The messages can be any length and can be sent to an unlimited number of recipients, MediaRing officials said. On the business side, there are opportunities to bring streaming voice to the Web. Customers may then click on the URL to link directly to the VoizLetter, and the audio for the newsletter is launched through the default browser.
Customers can also view the Web page contents while listening to the company's audio message.
The Web page gives viewers an option to click on other e-commerce links located within the VoizLetter and reply to the newsletter with their own audio messages. Voice clips that accompany newsletters are stored on MediaRing's voice server for about 30 days per VoizLetter. After three months of beta testing, MediaRing officials claim a 50 percent higher response rate over regular e-mail and a 30 percent higher sales rate. MediaRing could be addressing a growing niche as market researchers, such as Jupiter Communications Inc., are predicting a decline in traditional direct mail marketing. But it is not just land-based mail marketing that is under pressure.