Are These Top Autoresponders Purposefully Ruining Your Business?

If you’ve done a search for autoresponders - those automatic e-mail list management tools, chances are you’ve come across several solutions that look incredibly promising.

But even the best autoresponders have their flaws.  Before you sign up with any autoresponder service - make sure they can provide real, honest answers to the following questions:

• How much does it cost?  Most autoresponders charge a monthly fee.  Others let you host their solution on your own servers while you pay a one-time charge.  Still other programs offer “free autoresponders”. 

Beware of hidden costs or unwanted advertising (especially with the “free autoresponder” solution).  Ask if there are any setup fees and what the subscriber limits are for each package offered.

• How much is automatic?  Some autoresponders leave it to you to manually unsubscribe people that have requested to be removed from your list.  Others don’t know what to do if a message has bounced (for whatever reason, the email of the person you sent it to isn’t responding, but normally is fine), so it keeps sending it over and over again.

Ask the provider how much of the process is automatic, and how much maintenance work you’ll need to do on the list itself - if you have to do anything at all.

• How do they handle getting mail to major Internet Service Providers (ISPs)?  Services such as AOL, Hotmail and Yahoo are some of the largest e-mail providers on the web.  Make sure the autoresponder service you sign up with has steps in place to make sure the messages you send get through to these networks.

One of the highest-recommended autoresponder services I’ve found is aWeber.  For a small monthly fee, you get access to unlimited autoresponders with smart unsubscribing, double opt in process (to make your list compliant with the U.S. Can-Spam Act) and a 98% delivery rate. 

For more information, and to get $60 off when you purchase service for a year, click here.

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