Autoresponder Tutorial Part 2: Types of Autoresponders

Posted by Bambang Haryanto on May 19, 2009 in Business Automation · 0 Comment

Although there are 3 main types of autoresponders, the type you choose should depend on your website and your needs. What’s the best idea for you may be completely useless to someone else. When you make your final decision, you should always decide on what you need for your company – then pick the one that works best for you.

Many newcomers to the Internet marketing arena are not aware that there is a vast difference between an autoresponder program and an autoresponder service. Not knowing the difference, they often purchase the wrong type of autoresponder, and find out too late that they have wasted money on a program that is useless to them.

An autoresponder program is a program that is set up on your web server. This is usually a free autoresponder that comes with your web hosting account. Many people don’t like to use autoresponder services; so instead, they use an autoresponder program that they have more control over. Some don’t like the autoresponder programs that come with their hosting accounts either and purchase autoresponder programs or scripts that must be installed on their web server.

Other people are quite happy with using an autoresponder service. This is a service that is usually paid for on a monthly or yearly basis. The fees are ongoing, and everything is browser based. In other words, you can set up your autoresponder messages and manage your opt-in list through your web browser – just as you can do with an autoresponder program that is installed through your web hosting account. The difference is that the service runs on the autoresponder service’s web server – not yours or your web hosts.

Beginners are usually better off using an autoresponder service. These services are very easy to understand and to use, and no technical knowledge is needed to set things up. As a newcomer to the field, however, you might be concerned about the costs of an autoresponder service. If this is the case, you have the option of signing up with a free autoresponder service.

Free services make their money by placing advertisements in each autoresponder message that you send out. Sometimes these ads appear at the top of your messages, and sometimes they appear at the bottom. Some of the free services are simply an enticement to purchase the professional version, and have many of the more advanced features, such as tracking, disabled.

More advanced users often choose to use autoresponder programs, simply because they have more control over the autoresponder, and they don’t have to follow some of the stiffer rules imposed by autoresponder services, such as sending confirmation to each and every person who is entered into the autoresponders list. When you use an autoresponder service, you must make sure that the domain that the autoresponder uses isn’t blacklisted by the Spam watch groups. If it is, your messages probably won’t make it past the majority of Spam filters, no matter how much you check it with Spam checkers.

Also, not having the ability to track responses can cost you business. If you can’t track response rates, you won’t have any way of knowing whether your messages are doing you any good. A good autoresponder will provide the ability to track responses. If yours doesn’t, you might want to shop for a new autoresponder.

The ability to add and remove names to your autoresponder manually is vital. Often, people will contact you without going through your autoresponder. These people need to be put on the autoresponders mailing list. If you are moving your list from one service to another, you need the ability to import names and addresses to your list. Again, if your autoresponder service isn’t powerful enough to allow this, look for a different one!

The autoresponder that you choose is strictly up to you, but in most cases, an autoresponder service should suit your needs. If you are unsure, look for a service that offers free sign ups, with the option of upgrading to the professional paid version at a later date. At this writing both Get Response and Aweber offer a 30 day free trial. Once you’ve signed up with an autoresponder service, or purchased your own autoresponder program, you will want to take the time to read the manual and watch the videos provided by the service in order to learn how to use it – before you load the first word of your first message! Not knowing how to use the service will lead to many mistakes, and your customers and potential customers will most likely see every mistake you make!

As soon as you have complete the sign up process, load one email address into the autoresponders mailing list – yours. If there is a manual or help file for your autoresponder, read every word of it, and really learn how to use all of the features of the autoresponder. Work with it, sending messages to your own address, until you know your autoresponder service inside and out! This may take a little time, but after a few hours or so, you should know all that there is to know, and you will be able to set your autoresponders up much more effectively in the future. Taking the time to learn now, will not only save time in the future, it may also help you tweak and tune your autoresponder messages and tracking in a way that increases your responses!