Best Autoresponder For Me?

This article on deciding which is the best autoresponder is the second part of our 4-part series on Email Autoresponders:

1. Email Autoresponder vs Email Newsletter
2. Best Autoresponder for me? (you are here)
3. AWeber Review – Sadly Switching
4. AWeber vs GetResponse – Comparison

In the last post, I talked about Email Autoresponder vs Email Newsletter – and why the old form of email newsletter is no longer sufficient for today’s needs. We need a good email autoresponder if we are serious about our site/blog.

Many may think (I surely did) that we can put off this whole subscriber-email list till later.  When we have more time.  Or our blog is more successful. Or we have much more traffic. Or more content.

For anyone who is serious about the possibility of generating any kind of income from their online efforts, the time to adopt an attitude capable of yielding success is Now.  And that means viewing our blogs, whatever stage they are at now, as a Business.  A serious business.  And part of that attitude means investing in a proper autoresponder that will support our aims, will help us grow, and will grow with us.

Serious about your blog? Get an autoresponder!  Build a list!

Sidenote: Here I am starting out all over again. My subscribers list is tiny, 2 months into this new “business” mindset. Yet approximately 10 years ago, I had an old newsletter program. And a subscriber list that was about 4,000 – 5,000 strong and growing! But not having a long-term mindset, not viewing this on-line stuff as a “real” business, not realizing how important that list was, I discarded it and moved on to other things. Imagine my regret now!

Next comes the crucial question of which is the best autoresponder?

Choosing the Best Autoresponder

I have been researching this very issue, on and off, for a few months now.  And it looks as if I made a mistake.  But more about that later on …

My Criteria for Choosing the Best Autoresponder

Each of us have different levels of needs and different aims for our sites or blogs.  Each of us have different levels of expertise and different amounts of “spare” time. My top criteria might not fit you.  But then again, you might have the same priorities as I do. We might have similar criteria. For me, the email autoresponder I choose has to (in order of importance to me now):

1. affordable (well, free is best … but Free often comes with too many limitations. Now and/or in the future)
2. be reliable and have a good reputation from real users
3. be easy to use (I don’t want to spend hours fiddling around and trying to learn more mind-warping technical stuff)
4. be easy to maintain
5. produce output that looks good
6. be flexible as goals, aims, and needs change over time

 

Which is the Best Autoresponder On The Market?

Over and over again, the following “best autoresponder” keep coming up (in alphabetical order):

• AWeber
• Constant Contact
• GetResponse
• MailChimp

Of the four above, only MailChimp is Free (free up to 2,000 subscribers) Of the other 3, AWeber seems to be the most highly rated.  Lots of top bloggers seem to favour it. (I did research this but I can’t find my copious notes and can’t tell you off-hand who the users are. Sorry!)

1. AWeber and
2. GetResponse

Note: Please note that both ConstantContact and MailChimp are also highly rated; with their individual pros and cons.

Pretty much in that order.  Though that could be changing as 2013 progresses …

Note: I will not be doing a review here amongst these four.  If more information is needed, please refer to the Reference section at bottom of page.

My Chosen Best Autoresponder

I have been using the paid AWeber Autoresponder for the last 2 months. In fact, I was so pleased with their reputation and their long-stranding service, I joined their affiliate program. However, today I started trialing the GetResponse autoresponder. After trying out their interface and doing some more research (of course), it is most probable that I will be switching over to GetResponse.

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Next: a Sad AWeber Review

Now that we have gone over some possible criteria in determining which is the best autoresponder for yourself, in my next post, “AWeber Review“, I will provide you with a review mainly from a newbie’s standpoint. It might help you decide which autoresponder is best for you before committing more of your time and expense.

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