Are Free Autoresponders Any Good?

Gios · 11-09-2009, 11:02 AM

Hi all, just wondered if anyone has had any success using a free autoresponder? Also could it be used in conjunction with a free blog like google blogger perhaps? Yes as you can tell funds ar low so was wondering if thio is a vible option, at least to start with.

Thanks.

Michael Oksa · 11-09-2009, 11:09 AM

Hi Gios,

I would recommend against it. Free autoresponders often come with too many limitations.

They may limit how many people can be on your list, which defeats the purpose of building a list.

They may add advertising of their choice to all of your messages.

You may not be able to send broadcast messages. Or be limited as to how often you can send them.

They may limit how many messages you can add to your AR series, or limit how often you can send.

They may not have any real customer service.

They could disappear at any time.

They may be blacklisted by most ISPs.

And so on.

If you really want to build a list, and are short on funds...do whatever you can to earn the money to go with a paid option. Make it a goal.

All the best,
Michael

LilBlackDress · 11-09-2009, 11:11 AM

Mailchimp has a free autoresponder for up to 500 people which is pretty good if you are just starting out. Mailchimp has a good reputation.

I understand they do have some restrictions on what it can be used for so you should read the TOS if you decide to try it and see if it fits with your marketing needs.

tommen · 11-09-2009, 01:46 PM

I would go with a paid autoresponder from the very beginning, choose Aweber or Getresponse.Free autoresponders has lots of disadvantages as Michael Oksa pointed out.It is very hard to switch to another autoresponder service if you are dissatisfied with the free one.When your list starts growing, you will lose a lot of subscribers because they need to optin again.

Jason Stepp · 11-30-2009, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by livayahurd

Yes he is right.
But please never and ever use freeautobot.com
90% of your mails will reach the spam folder directly.
Also you wont be able to import your leads.

Trust me. I got stuck with it once, while going after free service.

I fell for FreeAutoBot YEARS ago when I thought paying for Aweber was retarded. I also tried installing an autoresponder script on a few of my sites.

Guess what...

I have Aweber now!

Just as livayahurd said, FreeAutoBot has trouble beating the spam filters for some reason- no matter how non-spammish you make your follow up messages.

Self-hosted autoresponders are ok, but require a lot of work to set up and maintain. Plus, I've also had trouble making it through spam filters with self-hosted scripts too.

Aweber and other professional services are well worth the money. Think of it as a great investment into your business. If you ran a brick-and-mortar business, you would have to spend a lot more than $30 bucks per month to reach your entire customer list. Then, you would have to figure out some way to test the effectiveness of your direct mailings (or whatever offline method you use to reach your customer list).

With professional autoresponder services (like Aweber), you can track the effectiveness of your campaigns with ease. You can make changes on the fly until you craft the perfect message. You can track clicks to find out which links are being clicked. You will even be able to see who is actually opening the messages you send them.

I'd say avoid free autoresponders! They are free for a reason...

sylviad · 11-30-2009, 10:45 AM

Try Email Aces. They've been around awhile now and the ads on their emails are limited to one 3-word link to Email Aces.

You will find some rstrictions, however, but it can be a good service to use when you're just starting out on a limited budget. But ASAP, move on to a pay AR as they do have many more features and options, plus customer service. With free ones like Email Aces, you can only run one campaign. So if you need 1 for one site and 1 for another offer, you're out of luck.

When you do go to a paid service, the top 2 are AWeber and Get Response (GR is a little cheaper).

Sylvia

kimmer551 · 11-30-2009, 11:42 AM

If you want to get into trouble, use a free Autoresponder. I would spend a few dollars and get one of the top 3 Autoresponders.

David Hamer · 11-30-2009, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay284

I have Aweber now!

Aweber and other professional services are well worth the money. Think of it as a great investment into your business. If you ran a brick-and-mortar business, you would have to spend a lot more than $30 bucks per month to reach your entire customer list. Then, you would have to figure out some way to test the effectiveness of your direct mailings (or whatever offline method you use to reach your customer list).

With professional autoresponder services (like Aweber), you can track the effectiveness of your campaigns with ease. You can make changes on the fly until you craft the perfect message. You can track clicks to find out which links are being clicked. You will even be able to see who is actually opening the messages you send them.

I'd say avoid free autoresponders! They are free for a reason...

Totally agree with Jay - if you intend to start a professional business then use a professional autoresponder service. There are just some things you need to invest in and a good autoresponder is one of them. It's almost a case of you can't afford not to use them...

Hope that helps?

Best wishes - Dave

jbode · 11-30-2009, 05:20 PM

I recommend getting a paid autoresponder, but I know that some people don't have the money to invest yet...

Here's some tutorial videos of the best free autoresponder that doesn't have many limitations I've used it and I know it's the best free autoresponder
check out the tutorial videos here
Build My List Free

peter_act · 11-30-2009, 06:01 PM

I think it depends on your list. If you only have a small list, the returns on paying $30 a month are just not there.

Answer your customers manually until it becomes too much work.
If you have that many subscribers the monthly fee will pay for itself.

redicelander · 11-30-2009, 06:03 PM

I would say if you absolutely cannnot afford something like Aweber than use a free email service but only until you have enough money to go to paid. As many have said here, it makes a big difference in the effectiveness of your email marketing. Paid is always better in this situation.

Kevin Riley · 11-30-2009, 06:13 PM

I'm going to up the level of againstness - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND AGAINST using a free autoresponder.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Oksa

I would recommend against it. Free autoresponders often come with too many limitations.

You are willing to risk your online business' most valuable asset (your customer list) to save $19.95 per month? A very BAD, BAD choice.

How valuable is your customer list? Here in Osaka, even small businesses will pay thousands to someone who steals the customer list from another company. Those lists are the main target of industrial espionage here.

keerthana · 12-01-2009, 12:21 AM

its not recommended to use free Autoresponder

marcdonovan · 01-27-2010, 07:48 PM

Free stuff is the name of the game in Internet marketing - we all know that.

That's why I just released a new free autoresponder. I figure I will get paid when the high volume guys show up. For now, it is free.

Warning, it is brand new software, so a little ragged and feature-lacking, but I am working on it daily.

Go to vertuso dot com (cant post links yet - forum newbie).

11-09-2009, 11:02 AM	#1
Gios Warrior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: UK Anglia Posts: 21 Thanks: 6 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Are Free Autoresponders Any Good? Hi all, just wondered if anyone has had any success using a free autoresponder? Also could it be used in conjunction with a free blog like google blogger perhaps? Yes as you can tell funds ar low so was wondering if thio is a vible option, at least to start with. Thanks.

11-09-2009, 11:09 AM	#2
Michael Oksa The Ethical Marketer War Room Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 6,066 Thanks: 1,750 Thanked 3,030 Times in 1,342 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Are Free Autoresponders Any Good? Hi Gios, I would recommend against it. Free autoresponders often come with too many limitations. They may limit how many people can be on your list, which defeats the purpose of building a list. They may add advertising of their choice to all of your messages. You may not be able to send broadcast messages. Or be limited as to how often you can send them. They may limit how many messages you can add to your AR series, or limit how often you can send. They may not have any real customer service. They could disappear at any time. They may be blacklisted by most ISPs. And so on. If you really want to build a list, and are short on funds...do whatever you can to earn the money to go with a paid option. Make it a goal. All the best, Michael
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11-09-2009, 11:11 AM	#3
LilBlackDress Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,469 Thanks: 94 Thanked 264 Times in 181 Posts Social Networking	Re: Are Free Autoresponders Any Good? Mailchimp has a free autoresponder for up to 500 people which is pretty good if you are just starting out. Mailchimp has a good reputation. I understand they do have some restrictions on what it can be used for so you should read the TOS if you decide to try it and see if it fits with your marketing needs.
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11-09-2009, 01:46 PM	#4
tommen Advanced Warrior Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: St.Petersburg, Florida Posts: 771 Thanks: 43 Thanked 43 Times in 41 Posts Social Networking	Re: Are Free Autoresponders Any Good? I would go with a paid autoresponder from the very beginning, choose Aweber or Getresponse.Free autoresponders has lots of disadvantages as Michael Oksa pointed out.It is very hard to switch to another autoresponder service if you are dissatisfied with the free one.When your list starts growing, you will lose a lot of subscribers because they need to optin again.
	Tom Lindstrom Sign up for my FREE 6-Day niche marketing mini-course now and discover step-by-step how to build a profitable niche business in 30 days or less!

11-30-2009, 10:45 AM	#6
sylviad Professional Writer War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,999 Thanks: 141 Thanked 286 Times in 199 Posts Social Networking	Re: Are Free Autoresponders Any Good? Try Email Aces. They've been around awhile now and the ads on their emails are limited to one 3-word link to Email Aces. You will find some rstrictions, however, but it can be a good service to use when you're just starting out on a limited budget. But ASAP, move on to a pay AR as they do have many more features and options, plus customer service. With free ones like Email Aces, you can only run one campaign. So if you need 1 for one site and 1 for another offer, you're out of luck. When you do go to a paid service, the top 2 are AWeber and Get Response (GR is a little cheaper). Sylvia
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11-30-2009, 11:42 AM	#7
kimmer551 No Money! No Honey! Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 342 Thanks: 6 Thanked 22 Times in 22 Posts Social Networking	Re: Are Free Autoresponders Any Good? If you want to get into trouble, use a free Autoresponder. I would spend a few dollars and get one of the top 3 Autoresponders.

11-30-2009, 05:20 PM	#9
jbode Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 649 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 54 Thanked 149 Times in 103 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Are Free Autoresponders Any Good? I recommend getting a paid autoresponder, but I know that some people don't have the money to invest yet... Here's some tutorial videos of the best free autoresponder that doesn't have many limitations I've used it and I know it's the best free autoresponder check out the tutorial videos here Build My List Free
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11-30-2009, 06:01 PM	#10
peter_act HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Canberra, Australia. Posts: 244 Thanks: 10 Thanked 38 Times in 31 Posts Social Networking	Re: Are Free Autoresponders Any Good? I think it depends on your list. If you only have a small list, the returns on paying $30 a month are just not there. Answer your customers manually until it becomes too much work. If you have that many subscribers the monthly fee will pay for itself.
	peter_act Want to see all the best posts from the forum in one place? Watch the video! Get a free autoresponder here: Money Making Opportunities Canberra marketing: Canberra marketing

11-30-2009, 06:03 PM	#11
redicelander J Bold War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Walla Walla Posts: 2,612 Blog Entries: 10 Thanks: 665 Thanked 507 Times in 311 Posts Social Networking	Re: Are Free Autoresponders Any Good? I would say if you absolutely cannnot afford something like Aweber than use a free email service but only until you have enough money to go to paid. As many have said here, it makes a big difference in the effectiveness of your email marketing. Paid is always better in this situation.
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12-01-2009, 12:21 AM	#13
keerthana HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Warrior Forum Posts: 167 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts Contact Info	Re: Are Free Autoresponders Any Good? its not recommended to use free Autoresponder

01-27-2010, 07:48 PM	#14
marcdonovan HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 141 Thanks: 3 Thanked 24 Times in 20 Posts	Re: Are Free Autoresponders Any Good? Free stuff is the name of the game in Internet marketing - we all know that. That's why I just released a new free autoresponder. I figure I will get paid when the high volume guys show up. For now, it is free. Warning, it is brand new software, so a little ragged and feature-lacking, but I am working on it daily. Go to vertuso dot com (cant post links yet - forum newbie).