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Email marketing without spending money

by abbs
12 replies
Hey all,

I recently bought a domain and set up a small website.

I'm offering a free eBook that I prepared on the website in exchange for email addresses.

The website is only a few days old and people have been signing up. Till now I've been handling the emails manually.

Since I'm a full-time student and spend pretty much all my income from freelancing on tuition and the bare necessities, I can't invest any more money into my site.

My question is - is there any free service that I can rely on to collect emails and send them an automated response?

Thank you.
#email #marketing #money #spending
  • Profile picture of the author aire
    Yes for limited emails you can use aweber... and there are many free php softwares too for list collecting etc. You don't really need email marketing service if your hosting provides you with dedicated IP and full root access... You can always make deliverability 99% - Work with Domain Keys etc.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alex Leizerovich
      You probably not gonna like this answer.
      But if you wanna make a real business out of it you gonna need to invest money.
      Else it's just a side hobby in my opinion.
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      • Profile picture of the author abbs
        Originally Posted by aire View Post

        Yes for limited emails you can use aweber... and there are many free php softwares too for list collecting etc. You don't really need email marketing service if your hosting provides you with dedicated IP and full root access... You can always make deliverability 99% - Work with Domain Keys etc.
        Ha I guess I need to read up on pretty much all those terms you've used there. Thank you! Will do my homework.

        Originally Posted by Alex Leizerovich View Post

        You probably not gonna like this answer.
        But if you wanna make a real business out of it you gonna need to invest money.
        Else it's just a side hobby in my opinion.
        Nah, that's a fair point. I'm going to try saving up some money for this. I earned a fair bit in this niche on blogger but I guess I'm not financially ready to set up a proper business just yet.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    My question is - is there any free service that I can rely on to collect emails and send them an automated response?
    There are free services but I strongly suggest you don't use them. Aweber and Get Response are only $20 per month.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by abbs View Post

    My question is - is there any free service that I can rely on to collect emails and send them an automated response?
    You really shouldn't.

    One of the classic mistakes people make, when starting email marketing, is telling themselves that they'll start off with a free autoresponder until they've made some money and can afford a proper one. For reasons they don't have enough experience to understand when they start, it typically turns out to be a huge mistake, and they end up with a bad list they effectively can't import anywhere else.

    Using a free autoresponder isn't like using free hosting (which can be a good way to get started, temporarily, at no cost). In the case of autoresponders, it carries a longer-term cost and longer-term problems, too.

    GetResponse will give you your first month free, and charges only $15 per month after that. "If you can't cover $15 over two months, to get started, then you don't need an autoresponder anyway" is the answer, really.

    This post says more: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post9250598


    .
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    • Profile picture of the author abbs
      Originally Posted by Brent Stangel View Post

      There are free services but I strongly suggest you don't use them. Aweber and Get Response are only $20 per month.
      I guess I need to save up then. I'm doing the responding manually for now, but I think as my list grows, this might be financially sustainable. Thanks for your advice - will stay away from free services.

      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      You really shouldn't.

      One of the classic mistakes people make, when starting email marketing, is telling themselves that they'll start off with a free autoresponder until they've made some money and can afford a proper one. For reasons they don't have enough experience to understand when they start, it typically turns out to be a huge mistake, and they end up with a bad list they effectively can't import anywhere else.

      Using a free autoresponder isn't like using free hosting (which can be a good way to get started, temporarily, at no cost). In the case of autoresponders, it carries a longer-term cost and longer-term problems, too.

      GetResponse will give you your first month free, and charges only $15 per month after that. "If you can't cover $15 over two months, to get started, then you don't need an autoresponder anyway" is the answer, really.

      This post says more: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post9250598


      .
      Ha that's a fair point. Thank you for your help. Based on that logic, my business doesn't quite warrant an auto-responder just yet. I'll work on increasing it before I make the $15-20 monthly commitment. I'll check out your other post too.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rory Singh
    You will need to find the $20 buck per month and go with Aweber or the other major providers.

    Think about this...

    Your money will come from your list and your 'ability' to portray yourself as valuable professional who adds lots of value to the market place.

    Your list is your Real Real Estate!

    Find the money (if you are serious) and treat it (the people on your list) with respect because this is your business.
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    • Profile picture of the author abbs
      Originally Posted by Rory Singh View Post

      You will need to find the $20 buck per month and go with Aweber or the other major providers.

      Think about this...

      Your money will come from your list and your 'ability' to portray yourself as valuable professional who adds lots of value to the market place.

      Your list is your Real Real Estate!

      Find the money (if you are serious) and treat it (the people on your list) with respect because this is your business.
      You make a good point. I think I probably started this a bit too early, but I guess there's never a good time to set aside money every month

      I'm probably going to respond manually for now - give it a bit of a personalized touch - and hopefully move onto a good paid service in the next few months.

      Thank you for your help.
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      • Profile picture of the author BionicMan40
        I noticed! Safelist have a low converting rate! Using them for email marketing is not a good idea.
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  • Profile picture of the author jsyz426
    If there are free ones, then I dont know about them. Im sure they are out there thought. But I do know of some very very cheap ones. For example: Rapid Response Autoresponder Service Pricing
    This one is a 1 time payment and you are good for life. That is not too shabby at all.
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  • Profile picture of the author TakenAction
    spend the $57 a month [Leadpages + Aweber] and start driving traffic to your squeeze.

    Beyond that it sounds like you want to spend minimal money on gathering a list.

    I have 3 words for you:

    Self-liquidating Funnel

    The traffic that opts in will immediately be shown a lost cost entry product along with up-sells & down-sells etc.

    That way your immediately monetizing the subscribers and the goal is to at least minimize your ad costs if not break even.

    This way you can keep buying more and more traffic for as long as you want to keep building your list.
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    The best thing you can do is put yourself out there.

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  • Profile picture of the author NutraCash
    I know you said no money, but I would recommend getting a cheap centos VPS. Install intererspire with an auto responder and mail them yourself.
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