Jun 14
20
Choosing the Best AutoResponder Service for speakers
Review of the Best AutoResponder Services
for speakers, authors and consultants
When you build your List, the AutoResponder Service you choose is a critical component and here are the pro’s and con’s of three commonly used AutoResponder services… MailChimp, Aweber and Infusionsoft. Other AutoResponder services are also listed for your consideration and, in the end, you will decide for yourself which one is the best autoresponder service for your business.
“A good AutoResponder Service is one that “does the job” and doesn’t take more time or money away from building your list. An AutoResponder is a tool, not a goal.” – Dave Wheeler, www.gps-SpeakerMarketing.com
Things to consider when choosing the best
AutoResponder Service for your business:
- Ease of Setup
- Ease of Creating One-off Email Broadcasts
- Ability to Segment or Tag Your List Members so you can tailor what you send
- Cost per month
- Cost per list size
- Cost per # of emails allowed per month
MailChimp.com
~$0-$240/mo.
(2K-50K subscribers)
PRO’s
(1) Very inexpensive, especially when starting out. If you can’t afford $20-40/mo. then MailChimp could be for you.
(2) They originally were limited in capabilities, but they have been improving and have most features you will need (to start).
CON’s
(1) As your list gets bigger or you want to do more sophisticated things, you may need to upgrade to another source.
Recommendation:
Start here. For most speakers who are beginning to build their list, this is the best autoresponder service. If you believe me, don’t even bother reading the rest of this article. Go to MailChimp.com. One suggestions: Pay $10/mo. so your emails don’t carry the MailChimp logo. Get set up and running fast so you can focus on building and engaging with your list.
Link: www.MailChimp.com
AWeber.com
~$20-$130/mo.
(500-25K subscribers)
PRO’s
(1) Widely used and industry leader.
(2) Improved user interface (when reviewed in 2013)
CON’s
(1) Approximately $20/mo. to start which is slightly more than MailChimp. If this slightly higher price doesn’t matter to you, AWeber could be a good choice for you.
Recommendation:
Check it out. If you can get a free month, try setting up a list and see if you like it better than MailChimp.
Link: www.Aweber.com
InfusionSoft
~$200-$380/mo.
(2.5K-10K subscribers)
PRO’s
(1) Can do almost anything you might need from an AutoResponder Service.
(2) Used by some of the biggest internet marketers and speakers in the industry.
CON’s
(1) Expensive
(2) It is probably more than most people will need when you are starting out to build a list… unless you are bringing a large list to InfusionSoft or you have very ambitious goals.
(3) You may need to hire an InfusionSoft expert to help you get up the learning curve and set up.
Recommendation:
Eventually you want to grow your business to the point where you will want to use InfusionSoft. The key is to spend time building your list and not let your time be distracted by learning InfusionSoft.
Link: www.InfusionSoft.com
Other AutoResponder Services
Notes on other AutoResponder Services listed below:
I have seen online that some people have had success using GetResponse.com so they could be worth checking out. ListWire.com is a free autoresponder which seems very easy to use but some have questioned how well it delivers emails. My concern with any free service is whether or not they will be around long term since you want your list to be safe because it is so important to your business. You will probably need a shopping cart service to process payments for your website, but I have not heard too many people using 1shoppingcart.com as their primary autoresponder service.
Quick Comment: I use 1shoppingcart.com for payments and find the email database useful since it captures all the people who actually BUY. In a way, I use 1shoppingcart.com to segment my lists that are kept on other AutoResponder services !
Service Pricing*** (subscribers)
GetResponse.com $15-250/mo (1K-50K)
iContact.com $10-110/mo (250-15K)
ConstantContact.com $20-400/mo (500-10K)
ListWire.com $ free (no limit listed)
1ShoppingCart.com $ 34*-249/mo (not clearly listed)
* special offer, June 2014
Office AutoPilot ** **
now OntraPort.com $300-600/mo
( *** Pricing reviewed June 2014)
Bottom Line:
The best autoresponder service is the one that meets your current needs and ideally your near term needs. As your list grows there are definite reasons why you might need to use a different autoreponder service but the information above should help you get started and that is the most important part of list building… getting started. GO, Start Now ! (and sign up for our email list dedicated to list building, see below).
