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During a demo of our software a few months ago, a prospective client--the owner of an agency specializing in web design--commented that he admired the features of our product but was concerned about giving his clients access to a user interface that looked "too much like Windows 95."

Ouch.  I couldn't argue with him, though.  Delivra had added many features over the years, but we had never taken time to refresh or upgrade the appearance of the application.  As a result, the plain-brown (or, more literally, plain-blue) wrapper around our software was not an accurate reflection of the advanced features we had to offer.

That's one reason why, starting today, clients logging in to our service will see a new look to our application.  We haven't done anything crazy, like reorganize the menus, that would cause current users difficulty.  Functionally, nothing has changed.  But we've added color and contrast to the site, and made the styles more consistent with our company web site and other Delivra publications.  Our goal was to give the site a more modern and interesting look, but without affecting the ease of using the software.

Snapshot of new Delivra user interface

Another change we've made with the new design is the removal of Lyris logos and branding.  There was a time when it would have been accurate to refer to Delivra as a "Lyris reseller," which is to say that our business consisted mostly of licensing ListManager software from Lyris and offering subscriptions to access it over the Web under the "software-as-a-service," or "SaaS" model.  When SaaS was a relatively new concept, that was a helpful way of understanding Delivra's offering.  But now, as we enter 2010, "Lyris reseller" is no longer an adequate description of what we do.

For starters, we've been making our own proprietary changes and additions to the software for several years.  Delivra has its own HTML content editor, its own media and graphics library, and its own API, all of which offer more features than the ListManager functions they replaced.  Plus, we've added:

• social media integration (with tracking!)
• our own mailing list import utility
• list segmentation options using engagement and geographic proximity
• our own forward-to-a-friend application.

And our product roadmap predicts that 2010 will be our busiest development year ever!

Furthermore, Lyris is no longer our sole supplier of technology.  Our email is now being sent through Momentum, the mail transfer agent software from Message Systems, with whom we announced our partnership in June 2009.  We've also partnered with Cantaloupe to integrate email and video (again, with tracking!) through their Backlight application.  And we continue to seek out other partners who can help our clients get the most from their email marketing efforts.

Lyris technology has been part of Delivra's product for years, and our solution will surely always contain at least some Lyris DNA.  New customers who come to us after having used ListManager elsewhere will find our offering familiar and comfortable.  But when combined with our own features and contributions from other partners, it's misleading to refer to what we have as "Lyris ListManager."  That's why, starting today, it's just "Delivra," and the new user interface for 2010 reflects that.

We hope you like the new look and feel!  Be sure to let us know what you think or if there are other improvements we can make to enhance your email marketing experience.

Chris Broshears | Product Development

For the past three months, a select group of Delivra clients have been beta-testing a new import utility that was written by our Development team over the summer. We're happy to announce today that the testing was successful, and that the beta period is officially over!

The new import tool has the same purpose as the old one--to allow you to upload a CSV file containing your email addresses and associated demographic information. However, there are new features that make the new utility superior to the importer that was included in Lyris ListManager, namely:

1) Import files can use any names in the header row, or contain no header row at all. It's not necessary to include database column names in the CSV file, because the new importer lets you map the fields of your file to the right database column as well as specifying any fields that can be ignored:

2) Imports run in the background, allowing you to work on other tasks while your file is processed.  You can view the status of your import at any time:

And, receive an email when it is completed, with attachments showing any records that could not be imported:

3) For our clients who use subscription categories to manage list members' preferences, it is now possible to import addresses directly into those categories from a CSV file, in addition to your use of categories in profile forms or API integrations.

The new CSV importer will be made available to all Delivra clients beginning in January 2010 (and the old importer will be retired sometime soon thereafter).   But we're happy to enable it right now for any of our clients who would like a sneak preview.   Just send a request to support@delivra.com and indicate for which lists you'd like to turn on this new utility.  Once enabled, two new options will appear on the Add Members page:

Chris Broshears | Product Development

Talking about "thinking outside the box" is one thing; actually getting out of the box is quite another.   To break through the walls of our boxes--a.k.a., "the rules"--it helps know what each wall of the box is made of.   For example, consider this illustration from the authors Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans in their book "Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay," about the constraints managers deal with in trying to retain key employees:

• "Concrete: This wall represents rules that are truly rigid.  It cannot be broken, pushed, bent, or shattered.  Example: You must have a medical degree to practice in this hospital."
• "Glass: This wall is strong and sturdy, but if you hit it just the right way, with the right instrument at the right time, it will break.  Example: Women will never be Supreme Court justices."
• "Rubber: This wall is thick and strong, but it has some give to it if you are willing to push hard.  It represents rules that might be bendable. Example: We all put in a forty-hour week, from eight to five, five days a week."
• "Vapor: This wall is made up of our beliefs, assumptions and perceptions about the rules. Example: People will never fly."

The email marketing industry definitely has its concrete walls, CAN-SPAM regulations being the most notable among them.  But how many of the other rules you're operating under are made of lesser material?  Which of the walls constraining you are not even walls at all?  Here are some examples of walls I've seen Delivra clients overcome:

• Glass: We don't have the time to create professional email campaigns.  It does take time to develop an email marketing program if you want to do it right, and marketers today are being asked to do more with less.  But that's why Delivra offers a full-service option including design and deployment services.
• Rubber: We can't send email to people who haven't given us permission to contact them. That's true, you can't.  But your recipients are free to send your message to others.  Give them "Refer-a-friend," or "Forward this email," or "Share with your social network" links, and create compelling content that makes them want to share.  We're currently working with national brands that are growing their lists using viral campaigns that begin with email to existing subscribers.
• Vapor: We can't afford to integrate our email program with <insert name of system here>. Hmm...have you really defined your requirements in detail and sought estimates?  Check your assumptions.  Delivra's custom programming rates are cheaper than most competitors', and you may find much of your integration need satisfied by built-in features of our product, like our API.

Don't mistake concrete walls for walls of glass or rubber, and don't be fooled by walls of vapor that are only assumed to be real walls at all.  It's good advice for business in general, and email marketing in particular.

Chris Broshears | Product Development