The announcement by local network integrator and Internet service provider (ISP), Data Pro, that its newly-launched "News Manager" software solution will enable companies to design and issue newsletters to a private distribution list over the Internet for a fee of only R350 per month, using Data Pro`s bandwidth resources, is arguably another nail in the coffin of the traditional printing industry.
With the introduction of such a low cost solution, and the enormous reach of the Internet, companies producing and printing newsletters are likely to look at the huge cost savings of taking their newsletters online, either via Data Pro`s new offering, or other similar offers in the marketplace.
Data Pro recently staged a R30 million management buy out from JSE Securities Exchange-listed Control Instruments after receiving financial backing from BoE.
According to Carol Zeederberg, in charge of e-commerce initiatives at Data Pro, the News Manager is believed to be one of the first to address a total solution of on-line news management from a single source. It was devised by Data Pro after the company`s own marketing department identified a need.
"The beauty of this solution," she said, "is that the marketing representative responsible for putting out the company`s newsletter or mail shot can manage the communication at one source and doesn`t need to know HTML code. After doing the initially design and scanning in the required pics or graphs it is literally as simple as clicking the mouse and the newsletter is sent to Data Pro, which then disseminates it to the client`s own database via News Manager. News Manager handles the subscribe/unsubscribe aspects of the newsletter, as well as automatically placing the latest newsletter on the home page of the client`s own Web site."
She said the layout of the newsletter only has to be done once. Thereafter it is a case updating the content, pictures and graphics - and mailing it straight from the Data Pro backbone.
"This cost-effective and simple solution is aimed at any company issuing regular mail shots, or newsletters - even at schools that have to communicate regularly with parents. It can save companies and institutions thousands in printing and postage alone.
We believe this is potentially a big market, and this type of new methodology has to eat into the budgets of traditional printers," she said.
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