Aweber Autoresponders - they’re often hailed as the best in the industry, but are they really?
I have been using Aweber for some time now to manage large email lists, for a range of different niches, as well as quite a few smaller lists. I have also tried several other autoresponder services for comparison - here is what I found…
The Good Points
- Unlimited campaigns, lists, follow up messages. You can literally create as many different lists as you want, with an unlimited number of followup messages. This is in contrast to some other popular autoresponder services.
- Reliable and fast email deliverability. Aweber boasts that it’s deliverability is 99.34%. Some people have contested this figure in other reviews, however my personal experience is that it’s pretty accurate. Their deliverability is extremely high and I know it’s something they work hard on. Messages are also delivered fast, which is important I believe.
- Templates for html newsletter and follow up design. These are very useful if you want to use html messages. I don’t personally, but I have reviewed the 51+ templates available and they all look professional and attractive.
- Easily create and add opt-in web forms to your website. The web forms will also feed back data so you can check things such as conversion ratios for subscriptions, where they subscribed from etc
- Expert customer support. This is important, especially where technical problems arise. I have had several dealings with Aweber’s support services (mainly for technical issues), and they have always been prompt, and more importantly, very useful. The program also offers free training guides and videos, for those who want them.
The Bad Points
- Extra charges. If the total number of subscribers totals more than 10,000 you get charged an extra $9.95 per month, for every 10,000. Although this surprised me, I haven’t found any autoresponders who don’t do this, so it seems in line with industry standards.
- Web forms. If you want to collect the data about conversion rations etc you need to use the javascript web forms, however these aren’t as modifiable as the html web forms. Again, I find this frustrating, but I’m not sure that any of Aweber’s competitors have any solutions either.
The Summary
Overall, I have been extremely happy with Aweber and wouldn’t consider changing except for a large bag of coconuts and an island somewhere. They integrate so easily into all my webpages etc and have provided exceptional list management, all for very reasonable pricing. I take my hat off to Tom Kulzer and the rest of the Aweber crew.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Almost perfect autoresponder service - I just wish the javascript webforms were more modifiable.
If you want to take a free test drive of the Aweber system, you can at www.FreeAweber.com
CK
