AWeber: My Go-To Email Service Provider

The other day I wrote about how important email marketing and building your email list is to make your business even more profitable.

When building your email list, it is just as important to pick the correct (right) email service provider, also known as an “autoresponder”.

There are many different Email Service Providers (ESP) out there. Prices range from free to “the sky is the limit”. The common calculation as to how ESPs charge their customers is based on the size of one’s list. Meaning: the larger your list, the more you will pay.

For the purpose of this post, I will only be writing about autoreponders (ESPs). I won’t go into detail about other options that are all-inclusive which means that there are services that also include: website builders, shopping carts, etc. Those “beefier” solutions will be discussed in another, separate post.

Before an autoresponder works, it needs a collection of email addresses where it will send messages. These email addresses are usually from your subscribers who give you their email in return for an “ethical bribe”, or “freebie”. These gifts are sometimes referred to as “lead magnets”. The autoresponder then handles the subscription process automatically.

With an autoresponder, you can schedule messages to be sent out now or at some time in the future. This is what is called “dripping content”. You can also send emails to only a segment (specific group) of your subscribers.

Autoresponders have really transformed the way people do business. They help you to keep in contact with all your prospects and current customers without actually doing all the work.

Here in America, there are certain federal laws that need to be followed when a business uses email marketing as a means to reach out and contact their customers. The most important one is called the CAN-SPAM Act which can be found here (click on the hyperlink).

When emailing residents of the E.U. (European Union), you need to follow the rules and regulations of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). Those rules can be found here.

Here are comparisons of three of the most commonly-used autoreponders:

MailChimp – While (IMHO) too many people start off using this ESP as their first choice, it has its drawbacks. Why do many people decide to use this as their choice of ESP? That’s because it’s pricing starts off as free up to your first 2000 subscribers and then starts to cost when your list grows beyond that. The first drawback is that its pricing is not only based on subscribers, but by the number of features you want. The second drawback is that they have some limitations and restrictions with respect to marketing. Per their Terms of Service (T.O.S.), MC allows for zero “affiliate marketing”.

So, what is “affiliate marketing” you may be asking, right? In short, affiliate marketing is when a person or company (affiliate) sells goods, products and services offered by other people, or companies. When a sale is made through an affiliate, that affiliate earns a commission. You basically are a reseller. What’s great about this income model is that you don’t have to deal with: stocking inventory, returns, etc. One of the most common affiliate programs is offered by A=>Z (not using them by name, because of copyright, but I am sure you can figure out which company it is.

Being an affiliate of any good, product, or service, you could earn some extra, ancillary revenue. For example, say you are a dog walker and have a blog. As a dog walker, you might want to write a post about leashes, treats, orthopedic beds for large dogs, etc. that you prefer and want to recommend to your customers. You can see the potential of how you might be able to dovetail your own service with a product that you can now sell. I have many friends whose whole business involves them doing nothing but selling items as an affiliate. We are talking some of these folks earn,… millions of dollars!

Using an autoresponder is great for nearly ANY business, or side gig you do. Whether you’re a musician, a retail store, or even an author of books.

GetResponse – another popular autoresponder. They do allow for affiliate marketing, which is great, because of, as stated in the previous paragraph, it could prove to be an extra income stream for a person or business. It has a great entry point! Pricing for its “Basic” plan starts as a free trial for the first month and then $15 a month up to 1000 subscribers. If your list is 2500 or less it will cost you $25 a month. Now, I mentioned their “Basic” plan, because their pricing works very much like MailChimp‘s: one, the plan (the amount of bells and whistles – features – you want or need); and secondly, the number of subscribers you have.

***As an affiliate for some of the products and services mentioned in this blog post, I may get compensated for recommendations.

My choice of autoresponder is,… AWeber. Their pricing also starts as free, as a one month trial. After that, it is $19 a month if your list is 500 or less subscribers. From there, the pricing increases depending on the size of your list. The biggest difference between AWeber and GetResponse and MailChimp is that when you choose AWeber, you get all the same features and functions – regardless of the size of your list!

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What’s even cooler is that AWeber is one of the first autoresponders – ever. They started all the way back in 1998! It was created in a garage, just about twenty minutes from me here in suburban Philadelphia. Through the years, they have grown. In fact, they have grown so much so and are so important to our local community that our U.S. Representative, Michael Fitzpatrick (R.I.P.), was there for their new headquarters ribbon-cutting ceremony!

Not a designer? No problem! AWeber’s new Smart Designer allows you to automatically create amazing-looking, branded email templates in roughly 5 seconds. All you need is a URL! Try it for yourself.

All three autoresponders have their pros and cons. For example, if you have no interest in offering any goods, products or services outside of your own start with MailChimp. That stated, I suggest that you do research on all three of them for yourself. In my honest opinion, though, I definitely prefer AWeber. Given the fact that you get all the same features and functions no matter the size of your list, AWeber is my go-to choice!

In conclusion, email marketing is on the the most important ways for you to: build and grow a following and keep in touch with your customers and prospects. Now, you also may be thinking, “Well, all nice and good, Kevin, but you’re just trying to sell me something.” Nope. I just want you to understand how vital email marketing is to use in your business. If you don’t believe me, read this article from Target Marketing Magazine – also headquartered here in Philadelphia. The article is titled “The Importance of ALWAYS Having a Solid Email Marketing Program“.

In the next post, will be sharing with you some of the best practices when using email marketing.

***FTC Disclaimer… I am an affiliate of: AWeber, GetResponse, DeadlineFunnel and Big Barker (Ortho Dog Beds), and may be compensated for recommendations.

Oh, yeah, One last thing… Even if you already have an email list with a different ESP, you can easily migrate your email list to AWeber. The link takes you to an older article, but still relevant. I regularly have folks migrate their lists to AWeber. You should too!!!

Update,…

Are you aware that MailChimp is now a subsidiary of a much larger corporation?

Yup! In fact, Intuit, the GIANT software company, agreed to buy it for,… $12 BILLION! https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/13/intuit-confirms-12b-deal-to-buy-mailchimp

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather work with an ESP/autoresponder that is a small, independent business, like yours versus a faceless behemoth.

P.S. With the ever-evolving landscape of technology, artificial intelligence is helping marketers create better emails.