Introduction
There’s absolutely no denying the fact 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 provide.
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 Aweber 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 Aweber…
The Pros
- Stable
If autoresponders were animals, Aweber would be a dinosaur. It’s probably the oldest autoresponder of the lot and was around when online marketing began.
That probably attests to the fact as to why it’s still popular even though it’s nowhere as sleek or user-friendly as the latest email marketing software such as ConvertKit or Active Campaign.
Nevertheless, Aweber is still a goliath in this email marketing scene and is a solid, proven and trusted autoresponder.
- Affordable
Marketers on a tighter budget will be able to afford Aweber which costs less than $20 a month, unlike other more expensive solutions.
- Wide selection of forms and email templates
You have a lot of flexibility when it comes to creating forms and emails with Aweber. There are more than 700 email templates to choose with the usual customization options.
- Free up to 500 subscribers
You can sign up for Aweber for free and test it out up to a limit of 500 subscribers. That’s an excellent way for you to get a feel for the software. You may wish to try out the free trials at other autoresponder companies too. This will allow you to get a better idea of which one is suitable for you.
- Has most of the features you’ll need
For quite a long time, Aweber was lagging behind in some of the more recent features that its competitors were offereing such as tagging, etc.
However, Aweber seem to have caught up and are they’re trying to be competitive now rather than relying on old customer habits to stay with them. Automations, tagging, segmenting, split testing, etc. are all available in Aweber now.
- Generally easy to use
The Aweber interface is clean and relatively uncomplicated. While it does seem clunkier than GetResponse and ConvertKit, once you’re familiar with the layout, you’ll be able to use Aweber easily. It’s a lot less complicated than Infusionsoft or Mailchimp.
- Detailed reporting and analytics
This is one area where Aweber truly shines. They even have an app that you can download to analyze your stats. Wow! This dinosaur is really picking up the pace here.
We’re not going into the specific tracking features. Just know that it’s detailed enough to track sales, subscriber actions, and so on.
- Integrates like a beast!
Since it has been in the business for so long, Aweber integrates with hundreds of third party solutions ranging from PayPal to Zapier. You can see the list on the official website.
Generally, if you have a tool that doesn’t integrate with other autoresponders, you’ll want to check if it works with Aweber. In most cases, it just might.
- Can use Canva
This is something interesting that we didn’t see with the other autoresponders. You can actually use Canva within your Aweber interface to create images and so on. This is brilliant. Good ol’ T-Rex Aweber is definitely beautifying its emails.
- Good support
Just like all the popular autoresponder companies, Aweber has great 24/7 prompt customer support too.
- Account migration
If you’re with another autoresponder and would like to move your lists, tags, subscribers, etc. – all you need to do is fill out a form and Aweber will move your lists and stuff for you. Easy peasy!
- Knowledgebase and tutorials
Don’t panic. If you have no idea how to use Aweber, they have tons of articles and video tutorials to guide you. You’ll have no problem figuring out this platform.
- Good deliverability rate
Despite being on the scene for so long, Aweber still manages to get its members’ emails into the subscribers’ inboxes without fail (for the most part). The litmus test of any autoresponder is its deliverability rate – and Awber does a good job here.
The Cons
Despite the fact that Aweber has done a lot to catch up with the newer autoresponders, its interface still needs a better look.
It also charges users for subscribers who are on the subscribed and unsubscribed lists. This isn’t really fair, and while the onus is on the user to delete their ‘unsubs’, it’s still a hassle and Aweber has been in the business long enough to have created a solution for this.
Should You Get It?
We recommend signing up for the free trial and testing it out for yourself… and also trying out the other popular autoresponders.
This is a very competitive industry and most autoresponders have similar features with some focusing on a few strengths. However, what really matters is that you like using the tool and feel at ease with it.
While some people swear by Aweber, many have switched to GetResponse or Mailchimp because they felt it was a better solution for them.
You need to see if Aweber is suitable for you. So give it a try and decide for yourself. As far as autoresponders go, Aweber is just as strong a contender as any.
