There comes a time in every online business owner’s life when you will seriously consider changing email newsletter providers. Making the decision to change your email newsletter service is never an easy one. In fact, I tell my clients to choose wisely the first time they pick a provider, as their subscribers will tire of list-hopping and simply leave the list if they are requested to re-subscribe too many times.Why would you consider changing providers?–to purge your list and retain your best and most active readers. This is especially effective if you have changed or refined the focus of your business.–to increase deliverability and/or reduce technical challenges. Many of the more popular list providers are being blocked by major ISPs due to their users abusing the email system by sending out unsolicited emails.–to incorporate autoresponder and broadcast technology in one place. It’s much more effective these days to have a service in which you can use personalized autoresponders to follow up with your ezine subscribers and tell them about your additional features or offerings that they should explore.–to streamline your database into one location. I’ve had 3 separate databases for a couple of years, and I’m glad to be migrating them all under one roof, as determining who gets what is becoming more challenging with each passing year.This changeover can be a complicated, time-consuming process. Here are 7 tips to make the switch a bit easier:1. Make the change your primary activity. Don’t do as I did and choose to launch a major initiative and change your list at the same time. Big mistake. Choose a slow time in your business when you’re not promoting a sale or a new product to change your lists. If you try to do too many things at once, you’ll confuse your readers, and a confused mind takes no action — the person simply leaves.2. Leave yourself plenty of time. Since I send out a weekly ezine, I am choosing to take 30 days to complete the list changeover. My readers are accustomed to hearing from me regularly, so I think that’s an adequate amount of time. However, if you contact your readers only once a month or just once a quarter, allow yourself 2-3 months to move the list. If your list isn’t accustomed to hearing from you often, they may not be checking their emails regularly or just may overlook an unexpected email from you.3. Tell your subscribers what’s going on. Let your list members know that you will send them several emails over a period of time to request the changeover. Ask for their patience in the process, and let them know that once they have resubscribed, they can just ignore the next 2-3 similar emails that they receive from you. If you choose to import your list to your new provider, you need to email your list beforehand to let them know to expect an automated opt-in email from your new list provider.4. Provide multiple re-subscribe methods. Make the re-subscription process as easy as possibly for your readers. If your new provider permits, offer your readers both the option to subscribe by email or to go to your website and complete a subscription form By doing so, they can choose the process that works best for them.