum where members of the group can add topics or comment on items introduced by others. Usually management needs to require a level of control over such discussions, to avoid any liability issues that might result from inappropriate postings. The Clubessential Interactive Message Board includes all the controls needed to ensure a lively but safe interchange of views:
- Unlimited topics can be arranged in hierarchy by simple “drag and drop” administration
- Automatic notification to one or more parties can be triggered for: 1) new topics; 2) new posts within a topic; 3) editing of a post; 4) deletion of a post; 5) for any posting requiring approval.
- Complete history of who updated and approved each item is visible.
- Discussions can be monitored with required approval before live posting.
- Advanced user editor allows for creation of signature and formatted posts, including full table creation and manipulation tools.
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In cases where outbound communication cannot be by email or texting, either because of emergencies, a requirement for rapid communication, or simply because the targeted individuals cannot be reached by email, telephone messaging can be an effective alternative. Clubessential’s Voice Messaging is integrated throughout its product line.
- Trigger phone calls to 5,000 people in 5 minutes at a specified time.
- Only fee: $.20 per successful call.
- Valuable in emergencies or as reminders of events or meetings.
- Reports show who received calls or messages, as well as bad numbers.
- No installation or equipment required.
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