Autoresponders?

The hosting package one is usually a one email thing you can use if you go on vacation. Lol.

Depends on what you need the autoresponder to do. If you are building a marketing campaign, go with a paid service. However, you can use your hosting service autoresponder for a variety of useful purposes. For example, I have used them for "email on demand", where a I have dedicated a specific email address to some type of information or promotional document, requiring the visitor send an email to that address to receive the document automatically.

If you know a bit about PHP / MySQL you can host your own autoresponder. It's not amazing but it'll do most of the same things that the paid ones like aweber can.

Infinite Responder - Free Autoresponder Script

@Technista,
that's a great idea. Why didn't I think about it earlier...?

@khtm,
It might do the "same things"... except delivering your messages. At least, that's what the common knowledge says here around the forum.

Here are some of the advantage of aweber autoresponder to help you decide whether you are going to choose one or not:

1. AWeber pro-rates their service fees to accommodate the person who is just beginning to develop their subscriber base.
2. AWeber has tracking and analytics tools to help you get more out of your email marketing efforts... This continued devotion to helping you increase your conversions is one of the primary reasons they've been considered the top autoresponder by almost all the top internet marketers...
3. AWeber customer service is by far the best support you'll get from an autoresponder company. They have a support blog that continually gives out good information on their new developments and tools.
4. They also have a Live Chat support function with minimal wait time, with support representatives available to help you during normal business hours and beyond. In fact, they expanded their support hours in 2008 to help accommodate more people, due to the popularity of their autoresponder service.
5. AWeber also offers a free trial period of 30 days so it's basically a risk-free venture on your part.

Hope this will help

Hi Gios,

I agree with what you have been told - the autoresponder that comes with your hosting account will bounce back a single message and is best used for email on demand, vacation notices, etc. The other thing to keep in mind is that this solution does not typically give you access to a list of people that have emailed the autoresponder. So you have no list to do the follow ups to.

If you get a script, like Autoresponse Plus, you can install it to your own system and send the emails from there. You'll need to check with your hosting provider to see if this is ok. The advantage here is that you dont pay per email sent. You just purchase the script and install it to your hosting account.

The other option is to pay a service provider. The advantage here is that they handle the management to make sure that your email gets through to the subscriber. If you run a script on your hosting account, you will have to take care of this yourself. Things like spf records, domain keys, etc can get somewhat complicated for the average user. For this reason, it may be better/less work to pay a service provider who takes care of the "grunt work" for you.

Most providers systems allow the basics you will want which include personalization of the email, click thru tracking, etc.

One service provider that I find has a great service, and reasonable rates is at graphicmail dot com

Check them out before you make a final decision.

Hope this helps.

Best,

- Ty Hall

Spend the $20 a month your list is the core of your business. I get tired of saying it over and over again. CORE OF YOUR BUSINESS Every busy has a list Best Buy has a mailing list, Victory secret has a mailing list, Yours truly has a mailing list. Don't undervalue it. Get a dedicated great service to manage your mailing campaigns.

Hi Hillary Dale,

Thanks for all the information about Aweber. It's so true, the best Auto Responder Company ! I've been with them for 4 months (It was recommended by a very successful Online Mentor), the result is great. It 's so important to have an excellent Autoresponder to look after your list . Because Your List is your Web Business Blood !