AutoResponder Reviews

iContact Review 2012

Miles — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:34:27 +0000

iContact is another hosted solution with an autoresponder, newsletter mailer, a great platform and all the bells and whistles you’d need to completely manage your email list. In fact iContact is used by major corporations and websites like Nissan, Electrolux, and College Humor, and they tout a delivery rate of 99%. If you’re looking for a cutting-edge hosted email marketing service, with all the trimmings, iContact is a great choice.

iContact has been in the autoresponder and self managed mailing business since 2003 and their core product has grown into a robust and industry leading product. You’ve likely seen their ads on TV.

The product really saw extensive updates this year and managing contacts and lists is really straight forward with their admin interface. All the features you’d expect are here but what stands out for me is how polished the application has become. The WYSIWYG editor (MessageCoder as they call it) is a delight to use, and might be the best of all the autoresponder products I’ve tried. Important as you spend a lot of time crafting messages.

The campaign tracking pages are good for digging into user activity like openned and bounced data.

A recent new feature is you can now segment your lists based on your own criteria, which I found worked well for large websites with contacts for advertisers, partners, staff, etc.

And you can of course build unlimited timed autoresponders to your lists, but I was also pleased to see iContact has a survey feature built in. This is very powerful if used creatively with your audience. So a very robust set of core features, and like Get Response they have also included social media integration into your email campaigns for Facebook and Twitter – and we all know how important that has become this year.

Another huge bonus with iContact is the amount of choices you have with 3rd party plugins and even community built tools and software. Here are just a few:

iContact provides iPhone / Android apps for fully managing campaigns.
Drupal, WordPress, Joomla plugins for bloggers. Also supports: Salesforce, BigCommerce, Call Loop, Appointment-Plus and others.
Powerful and well documented API in case you want to ‘roll your own’ tools.

iContact has introduced a 30 day trial – Check out the iContact promotion page for more info.

Cons

Like all hosted solutions requires a monthly commitment.
Support might be a bit lacking compared to AWeber

Pros

500 gorgeous templates
Affordable priced, see below
Very fast and reliable mail servers with a proven very high deliverability rate
Unlimited Autoresponders
Message spam checking tools
Social tools for Twitter, Facxebook
iPhone, Android apps.
Plenty of updates and an active development team

Cost

0 – 500 subscribers: $10/month
501 – 2,500 subscribers: $29/month
2,501 – 5,000 subscribers: $47/month

iContact has introduced a 30 day trial – Check out the iContact promotion page for more info.

Interspire Email Marketer Review 2012

Miles — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 09:34:51 +0000

A self hosted solution with nearly a decade of development, Interspire’s Email Marketer is a powerful robust solution for lists of any size, or complexity. If you are serious about list management, timed autoresponders, and seemless newsletter mail outs, while being knowledgeable enough to host a solution yourself, this is the product for you.

I first started using Email Marketer in 2005 when it was branded as SendStudio (and shortly after that Sendstudio NX). Since then it has come leaps and bounds to become a goliath of an internet marketing machine with features I’ve honestly only seen available here.

Check out Interspire’s Email Marketer for current promotions.

List management is simple and intuitive (see below).

As is managing your autoresponders:

Deliverability is important, and I liked how Email Marketer went one step further and provided a spam filter style tool for scanning me emails prior to sending. Your email is analyzed for known spam keywords and the spam report shows you exactly what should be changed, ensuring your email is delivered to as many subscribers as possible.

Statistics display all the key data points: Opened, unopened, bounced, links clicked, etc.

Complex split testing is another stand out feature of Interspire’s tool. Quickly see which of your campaigns perform the best to refine your message. You’re not limited to simple A/B testing but can test unlimited variations in one test. I found this tool essential for refining my CPA campaigns.

Perhaps the coolest feature putting Email Marketer ahead of the competition is the use of triggers. With triggers you can automatically convert leads to opportunities when they open a specific email, remove inactive leads from your list or even send a follow up email when a particular link is clicked – automatically.

All in all, Email Marketer provides everything you could want to run any type of email campaign, especially in mass quantities. Too many features to mention so check below for our list of Pros/Cons.

Cons

Not cheap: $495 for an owned license
Setup and maintenance are easy but the interface and tools take some getting used to
You’ll need to take care to make sure your server is whitelisted by other mail servers

Pros

No monthly or per email fees
Perpetual, lifetime license, with no ‘powered by’ messages in your emails
Powerful XML-based API
100% unencrypted PHP code
Solicit and track feedback with easily created surveys or polls
Automatic Bounce Handling
CAPTCHA Form Support

Cost

1 User License: $495.00
5 User License: $749.00
10 User License: $995.00
20 User License: $1795.00

Check out Interspire’s Email Marketer for current promotions.

AWeber Review 2012

Miles — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 02:03:40 +0000

AWeber is one of the most popular newsletter / autoresponder services available today. As a hosted solution with a decade’s worth of development behind it, it is a very powerful tool with a large community of power users to draw experience from.

Because AWeber is a hosted solution from a well known vendor the likelihood of your campaigns hitting an inbox is very high. AWeber themselves put the delivery rate at 99%.

Currently AWeber has over 150 email templates and hundreds of matching form templates built to match your websites theme. In the past I would normally build my own from scratch, but with recent additions to their library of templates I’ve just been using the one’s included with AWeber and modifying them to fit my needs.

Check out AWeber’s current promotions page for more info.

One of the most talked about features of AWeber is the fact they encourage double opt-in on all their campaigns. By forcing users to verify their subscription with an email verification process your lists will certainly be smaller, but the flip side is that you will only be marketing to people who genuinely wanted to subscribe to your list. To most marketers this is a benefit not a deterrent. Aweber agrees, and in fact when you create a new list within Aweber this feature is automatically set to Confirmed Opt-In. You can change the status by going to My Lists / Confirmed Opt-In and then explicitly turning this feature off.

As with any commercial class mailer AWeber makes good use of variables for within your emails, to add a personal touch to your mailings. {!firstname_fix} will allow you to include the subscribers first name within the body of the email. {!date dayname+1} allows you to advertise an important event you have coming up with the +1 being how many days away it is. For instance you might want to say “Be sure to watch your inbox this Saturday for a killer deal”. All of the variables are clearly documented in AWeber’s front end.

With a recent update AWeber now includes the ability send campaigns at specific time intervals, automatically. This is a very strong method for increasing open rates, see below.

Another feature helping AWeber to stand out from the pack is a spam filter tool in which AWeber gives you feedback on how spammy your message is. A message with a high spam score will greatly reduce its likelihood of bypassing the spam filters used by email servers around the world. You’ll want to run all your campaigns through this before delivery for best results.

Likely one of the best features of AWeber is it’s detailed statistics page. Users can see who opened their emails, who clicked a CPA link, and more importantly perform split testing to see which campaigns work, and which one’s need to be shelved. The data is displayed in a very easy to read manner with charts and graphs (see below). You can of course either export this data, or make use of AWeber’s API to manipulate the data to your liking.

Recent updates to AWeber have brought it up to speed with commercial self-hosted solutions like email marketer. What I liked was the ability to send a broadcast only to subscribers who didn’t open or click on your previous broadcast. Alternatively, you could send an extra bonus offer to people who clicked your last email, but didn’t purchase. Very handy!

Aweber’s autoresponder feature is explained in the video below.
Visit AWeber’s current promotions page for more info.

Try AWeber’s Autoresponders for $1

Cons

A bit of a learning curve.
A few users have reported difficulty sending videos in their emails.
No free trial although they do offer a $1 trial for the first month that you can cancel at anytime without further charges.

Pros

Gorgeous web templates and forms
Social Media Integration (Facebook, Twitter, RSS).
Amazing statistics with access to your campaign data via API..
Ability to specify which days and what time of the day your follow up messages deliver to help increase your open rates and response.
Unlimited autoresponder emails.
Great tutorials and videos for new and advanced users.
Highly reliable and fast email delivery. Perhaps the best in the industry.
Very strong support staff with fast turnaround times.

Cost

$1 for first month
$19/month (up to 500 subscribers) | $49/quarter | $194/year
501-2,500 subscribers: Add $10/month
2,501-5,000 subscribers: Add $30/month
5,001-10,000 subscribers: Add $50/month
10,001-25,000 subscribers: Add $130/month
501-2,500 subscribers: contact AWeber

Visit AWeber’s current promotions page for more info.

GetResponse Review 2012

Miles — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 01:09:54 +0000

GetResponse is a feature-rich and mature email marketing solution, fully scalable and very capable of handling small and very large lists (1 million+). For over 10 years now, it has provided regular feature updates, and expert support for creating and managing email and video marketing campaigns, newsletters, and autoresponders.

First let me say GetResponse and AWeber are very close in terms of the best overall service, and your choice will likely boil down to a particular feature you require.

One thing that sets GetResponse apart from the pack is the use of media. If you want to insert PDF, videos, or audio, in your campaigns, this is the option for you. They have a Multimedia Studio, which lets you build up to 100MB of video email marketing files, right from your account. Think: high-impact customer testimonials, podcasts, product or event videos.

Another killer feature is the GetResponse iPhone App which allows you convenient access to your dashboard and critical stats on your iPhone. It even lets you import to your list from your Address Book on the phone. Handy!

For social media integration I’d say GetResponse is also ahead of the pack with tools for instant Twitter and Facebook updates, both a great way to grow your list faster.

GetResponse is also no slouch with the standard and advanced features you’ll need for regular mailing work. Newsletter builder, autoresponders (scheduled), and over 300 well styled templates, are all at your disposal. In particular I found their tools for building forms and newsletters to be very easy to use with amazing results.

Another feature that I found very robust and useful were the advanced segmentation stuff for management of what data is being collected and how it is used. For instance, one thing it allows you to do is group email lists by customer activity, including open & click-behaviors.

Another killer feature is the GetResponse iPhone App which gives you instant access to your dashboard and key stats on your iPhone. It even allows you to import to your list from your Address Book on the phone. Very cool!

Back to the web, the GetResponse Email Analytics pages are equally impressive. Review your stats by product, date, domain, customer, and more. They did a great jobs with visuals like graphs graphs and you can get customized reports in your inbox daily. GetResponse also offers complete Google analytics integration and an API if you need more data.

GetResponse has a great video showing you some of the best features of the product (see below).

Check out the GetResponse promotion page for more info.

Cons

Similar price model to AWeber, see below.
Templates could be a bit lacking compared to AWeber.

Pros

Very intuitive and easy to use interface, even for beginners.
Solid support staff, knowledgeable articles, and videos to help you learn quickly.
Very fast and reliable mail servers with over 10 years of trust = very high deliverability rate.
iPhone app!
Unlimited Autoresponders.
Message spam checking.
Selective broadcasting.
Regular activity reports via email.

Cost

0 – 500 subscribers: $18/month or $177.12/year ($14.76/month)
501 – 2,500 subscribers: $28/month
2,501 – 5,000 subscribers: $45/month
5,001 – 10,000 subscribers: $65/month
10,001 – 25,000 subscribers: $145/month

Check out the GetResponse promotion page for more info.

OmniStar Mailer Review 2012

Miles — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:49:02 +0000

Omnistar Mailer has been around for several years now and it has grown into a robust subscription manager and mailer, including most if not all, of the features you’d expect from the industrial strength self-hosted mailers.

From the uncluttered interface to the clean statistics and charts, Omnistar’s mailer is a serious contended to it’s more expensive siblings like Interspire’s Email Marketer.

Here’s a look at the interface upon logging in below.

You can of course set up autoresponders such as a monthly newsletter or maybe an email based educational course. Autoresponders can be set to send on a daily, weekly or monthly basis via a scheduler.

I also noticed the import/export tool was functioning and allowed me to import a .CSV based list with little difficulty. I always check the import/export tools, as they often come in handy down the road.

The stats pages are very nice and clear to read – campaign statistics show the usual: opened, links clicked, bounces, subscriptions, etc.

I think my biggest surprise was that OmniStar Mailer included tools I’ve only seen in other much more expensive offerings, like Triggers (available with AWeber and Email Marketer). You can do a lot of tricks with triggers but they basically allow you to really sharpen a list into prospects based on events like, unsubscribing, or making a purchase.

Another function I did not see elsewhere was the ability to do custom searches of your data to dynamically generate a targeted list of a specific segment of your subscribers. For example you could build a list of everyone from New York that is over 35 years of age.

Rounding out the high-end bells and whistles were a very nice form builder, a spam checker tool to help sanitize your messages, and a nice split test campaign manager (see below).

One thing to keep in mind is that this is a self-hosted mailer and you will need to know at least the basics involved in hosting a PHP/mySQL application. The install was actually really simple, and took less than 10 minutes. Another thing to note is that the software is not encrypted, so you will be able to modify the code as you see fit.

All in all considering that Omnistar Mailer is quite comparable feature-wise to the other commercial grade mailers, I’d say the price point (currently at $287 one-time fee) is pretty fair. If you run some large lists over time hosting yourself could save you a lot of money over hosted solutions like AWeber and GetResponse.

Cost

$287 one-time fee – includes 12 months of upgrades + client license.
$587 one-time fee – includes 12 months of upgrades + 5 client licenses for resale.
$887 one-time fee – includes 12 months of upgrades + 10 client licenses for resale.

Check out current promotions on OmniStar Mailer.

SendBlaster Review 2012

Miles — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 01:33:56 +0000

SendBlaster has been in the bulk mail software space for many years now and the product has grown into a robust solution for Windows based PC users. So unlike a hosted or self-hosted solution SendBlaster is a traditional program you run on your desktop. All that is required for use is an SMTP server for sending emails, and a list to send to.

For the most part SendBlaster is a great tool for even the pickiest of email marketers, but there a few caveats you should be aware of. One thing you should know is that currently SendBlaster does not provide an autoresponder feature. This means it is limited to just sending out bulk emails on a schedule, of which it does an extremely good job of. See below.

We found building emails a bit tricky at first, but after a few practice runs working within the WYSIWYG editor was intuitive and logical. Once we had our templates the way we wanted, it was smooth sailing sending out related campaigns.

As with any bulk email software reporting tools are essential and SendBlaster does not skimp in this area. The user is presented with the data in easy to read charts and graphs for received, sent, and opened statistics, and more.

SendBlaster also provides the ability to pause a campaign and resume later, the ability to process bounced emails from your list, and a decent amount of free email templates to get you started.

So overall SendBlaster is, if not the best, one of the best options out there for desktop mailers, and has been for some years now. If you are on Windows, have access to a reliable SMTP server, and can do without the autoresponder feature, you’d be hard pressed to find a better alternative.

Visit SendBlaster’s current promotions page for more info.

Watch a video review of SendBlaster below

Cons

A bit of a learning curve with desktop software.
No autoresponder feature.
You’ll need access to a reliable SMTP server for sending out mail.
There is always the risk of getting banned from other ISPs, or anti-spam lists with self hosted/desktop solutions.

Pros

Robust platform and one of the few solid desktop mailers available for Windows.
Detailed statistics with useful charts and graphs.
Competent scheduler allows for email campaigns to be arranged before hand and sent off via a calendar view.
Can pause campaigns and resume later.
Bounced email processing.
Support staff responded with fast turnaround times.

Cost

SendBlaster Pro 2 License: $129
SendBlaster Pro 2 FREE Edition: Free Trial

Visit SendBlaster’s current promotions page for more info.

10 Autoresponder Techniques

Miles — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 09:56:24 +0000

Here are 10 valuable ways to use your autoresponder for marketing and other email purposes.

The most important and obvious method is to immediately follow up your subscriptions with a sequential responder gently reminding them about your particular product or service.
Collect leads with your autoresponder. You will get an email digest of everyone’s email addresses that requests information from your autoresponder.
Offer your subscribers information closely relating to their topic of interest. If your readers are interested in hammers, they are likely interested in nails as well.
Offer a promotional coupon, discount or other incentive via email for use with your product or service.
Publish a price list of all the products and services that you offer. You could also include order forms, product descriptions, and other sales material.
Publish free reports in autoresponder format. The reports should be related to your business or Web site. Giving away free stuff will quickly increase your traffic.
Collect vital customer satisfaction information by publishing a survey in autoresponder format. This type of information will help you serve them better.
Instead of answering every customer question that’s emailed to you, publish “Frequently Asked Questions” in autoresponder format. This will save time and money.
You could publish your testimonials or endorsements in autoresponder format if you don’t have the room in your ad copy.
Upsell wisely. Offer products related to your website packaged in a format that is not intrusive. Be clever here and try stacking your offers inside a related article mentioning the item. Avoid hitting a users inbox with just offers and no new content

What are some ways you use an autoresponder or mailing software?

Are you marketing online without an autoresponder? Check out our hands on autoresponder reviews.

Why do I need an Autoresponder?

Miles — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 09:53:55 +0000

Following up with an autoresponder will dramatically increase the number of sales you close. The first time visitors arrive on your site and request additional information or a special report, they obviously have an interest but the time may not be right for them.

When visitors to your site have requested additional information, free software or an eBook, for example, you know you have a real prospect. Rather than being an intrusion, your message is welcomed.

Your autoresponder can capture the contact information (name end email address) that can automatically be entered into your prospect database. You now have two keys to a sale. The first key is a receptive prospect. The second key is their contact information.

Each visitor to your site who requests more information is a hot lead for your business. Don’t ignore these people. It takes time to establish rapport and answer all a potential customer’s questions and concerns. An autoresponders can “buy” you all the time you need to build that trust and establish value. Autoresponders demonstrate your professionalism. Their use tells the client you have anticipated their needs and have everything they will need.

Help your future customers to buy from you. Address all their concerns. Demonstrate the value you offer. Make it easy to buy from your site. Provide your potential customers with the assurance they need, show them that they will be able to figure out how to use your product and prove that they will be getting all the features they need to do the job.

Don’t let prospects fade away because you don’t have time to personally contact them. Persistently go after the sale. These potential clients will likely be buying from somewhere. It should be from your site. Frankly, if you don’t follow-up, you will be losing sales. The best way to follow-up is with autoresponders. No, the only way to follow-up is with autoresponders.

Continue reading –> 3 Types of Autoresponder?

Are you marketing online without an autoresponder? Check out our hands on autoresponder reviews.

3 Types of Autoresponder

Miles — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 09:50:34 +0000

When it comes to automating your business, you have a tremendous variety of autoresponder choices. Finding a decent hands-on review off the various options was also very rare. To simplify the decision, I have separated them into three main categories. The right choice for you depends on your programming skills and what features you need for your specific situation. As a rule of thumb, I believe it is best to put a system in place that will handle not just your current needs, but also your anticipated needs for your future growth. The right autoresponder system of course can actually help you grow much faster.

Here are the three main categories I group autoresponders under for my reviews:

Self Hosted Autoresponder – These are scripted applications that you must install on a web server. Once installed these programs are accessed via a web browser. These tools are normally written in PHP, Perl, ASP, or some other scripted language. Quite often they require a database backend as well such as: mySQL, SQL2000, or Postgres. Utilizing one of these programs normally requires some basic knowledge of the scripting language it is written in, but not always. Many providers of these programs will install their application for you. If you are a webmaster, a professional marketer, or have your own web space at an ISP to utilize, then this may be the choice for you.

Hosted Autoresponder – These solutions are similar to the locally hosted solutions in that they are normally scripted web applications but they are utilized by a subscription based service. This option is very popular as the end user doesn’t need to maintain a scripted program, a database, or even a web server. Programs vary but the main providers are very good and have been around a long time. Normally the price is also quite fair, but if you are running a medium to large size operation you may outgrow this option quickly.

Mailer Software – As the name implies these are programs that run directly on your workstation. Of all the solutions these are perhaps the easiest to operate as well as maybe the most cost effective. Typically these options have very good filter tools for your email lists and often good database support. The obvious drawback is that the program must be connected to the internet in order to operate. Also a 56K connection will not suffice and broadband in some form should only be considered. Overall using this solution will get you started the fastest but may be quite easy to outgrow as well.

Continue reading –> 10 Autoresponder Methods

Are you marketing online without an autoresponder? Check out our hands on autoresponder reviews.

What is an AutoResponder?

Miles — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 08:22:55 +0000

What is an Autoresponder? Amazingly enough, there are still many people trying to market a product, or service, online who do not know the answer to that question. The best place to find an answer is the world wide web.

A few hours of Googling resulted in a long list of definitions. I’ll give you a few :

“An auto-responder is a script that automatically responds to email with one or more pre written messages. Other names for Autoresponders are: mailbots, mailbots, inhabits, autoptic and email-on-demand.”
“An Autoresponder is an e-mail program located on a mail server, set up with single or multiple pre-programmed messages.”
“Very simply, an Autoresponder is a bit of software that sits on a server and automatically delivers your information to anyone who asks for it.”
“An Autoresponder is just what it sounds like. It is software that automatically responds to e-mail that is sent to it.”

I hear you say: “Hey! What is the benefit of these technical definitions? I want to know what an Autoresponder can do for me and for my business!”

You are right, that is the most important part. Continue reading, and you will have your answers.

“An Autoresponder is A Seller Who Never Sleeps”
“An Autoresponder is the Cheapest Personal Assistant you will ever hire”
“Your Autoresponder, combined with savvy marketing is the speediest way to immediately boost business!”
“Email Autoresponders are a time saving tool that send your selling message out automatically at standard intervals.”
“An Autoresponder is an immense time saver.”
“An Autoresponder turns visitors into buyers”

And finally:

“Auto-responders make the difference between having a website that works hard for you and you constantly having to work hard for your website”

Do you notice the difference? These definitions point to the Huge benefits that Autoresponders have for you and your business.

Suppose you get 500 visitors a day to your site and one in fifty of them requests information. That’s ten e-mails you’re going to have to send manually for the next few days or weeks. And tomorrow you get another ten, and the next day another ten. Can you imagine how complicated managing this process could be?

How can you handle this flood of email without an autoresponder? Why would you want to?

Continue reading –> Why do I need an Autoresponder.

Looking for the best autoresponder tool?