Autoresponders are automated email messages that are sent to subscribers or customers based on certain triggers or actions. They are one of the most powerful and effective tools for online marketing, sales, and customer service. Why we need autoresponders and what type of person would use them.
Why we need autoresponders
Autoresponders have many benefits for both businesses and individuals who want to communicate with their audience, generate leads, increase conversions, and build relationships. Some of the reasons why we need autoresponders are:
They save time and money. Autoresponders allow you to create and send personalized messages to your contacts without having to manually write and send each email. You can also schedule your messages in advance and let them run automatically. This way, you can save time and money on email marketing campaigns and focus on other aspects of your business.
They increase engagement and loyalty. Autoresponders help you to stay in touch with your subscribers or customers and provide them with valuable information, tips, offers, or feedback. By sending relevant and timely messages, you can increase the engagement and loyalty of your audience and make them more likely to open, click, and respond to your emails.
They boost sales and revenue. Autoresponders can help you to generate more sales and revenue by nurturing your leads, promoting your products or services, or upselling or cross-selling to your existing customers. You can also use autoresponders to create a sense of urgency or scarcity, offer discounts or incentives, or send reminders or follow-ups to encourage your contacts to take action.
They improve customer service and satisfaction. Autoresponders can help you to improve your customer service and satisfaction by providing instant confirmation, acknowledgment, or appreciation for your contacts’ actions. You can also use autoresponders to answer frequently asked questions, provide support or guidance, or solicit feedback or testimonials from your customers.
What type of person would use autoresponders
Autoresponders are suitable for anyone who wants to communicate with their audience effectively and efficiently. However, some of the most common types of people who would use autoresponders are:
Online marketers. Online marketers use autoresponders to build their email list, generate leads, increase conversions, and grow their online business. They use autoresponders to send welcome emails, lead magnets, newsletters, product launches, webinars, surveys, etc.
E-commerce owners. E-commerce owners use autoresponders to sell their products or services online, increase their sales and revenue, and retain their customers. They use autoresponders to send cart abandonment emails, order confirmation emails, shipping confirmation emails, product recommendations emails, etc.
Bloggers or content creators. Bloggers or content creators use autoresponders to share their content with their audience, increase their traffic and exposure, and monetize their website or platform. They use autoresponders to send new blog posts emails, content upgrades emails, affiliate marketing emails, etc.
Coaches or consultants. Coaches or consultants use autoresponders to showcase their expertise and authority, attract and qualify their prospects, and deliver their services or programs. They use autoresponders to send free consultation emails, case study emails, course enrollment emails, etc.
There are many factors that can affect whether your autoresponder emails are marked as spam or not. Some of them are related to your email content, such as the subject line, the body, the call to action, and the personalization. Others are related to your email delivery, such as the sender reputation, the authentication, the frequency, and the feedback. Here are some tips to help you avoid your autoresponder emails being marked as spam:
Use a clear and relevant subject line that matches the content of your email. Avoid using misleading, deceptive, or exaggerated subject lines that may trigger spam filters or annoy your recipients.
Provide valuable and engaging content that meets the expectations and needs of your recipients. Avoid sending irrelevant, repetitive, or low-quality content that may cause your recipients to lose interest or report your emails as spam.
Include a clear and compelling call to action that encourages your recipients to take the desired action. Avoid using too many or too vague calls to action that may confuse or overwhelm your recipients.
Personalize your emails with your recipients’ names, preferences, behaviors, and other data. Avoid sending generic or impersonal emails that may make your recipients feel ignored or disrespected.
Build and maintain a good sender reputation by following ethical email practices. Avoid sending emails from unknown or untrustworthy domains, addresses, or IP addresses that may damage your credibility or deliverability.
Authenticate your emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols to prove that you are a legitimate sender and prevent spoofing or phishing attacks. Avoid sending emails without proper authentication that may raise suspicion or rejection from email clients or ISPs.
Optimize your email frequency and timing based on your recipients’ preferences and behaviors. Avoid sending too many or too few emails that may annoy or alienate your recipients.
Monitor and respond to feedback from your recipients, such as opens, clicks, unsubscribes, complaints, or bounce rates. Avoid ignoring or neglecting feedback that may indicate problems or opportunities for improvement.
By following these tips, you can minimize the chances of your autoresponder emails being marked as spam and maximize the chances of reaching and engaging your target audience.
Some common mistakes to avoid when using autoresponders are:
Sending too many emails too frequently. This can annoy your subscribers and make them lose interest in your messages. You should find the optimal email frequency for your audience and stick to it. You can also let your subscribers choose how often they want to hear from you.
Failing to personalize your emails. Personalization can increase the relevance and engagement of your autoresponder emails. You should use your subscribers’ names, preferences, behaviors, and other data to tailor your messages to their needs and interests.
Using spammy language or tactics. Spammy language or tactics can hurt your email deliverability and reputation. You should avoid using misleading subject lines, excessive punctuation, all caps, or words that trigger spam filters. You should also comply with the anti-spam laws and regulations of your country and region.
Not optimizing your emails for mobile devices. Mobile devices are increasingly used to access emails. You should make sure that your autoresponder emails are responsive and easy to read on any screen size. You should also use clear and concise copy, attractive images, and prominent calls to action.
Measuring the success of your autoresponders is important to understand how well they are performing and how you can improve them. There are different ways to measure the success of your autoresponders, but one of the most common and effective methods is to use A/B testing.
A/B testing is a process of comparing two versions of your autoresponder emails to see which one gets better results. You can test different elements of your autoresponder emails, such as the subject line, the content, the call to action, the timing, or the frequency. By testing different variations, you can find out what works best for your audience and optimize your autoresponder strategy accordingly.
To conduct an A/B test, you need to split your email list into two groups and send each group a different version of your autoresponder email. Then, you need to measure the key metrics that indicate the success of your autoresponder, such as the open rate, the click-through rate, the conversion rate, or the revenue generated. You can use an email marketing tool or a web analytics tool to track and analyze these metrics. The version that performs better on your chosen metric is the winner of the test.
You can repeat this process for each email in your autoresponder sequence and for each element that you want to test. By doing so, you can improve the effectiveness of your autoresponder emails and achieve your goals more efficiently.
Review
Aweber
Aweber is one of the oldest and most established autoresponder software providers in the market. It was founded in 1998 and currently serves over 100,000 customers worldwide. Aweber offers a free plan for up to 500 subscribers and four paid plans: Lite, Plus, Unlimited, and Custom. The Lite plan starts at $15 per month and the Plus plan starts at $30 per month. The Unlimited plan costs $899 per month and the Custom plan requires a quote from the sales team. You can get a discount if you pay annually.
Pros:
Aweber provides a collection of email templates designed by professionals that you can edit to fit your brand. These templates make it easier to design appealing marketing emails instead of doing that from scratch1.
Aweber has a simple and user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create and manage your email campaigns. You can also use drag-and-drop features to customize your emails and landing pages2.
Aweber has excellent customer support that is available 24/7 via live chat, email, and phone. You can also access a knowledge base, a blog, a podcast, webinars, and video tutorials for more help3.
Cons:
Aweber lacks some advanced automation features that other autoresponder software providers offer, such as behavioral segmentation, dynamic content, and conditional logic4.
Aweber counts unsubscribed contacts towards your plan total, which means you have to manually delete them if you want to avoid paying extra fees5.
Aweber’s selection of templates is not very impressive compared to other autoresponder software providers. Some of the templates look outdated or unprofessional6.
Getresponse
Getresponse is another well-known and reputable autoresponder software provider that was founded in 1998. It has over 350,000 customers in 183 countries. Getresponse offers a free plan for up to 500 contacts and three paid plans: Email Marketing, Marketing Automation, and E-Commerce Marketing. The Email Marketing plan starts at $19 per month and the Marketing Automation plan starts at $59 per month. The E-Commerce Marketing plan starts at $119 per month. You can get a discount if you pay annually or biennially.
Pros:
Getresponse offers a powerful and flexible automation feature that allows you to create workflows based on various triggers and conditions. You can also use tags, scoring, and custom fields to segment your contacts based on their behavior7.
Getresponse integrates with many third-party platforms and tools, such as Shopify, WordPress, Facebook, PayPal, Stripe, Zapier, and more. You can also use its API to connect with other applications8.
Getresponse provides more than just email marketing services. It also offers webinar hosting, landing page creation, e-commerce solutions, CRM functionality, and web push notifications.
Cons:
Getresponse’s analytics are not very comprehensive or intuitive compared to other autoresponder software providers. Some of the reports are hard to find or understand.
Getresponse does not offer phone support for its customers. You can only contact them via live chat or email.
Getresponse does not have two-factor authentication for its accounts, which means your data may be vulnerable to unauthorized access or hacking.
Both Aweber and Getresponse are reliable and effective autoresponder software providers that have been in the industry for a long time. They have their own strengths and weaknesses that may suit different needs and preferences. However, based on my comparison, I would recommend Getresponse as the best all-round autoresponder because it offers more features and functionality than Aweber at a similar or lower price point. Getresponse has more automation options, more integrations, more services, and more security than Aweber. Therefore, I think Getresponse is a better choice for online marketers who want to get the most out of their autoresponder software provider.
Autoresponders are essential for anyone who wants to succeed in the online world. They can help you to save time and money, increase engagement and loyalty, boost sales and revenue, and improve customer service and satisfaction. Whether you are an online marketer, an e-commerce owner, a blogger or content creator, or a coach or consultant, you can benefit from using autoresponders in your email marketing strategy.