Email Tracking

[somarco]

If you do any online marketing and/or use email for communication, email tracking is a must. The ability to know if an email was delivered, opened and links clicked is a must.

Ten years ago, maybe further back, I started with ReadNotify. It worked (most of the time) and it was affordable.

About a year ago I switched to Bananatag. More reliable than ReadNotify (not as many spam filter rejects). It has offered most of what I need but lacks the ability to tell me how long the email was opened. ReadNotify does tell me if the email was was opened and then immediately closed or if it was opened and kept open for a length of time.

Now I am looking again.

I use Gmail and Chrome so want something that is compatible with that system.

Chrome has a popular plugin simply called Email Tracker. Looks simple enough. Perhaps too simple, even the Pro version.

Yesware is another that works with Gmail and Outlook. At $144/yr seems a bit pricey.

Gmelius is one I looked at when I changed to Bananatag. Can't recall why I passed on it. Probably pricing. $172 for the business version that allows me to see who opened (when sending to multiple recipients) and if lnks were clicked is really important.

I might stick with Bananatag for the features and value. For $120/yr I get most of what I want but never hurts to look around.

If I do change I will have to keep Bananatag for a while unless I don't care about tracking prior emails sent with Bananatag

 

[yankee466]

Bob:

I don't use or need an email marketing system at this time...but I do send emails to potential clients, and I sometimes wonder if they ever see the email at all. Based on your post, I am now experimenting with Bananatag and their free service....which limits me to a max of 5 emails a day. For now, that is fine...as I can simply pick and choose which emails I want tracked.. Already amazed as to how many people supposedly never open my introductory emails.....seems to match perfectly with their never returning my phone calls either. :-) Their next level of usage appears to be a bargain as well.....and I can see if they click on any of my imbedded links as well. How long they dwell on the email of course remains a mystery. At least now I know when someone will not return a phone call AND will not respond to an email that they opened, that I am likely wasting my time with follow ups.

I use a product called Identillect for all my secure email usage...as I do a lot of pdf applications via email, and that lets me see when and if they are opened, but sending secure emails to people I do not know does not accomplish anything. I just use it to keep me out of HIPPA jail with all the LTC and Medicare aps I have to send out.

Thanks for the post.

 

[somarco]

Herman

I have used a tracking service for years. We market differently but as you pointed out, still helps to know if your email was delivered and opened.

People tell me they opened my email but had already bought. I know they are lying because it was never opened.

I also include links to their proposal. Many times they never clicked the link but still claim they saw my rates and I had all the same companies as everyone else.

I don't know a single agent that sends out the kind of detail I do.

Also comes in handy with prospects and clients when you see they are opening an email I sent months ago. My client emails are very specific to their questions and issues. Easy to see which emails are opened more than once.

A wealthy guy like you can easily afford $10/month to spy on your prospects and clients.

And yes, when I send out emails on information they specifically requested and notice it was never opened, that makes it real easy to cross them off my follow up tickler.

bv

 

[WinoBlues]

Banana tag - does it tract individual emails or the email address? I try to keep emails in the same thread so I can review them easier later. So one client thread may have 15 emails pertaining to a specific app or service.

This would be great for text also.

 

[somarco]

Banana tracks individual emails. If you login to your account there is a search function. Either I don't know how to use it or it just isn't intuitive. There is good general information such as graphs showing numbers and percentages for opens, clicks, etc.

I use Gmail for sending and receiving. The search function in Gmail comes in handy when I have multiple emails to the same person. I can see which ones have been opened, when and how many times the email is opened.

Texting for me is mostly limited to family, so I have no idea if there is a tracking program for texts or not.

A Google search when asking "how can I track text . . ." automatically completes the phrase with "messages on my husband's phone" so I suppose there are ways to discover this information.

 

[scagnt83]

Bob, in the past I have used MailTrack, which is a chrome plugin and made for gmail.

You want the Pro version not the limited function free version. It will track email opens, link opens, attachment opens, etc. And it works within your normal gmail interface.


But I would actually suggest a CRM called ProsperWorks that is made specifically for gmail.

It is the easiest thing in the world to setup and use. It uses the same "material design" as gmail and android. Great to track cases, clients, tasks, and production.

Its a chrome plugin (shows up in gmail), a website interface, a mobile app, and it shows up in your mobile gmail app.

And of course it tracks email opens, links, etc. It can send notifications when emails are opened or links clicked.

It completely integrates with gmail. Creating an optional sidebar on the right of your gmail screen that shows client/case/task info. You can link emails with cases or tasks. Or create new clients, cases, or tasks right from an email.

So no real data entry. If a new prospect emails, you just click a link to "add as new contact", or "add as new case", etc. It will import all the info it can find in the email about the person. It also searches social media for that email address and will import any public info related to that email address.

Ive used other CRMs that integrate with gmail and auto populate. But this one is my favorite and its super simple. They give a 2 week free trial. Google actually uses this crm for their client management. Ive only had it for a month now (used to use Cloze) and I love it so far. Very easy to use and not like most CRMs.

 

[scagnt83]

Banana tag - does it tract individual emails or the email address? I try to keep emails in the same thread so I can review them easier later. So one client thread may have 15 emails pertaining to a specific app or service.

If you have tracking on all the emails in that email chain, then you will be notified whenever any of the emails in that chain are opened. At least with most email tracking systems, ive never used banagatag.

So it is the same either way. And you will know specifically which email in the chain they are looking at.

 

[scagnt83]

This would be great for text also.

I think there are apps you can download that will give you a "read notification". Search the app store and you will likely find more than one.

 

[somarco]

Tyler, thanks for the info.

Just to clarify, are you using MailTrack and ProsperWorks or does Prosper do the tracking for you so you don't need MailTrack?

 

[Fisher]

Boomerang - Boomerang for Gmail: Scheduled sending and email reminders - for me.

It tracks opens and clicks. I don't use it much for the 'delayed sending' aspect.