List building and email marketing
Very short one today my friends.
I've seen loads of folk asking about Aweber and asking if it's the best.
The short answer is No and Yes..
It means it really depends upon you and your situation.
Aweber to me is for established business with an already substantial list...it's cost is appropriate if you're already making profit.
If however you're starting up then I suggest you check out the following as well as Aweber and decide the best for you.
GetResponse
Free for a trial period plus has some of the best training ever (outside WA of course)
The training provides truly comprehensive training on list building,autoresponders, newsletters, social marketing...it's worth joining free just for the training even if you use another company
MailChimp
Easy to use. Not great training but very simple platform...even I figured it out.
I use Mailchimp and love them
They have the largest number of free emails on a list. Most companies make you pay more when you get 500-1000 on your list ...sometimes from 1 on your list. MailChimp depending on your location gives 1500-2000 on your lists before you need to purchase a plan.
iContact
great service. Free starter membership. IContact is awesome as they assign you a real life mentor who will guide you through the process and you can contact if you hit a stumbling block. The mentors are great but will try to push you to upgrade....however their advice is worth listening to and makes up for the occasional hard sell.
There are loads so shop around. ..but do check these three.
Hope that's helpful my family.
Jason
Recent Comments
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Thanks again Jason, perfectly timed information. I had a free trial of aweber, and they are very good. They also had training, and a great support team. But as you say, they really are for people who have a substantial( numbers) list, or a quickly growing one. I really liked them, but they are an additional cost if you are not making profits already.
I have not tried the others, but if and when I choose to start my list I am leaning towards MailChimp( because its free) and getting a free trial from GetResponse to check out the training...because I like YOUR idea!! Thank you!
Chas
Thanks Chas. You are onto it...I joined mailchimp and set them up to deliver my mail etc but I used get response for free and utilised their trainings
Above board and useful to our needs
Awesome blog Jason. A thorough review of different auto responders. I've used Aweber. It was my first. I also used Mail Chimp and GVO auto responder and another free one. I actually prefer Traffic Wave. They offer free trial and the cost is one time with unlimited subscribers. The training is good and it is easy to use. Not quite the quality of Awber and Get Response but moving up fast. Some of the other auto responders send emails to your subscribers and I don't like that
Thanks for your comment and agree totally. I don't like those that send on your behalf either.
The problem with email marketing and choosing an AR (autoresponder) is that due to the spam laws you can not just switch from AR to AR if you have built a list because .. most AR companies will allow you to upload a list if it is double opti and THEN they (the AR company) send an email to each individual on your uploaded list AGAIN asking them to optin. That leaves the door open to losing a TON of subscribers. So ... Choosing an AR isn't like simply choosing what color socks you're gonna wear today. One needs to really do some research before choosing who to light with and start list building, this of course is said assuming that whoever is choosing the AR company IS serious about building a list(s). IF it were me and it has been I'd go with Aweber. And I do have Aweber. Have had them for YEARS. I've also tried several other companies before I got serious about list building. That doesn't mean I have tried everyone because I haven't but I have used Getresponse and several others (testing) to see who I really wanted to go with long term. Aweber won. But THAT doesn't mean they are necessarily right for you.
You are so right. Kinda doesn't matter at the beginning but then when you've gained some subscribers and want to change it is very difficult. Lose a lot of subscribers that way.
Absolutely correct. It's always best to research first and choose who is best. Most companies now have removed the double opt-in for established lists and allow you to add/transfer them with the caveat that should they receive spam complaints i.e. adding people who have not previously agreed to be on your list they suspend service. So you shouldn't lose any contacts if you transfer ethically
And if you have a huge list, transfer it, and get a few spam complaints because your subscribers 1) missed your three emails telling them what was going to transpire and 2) the new company suspends even cancels your service - what then? Not trying to be argumentative, in fact if most AR companies HAVE changed their policies that would be good in some respects but switching companies, especially if you've been list building for any time (successfully) isn't something to do on a whim. :-)
I don't view your comments as argumentative, in fact they are very helpful and valid. I certainly don't recommend switching list providers, as you point out there are risks, but I certainly do recommend checking out more than one when you start and to use their free trial periods to gain training and value and then settle down with the one that offers you the best for your particular niche and market.
Thanks for sharing Jason. I agree, I think that for a free service Mailchimp is a great platform, especially for people starting out to build a list.
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Hey Jason.
"What Does This Means" - Love it :)
Thanks for the short and sweet of it.
You're welcome my friend ☺