How can I send 15,000 emails?

handyman · 06-10-2005, 13:52

Hi,

We run our own smtp server off a static ip address on business broadband. I have a list of 15,000 odd email address's of corparate IT managers and public sector it managers etc and I'd like to send out a introduction email with the opurtunity to remove themselves from the list and also possibly a competion to encourage them to come forward with further contact details also we will be including the option to recieve freebies.

We run a dedicated email news program but thats limited to 10,000 emails per month and we have a client base of 3000 which we send out a fortnightly newsletter too so I cannot use that.

What I would like to do is send them via our own smtp server but I'm wondering a few things.

1. How long will this take to process through the server (Dell poweredge 800/ 1.5gb ram)
2. Will this get flagged as spam? If so how so and will our ip get blocked.

Are there any other (free) ways of doing this.

Cheers peeps

mark

Martin · 06-10-2005, 14:05

I use a prog called Mailman to mass mail! http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/

**Rob** · 06-10-2005, 14:11

How have you aquired this 15,000 addys. If they have been harvested at random, and they have not developed any form of customer relationship, or opted in to a mailing list then your emailing them, en mass is undoubtedly spam. I strongly suspect you would be breaking the law.

You could easily find your ISP getting tough with you.

http://www.dti.gov.uk/industries/eco..._200258ec.html

handyman · 06-10-2005, 14:20

Its a list of 'opted in' goc workers etc legitamilly bought for the purpose of marketing from a govenrment procurement agency.

It will be a one off email if they do not respond to it they will not be contacted again. Pluss it will be done over the space of a week 2000 odd at a time as I get fed up deleting 'out of office replies'

Will look at mailman cheers

AdamD · 06-10-2005, 18:41

Before you do send them all off, i'd recommend setting up some mail rules for when you get automated replies so they're automatically binned, hehe

handyman · 06-10-2005, 18:43

We go through the replies because many say thing like:-

user@user.net no longer works for the company newuser@user.net has his job or

i'm out of the office please send mail to them@user.net so its good for getting contacts.

AdamD · 06-10-2005, 18:46

True!
If I were doing it, i'd setup individual folders for certain automated replies
Like, "no longer works at" would go into "non existent" or
"out of the office please contact X" goes into "Out of office"
Might make it easier to sort through them all

But damn, 20k of emails? I wonder how long that'd take to send, heh

Good luck!

handyman · 06-10-2005, 18:49

They are going to be quite basic emails with a bit of html. If there are any images they will be uploaded to web space and linked to as to keep the server load down. I would guess an hour tops to send them all if I did it in one go. But if we get the responce I'm wanting them it will cause too much work in one go.

willo · 09-10-2005, 17:21

Dude, spamming is one sure way to alienate your business from its customers. Bought list or not, spam is spam.

handyman · 09-10-2005, 17:45

Its a one off mail shot for a list of people who have 'opted' in' to recieving emails information. or could you not be bothered to read the whole thread 'dude'

bmxbandit · 09-10-2005, 19:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by handyman

They are going to be quite basic emails with a bit of html. If there are any images they will be uploaded to web space and linked to as to keep the server load down.

i'd advocate avoiding html and images altogether if possible... keeps the server load down as you say, and any unnecessary fluff can be irritating.