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Aweber or GetResponse?If you really do business online, you need a really good autoresponder.
It sends your newsletter to subscribers and follow-up messages to your customers. In a nutshell, it keeps you in touch and so it keeps you in business. The one I use and swear by is Aweber.
The Aweber autoresponder service has earned every bit of its excellent reputation. Not only that, it continues to add new
features and never lets up on its mission to be the best and easiest to use. Some of those features include click tracking (recording
when a link in your message is clicked to monitor response rates), spam-check (scanning your message for potential spam trigger words that can cause it to be blocked), open rate (display of how many subscribers have actually opened and read your message) and perhaps the highest deliverability available in such a service today. Their list of features is very clear and straightforward - no outlandish claims or high-pressure sales gimmicks. They say what they mean and mean what they say.
There's also no worries about spam complaints from subscribers who've forgotten they've subscribed. Because it's an independent service and not just a copy-and-paste script, those complaints come to Aweber's domain, not yours. They handle it, you don't have any ISP hassles and all's right with the world.
If you have a blog or plan to have one, one excellent feature is called the Feed Broadcaster. It's a way to turn your blog into an HTML formatted email newsletter with the click of a button. Just imagine those possibilities - informing readers immediately when you post to your blog! That spells repeat visits. You can use this handy feature to cross-promote your regular newsletters as RSS feeds too. You'll increase search engine traffic and spread the word far and wide.
Isn't that what you want to do?
There's other ones and even good ones, but for autoresponders, Aweber is number one. And not for its features, which I barely scratched, but for its true commitment to quality, service and constantly delivering more value. There aren't a lot of companies
like it, which I'm sure you've noticed.
Aweber's biggest drawback would have to be the lack of sales orientation on their site. It's to the point and factual, without hype or hoopla.
Its top rival in the autoresponder service biz is GetResponse. It's a very sales oriented site that even offers some fairly juicy looking free bonuses for signing up with them. They claim to have three times the number of templates (graphic "looks" for your messages) and offer a free test drive. The "free test drive" offered by Aweber is more than you'd ever expect and not what you might expect, but GetResponse says they'll shut down anyone they catch spamming, provided they catch them.
GetResponse also boasts a couple of features not found at Aweber - visual email postcards and a selection of different domain names for your messages to aid in tracking responses. In all honesty, most of the other stuff they claim as new goodies are the same things Aweber has had for a while. Can you say catchup?
The big difference at GetResponse is the option to buy qualified subscribers. Supposedly such subscribers can grow your mailing list more quickly and put you in a better money making position. Well, maybe.
Aweber is empathic in their outlook here: Not here, Jack. They don't offer it and they don't allow lead imports from bought lists of any kind. They assert that only confirmed opt-in subscriptions and requests should appear on your lists to give the best protection against spam complaints. Personally, I appreciate their concern.
Oh, one more. That free account available from GetResponse contains outside ads. After peeking at their terms and conditions statement, I noticed a little paragraph stating that ads may be included in the paid version as well. Who wants someone else's ad in something you're paying for? Granted, they're probably GetResponse ads. They're still not yours.
As you probably expect, there's testimonials from some well known and reputable Internet marketers of all kinds for both services. Your personal favorite may be on one or the other. One of my mentors gave a testimonial for Aweber, although it was before I came to know this person. It was good to see that someone I trust and respect has used it without a problem or complaint since before I even knew about either of them.
There are those who swear by GetResponse and point to their guarantee below:
Aweber's guarantee: They don't have one. They do, however, specifically state that any refund due will be immediately made upon the customer's termination of service.
Plain and simple.
They're both close on a lot of points, including price. Aweber is out front and GetResponse is hot on their heels. Check them out and decide!
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