An Auto responder is the most important tool for Internet marketing success. Auto responders will automatically inform, train, and remind a potential customer he needs your product or service. They do this by sending a sequence of pre-written emails based on a schedule you define in advance.
3 Types Of Auto Responders
You have basically 3 options to meet your auto responder needs: Free Auto responders, pro auto responders, and your own auto responder software. Later in this article, I will present the what I consider to be the best of each auto responder type and why. There are obviously pros and cons for each type of auto responder.
The Chief advantage for free auto responders is they are free. However, free auto responders often put ads unrelated to your message in your Emails which Detracts from your business. The other really big downsides to free auto responders are:
(1) they normally limit the number of subscribers you can have on your list, and
(2) they often limit the number of messages you can use per campaign.
Your second option is to use pro auto responders. In my personal opinion, this is the best option for most online marketers. Pro auto responders tend to offer all the best features with zero maintenance and installation issues and no extraneous advertisements. This frees up your time to focus on marketing and product development. The primary Disadvantage is the cost … Which varies widely. We will discuss this more in a moment.
The third option is to use your own auto responder software. If you use good software, this is also a good option. The price is a one-time expense, but you have to know a fair amount about software and fixing it when your Internet Service Provider changes settings which can be annoying and sometimes baffling.
How To Select The Best Auto Responder For Your Business
Determining which auto responder is best for your business starts with understanding how you plan to use it and understanding the various features available. If you do not fully understand the features of auto responders, you should read the Features article available at the link below.
So, how do you plan to use your auto responder, and what features do you value most? Do plan to build a enormous list of subscribers? If you plan to build a huge list and cost matters to you, you absolutely need an auto responder that does not limit the number of subscribers per email campaign and does not raise prices as your list of subscribers grows.
Do you expect to write one sequence of emails (i.E., campaign) or do you plan to write more than one? If you think you may want more than three campaigns, you need to select a service with unlimited campaigns.
How many emails do you plan to have in your campaigns? Pretty much all auto responders let you have up to 10 emails per campaign. If you want more than 10 emails, free responders are basically not an option.
Do you need broadcasting? There is so much power in broadcasting, I would recommend you do not second guess this one; just make sure you have it.
Do you have good computer programming skills and does your web host provider limit the number of emails you send per hour or per day? If you are uncomfortable with programming, prefer not to spend time on installations, or have any email limits from your web host provider, you should probably avoid autoresponder software you install and maintain yourself.
Are other advertising options such as FFA pages, banner advertising, ad-tracking, and guaranteed traffic is valuable to your business, you should consider an autoresponder that includes all of these features or at least the ones most important to you.
Are you interested in making additional money by referring others to join your autoresponder service? If so, look over the referral commission opportunities.
Finally, all businesses strive to minimize costs. So you should also consider joining an auto responder service that offers override commissions if you refer others to join the service. Many such services essentially let you ride for free if you refer 3 other accounts. If you refer more than 3 or if your referrals make referrals, you can even earn money from your autoresponder service.
