GetResponse… Aweber… Or…

Hello everyone!

Hope your weekend has been good. I say I say… mine was great, having to kickback and relax for the weekend, it couldn’t be better

You know what they say, they say… the money’s in the list, no?

So, you gotta build your list (argh, there are so many resources out there to help you, you’ll be spoilt for choice. And like that isn’t a big enough headache, you’ve gotta pick out your autoresponder as well. (Erm, if you don’t understand a word in this paragraph, you’re green as the grass on your lawn - skip this post. Might post something to help you out… that’ll be much later.)

Let’s move on. So you gotta choose two things - one, your autoresponder.. and two, a resource to help you out.

It seems that autoresponders are a bigger concern (since most of listbuilding are pretty much common sense), so I’ll just be kind and cover that today.

Autoresponders - there are two big groups: server-based vs outsourced

Server-based VS Outsourced

Server-based usually means that you pay for the AR (AutoResponder) script just one-time, and own it for a lifetime (no extra fees, but it may be subject to per-server licencing, so please check before you buy). BUT, you will need your own server to host the script and your members’ details. It’s a product.

It’s fantastic because you are in complete control over your members’ details, and will not have problems with importing/exporting your lists. It’s terrible because you will need to host it on a (very, very) reliable server (no, you cannot use shared hosting). YES, it has to be a dedicated server. That - on the minimum should cost you $100 per month… affordable? You decide. If you think you can’t live without it, this is my recommendation (since you are going all out to get a dedicated server, you might as well go for the best server-based AR): ARP3. It has the best feedback so far, and there’s a demo you can try for features.

Outsourced ARs means that your listbuilding software is somewhere out there on someone else’s server, and you don’t own it. They will handle everything for you, from dedicated servers (maintenance etc) to email delivery and complying with the Can-SPAM laws. All you need to do is get your subscribers on the list. For all the convenience, you will pay a monthly fee to maintain your list subscribers, which would range from $10 to $25 per month. It’s a service.

At this point in time, two names will come up: GetResponse and Aweber…

(Yea yea, it’s the same two always…)

Well, unless you have been living in the caves of the Himalayas (do they have caves?), you should know of other names in the AR business. One that I highly recommend to join the ranks of the two most talked about, well-known and widely advertised ARs… EmailAces, which I find is a very affordable option.

Alright, enough for today, weekends are for relaxing… I’ll return with my next post on more on “why not free ARs” and a breakdown of the three recommended ARs (which I have tried)…

Till then, *ka chow*.