Benefits and Drawbacks of Owning Your Own Autoresponder
When you are starting to build your own online business, it's probably the first major decision you have to take.
And it probably carries key commercial consequences: Do I pay a monthly subscription for an autoresponder service, or do I pay cash down for my own autoresponder software, which I then own outright? Well, let's start with reasons in support of having your own autoresponder software The number one point in support f is this: you are not going to be paying possibly thousands of dollars in subscription fees over the years.
Let's assume that the monthly subscription is twenty dollars, that is going to be $240 a year, and over five years that will accrue to £1,200.
And that could based on a modest mailing list of, say, 10,000 subscribers.
As it grows - and you're building a successful business - the subscription fee will rise accordingly.
So that is a major overhead that has to be accounted for when considering profitability.
The second point in favor could well be the fact that you are in control.
You have control over your email list - probably the most valuable asset you will ever own, aside from your house or apartment.
Assuming that you take the necessary precautions (secure backing up and so on) you will not fall victim to any server problems on a subscription hosted server.
The third supporting point is to do with customisation.
With your own software, it is likely that you will be able to fine tune messages and reports far more than with an impersonal service that you are paying for..
The fourth point in support of owning your own autoresponder is the fact that you will probably have much more freedom to import subscription lists without having to ask subscribers to re-confirm their subscription, or opt-in, for a second time.
This can often lead to subscribers falling away through inertia, or irritation..
And last (but not necessarily least) the fifth point in support of owning your own autoresponder, is that you will probably be able to create unlimited number of autoresponders for one or more of your websites - there's won't be any extra charges..
Wel,l on the other hand, for balance, here are points against that you need to consider: The main point against owning your own autoresponder is this: credibility.
Credibility, that is, not with your subscribers (though I'll come on to that in a minute) but with your Internet service provider.
You see, they are extremely suspicious of bulk mailouts.
And the major autoresponder services, such as Aweber, have built a relationship of trust with ISPs who recognise a bona fide service, and will be less likely to block your emails..
The second point against is going to be credibility with your subscribers.
I know that I always prefer to subscribe via a service that I recognise, rather than one I don't.
I know, for instance, that an opt-in subscription is preferable to a straight sign-up.
I know, for example, that Aweber makes it difficult to import email addresses that haven't opted-in..
The third point against is going to be support.
The last thing you want is for your autoresponder facility to fail.
Let's imagine a worst cast scenario: you have worked hard to develop a product or service.
You have planned the product launch.
You are all set to go.
And then, at a critical moment, your autoresponder fails.
Frankly, you are dead in the water.
I don't believe you can afford that risk.
A fourth negative point will be ease of use, and the facilities available.
Once you have paid for your autoresponder (and, by the way, I have tried both approaches, bought and subscription) you are pretty much on your own.
Sure, there may be upgrades, but they tend to be few and far between.
A subscription facility, on the other hand, tends to upgrade regularly and without your having to do much as everything takes place on their hosting server..
Fifth and then finally, the last point is access to support and a knowledge base.
With a market leader, subscription based autoresponder service, you will get blue-chip technical support and customer service, quickly and promptly.
If you own your software outright, you're on your own.
OK - there may be some kind of ticket system, but I have found it tends to be rudimentary.
So - we've looked at both sides of owning your own autoresponder program.
What is the "bottom line" here? Is owning your own autoresponder ) good or bad? Both questions appear to have a "yes" answer! owning your own autoresponder can work for you under certain conditions - limited online business, small subscriber base (club, team etc), and no real plans for significant growth.
But if you are a serious online marketeer, I would urge you to consider seriously a subscription based, blue-chip autoresponder such as Aweber.
It could be the best business decision you will ever make.
And it probably carries key commercial consequences: Do I pay a monthly subscription for an autoresponder service, or do I pay cash down for my own autoresponder software, which I then own outright? Well, let's start with reasons in support of having your own autoresponder software The number one point in support f is this: you are not going to be paying possibly thousands of dollars in subscription fees over the years.
Let's assume that the monthly subscription is twenty dollars, that is going to be $240 a year, and over five years that will accrue to £1,200.
And that could based on a modest mailing list of, say, 10,000 subscribers.
As it grows - and you're building a successful business - the subscription fee will rise accordingly.
So that is a major overhead that has to be accounted for when considering profitability.
The second point in favor could well be the fact that you are in control.
You have control over your email list - probably the most valuable asset you will ever own, aside from your house or apartment.
Assuming that you take the necessary precautions (secure backing up and so on) you will not fall victim to any server problems on a subscription hosted server.
The third supporting point is to do with customisation.
With your own software, it is likely that you will be able to fine tune messages and reports far more than with an impersonal service that you are paying for..
The fourth point in support of owning your own autoresponder is the fact that you will probably have much more freedom to import subscription lists without having to ask subscribers to re-confirm their subscription, or opt-in, for a second time.
This can often lead to subscribers falling away through inertia, or irritation..
And last (but not necessarily least) the fifth point in support of owning your own autoresponder, is that you will probably be able to create unlimited number of autoresponders for one or more of your websites - there's won't be any extra charges..
Wel,l on the other hand, for balance, here are points against that you need to consider: The main point against owning your own autoresponder is this: credibility.
Credibility, that is, not with your subscribers (though I'll come on to that in a minute) but with your Internet service provider.
You see, they are extremely suspicious of bulk mailouts.
And the major autoresponder services, such as Aweber, have built a relationship of trust with ISPs who recognise a bona fide service, and will be less likely to block your emails..
The second point against is going to be credibility with your subscribers.
I know that I always prefer to subscribe via a service that I recognise, rather than one I don't.
I know, for instance, that an opt-in subscription is preferable to a straight sign-up.
I know, for example, that Aweber makes it difficult to import email addresses that haven't opted-in..
The third point against is going to be support.
The last thing you want is for your autoresponder facility to fail.
Let's imagine a worst cast scenario: you have worked hard to develop a product or service.
You have planned the product launch.
You are all set to go.
And then, at a critical moment, your autoresponder fails.
Frankly, you are dead in the water.
I don't believe you can afford that risk.
A fourth negative point will be ease of use, and the facilities available.
Once you have paid for your autoresponder (and, by the way, I have tried both approaches, bought and subscription) you are pretty much on your own.
Sure, there may be upgrades, but they tend to be few and far between.
A subscription facility, on the other hand, tends to upgrade regularly and without your having to do much as everything takes place on their hosting server..
Fifth and then finally, the last point is access to support and a knowledge base.
With a market leader, subscription based autoresponder service, you will get blue-chip technical support and customer service, quickly and promptly.
If you own your software outright, you're on your own.
OK - there may be some kind of ticket system, but I have found it tends to be rudimentary.
So - we've looked at both sides of owning your own autoresponder program.
What is the "bottom line" here? Is owning your own autoresponder ) good or bad? Both questions appear to have a "yes" answer! owning your own autoresponder can work for you under certain conditions - limited online business, small subscriber base (club, team etc), and no real plans for significant growth.
But if you are a serious online marketeer, I would urge you to consider seriously a subscription based, blue-chip autoresponder such as Aweber.
It could be the best business decision you will ever make.
Source...