Introduction
There’s absolutely no denying that if you wish to be highly profitable online, you MUST build an email list. Selling to warm leads and existing customers is far easier than trying to convert cold visitors (prospects).
This is why you see marketers constantly parroting the quote, “The money is in the list!”
That’s definitely true. However, let’s not forget a crucial component in all of this. The money may be in the list – but where you keep the list matters greatly too.
The best way to build your list will be to use a reputable autoresponder. Since this is a very profitable online business model, there are many large companies offering email marketing services.
So which will you choose?
They’re all not made equal. Some are infinitely better than others. So you have to pick an autoresponder carefully.
- Do NOT do this!
Avoid using self-hosted autoresponders! They’re usually created by ‘smaller’ marketers and lack the features and automation that the managed services.
Very often, the self-hosted autoresponders only have one thing going for them – a low one-time fee. But you always get what you pay for. If you have deliverability issues, etc. you’ll have to sort them out yourself.
Not to mention, most self-hosted autoresponders do not have as many integration and customization features as the ‘big guns’. So it’s best to pick a managed solution even if it means forking out a monthly or yearly fee.
Mention autoresponders and you’ll always see a few big names being mentioned.
Very often, the name GetResponse will make an appearance and you’ll see marketers raving about it. But does it live up to the hype?
Let’s look at the pros and cons of GetResponse…
The Pros
- Established brand
In terms of popularity, one could say that GetResponse comes in a close second after AWeber. Usually, both autoresponders are mentioned in the same breath by online marketers when asked to name reliable autoresponders.
GetResponse has been around for years and it does the job well enough.
- Affordable
If you’re looking for a low cost autoresponder that’s reputable, you’re looking for GetResponse. It’s one of the more affordable autoresponder brands and beginner marketers on a tight budget will be able to afford the $12.30 a month for 1000 subscribers.
- Has a variety of features
GetResponse is just as efficient as other popular autoresponders and has features such as tagging, abandoned cart emails, automation flows, visitor tracking and more. Despite the lower price, GetResponse still packs a punch.
- Easy to use & tutorials provided
The GetResponse interface is clean and seems less clunky than AWeber. While not as sleek as ConvertKit’s set up, GetResponse is definitely still easy to navigate and use.
Beginners to email marketing tools will have no issues using it. Tutorials are provided to guide you. Just click on the ‘Resources’ link.
- Constantly updated
One of GetResponse’s biggest selling points is that there is constant improvement and innovation going on. This probably explains why unlike AWeber which ended up lagging behind, GetResponse was able to keep up with the newer and leaner autoresponder software hitting the market.
You can rest assured that GetResponse will keep getting better over time because of their never-ending approach to innovation.
- Drag and drop email builder
GetResponse uses a block editor for its emails. Initially, it may seem weird, because unlike ConvertKit (where you type text directly in the editor), with GetResponse, you’ll be dragging text blocks, image blocks, etc.
However, with GetResponse’s editor, your emails can be better customized. With ConvertKit, your emails will be mostly text-based and there’s not much option for customization.
So GetResponse wins hands down in this regard.
- A/B testing
You can split test your emails with GetResponse. While there’s not much depth to the split testing, you still can do basic A/B testing of your subject lines and so on. That will help you send better emails which get higher open rates.
- Integrations
GetResponse integrates with many 3rd party providers. Because it has been on the scene for so long, it has more integrations than many of the other newer autoresponders.
Here are some of the integrations that GetResponse has: Samcart, Woocommerce, Magento, Stripe, PayPal, Facebook, Gmail and more. They have 10 pages of integrations! You can see them all here: GetResponse.com/integrations
- Landing pages
You can easily build simple landing pages with GetResponse. So if you don’t wish to fork out money for a page builder, you can still create rudimentary landing pages with GetResponse – and it’ll still get the job done and help you build your list.
- Great reporting
GetResponse offers reporting on email analytics such as click throughs, open rates, Google Analytics and so on. In fact, it’s better than several other email marketing tools in this aspect.
There are just too many features in this powerful autoresponder tool to mention here. You’ll be better informed visiting the official site here.
The Cons
GetResponse has a subscriber blacklist. This list is probably comprised of people who opt in to get emails and then mark the emails as SPAM instead of clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the emails.
Whatever the case may be, some of the people on the blacklist may buy your products but not be added to your email list in GetResponse via API – because they’re blacklisted.
As a result, you’ll not have these customers on your list and you can’t market to them. This is a definite disadvantage of using GetResponse.
Another downside is that GetResponse doesn’t have the best deliverability rates. It’s fair by industry standards, but it could be better.
Nevertheless, it’s still a reliable autoresponder to consider.
Should You Get It?
Visit the official page and look at what GetResponse is offering. They have a 30-day free trial. Sign up for it and try out the tool.
If you like it, you can upgrade your plan and use it. Ultimately, what matters when it comes to using email marketing software is that you feel comfortable using it and it has the features you need.
GetResponse just might be the autoresponder you’ve been looking for. Do try it out.
