When you’re first starting out in Internet marketing there is definitely a lot that you’re going to have to learn. After you have a better idea of what exactly it is that you’re going to sell and who the people are that you’re selling it to, you will need to get your web content up online and get as many people to see it as possible. The main thing you need to do is make sure that you’re getting the information from those people (such as their name and e-mail address), so you can contact them whenever you need to. This is a much better option than trying to get them to come to your site time after time. Setting up an autoresponder is the absolute best way for you to keep marketing to people on a repeated basis, however, paid autoresponders can range anywhere from $9-$25 each month and that’s just for the entry-level price; they can often cost much more than that especially if you have a large list. But the question still remains our free auto responders actually a good option?
Believe it or not, there is actually a lot of debate in Internet marketing community as to which is better: free or paid autoresponders. Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of each then once you see what the benefits are of each one you will have a better idea of whether or not free autoresponders are the best choice for you.
Of course, the best thing about a free autoresponder is that it doesn’t cost you any money. That way you’ll really get up and running and be able to start collecting names that you can market to repeatedly. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work…in theory.
The reality is that a free autoresponder often has a lot of problems associated with it. For example, they are free for a reason, and that is they often attached their own advertising to every message you send out. If you’re serious about being in business for yourself, then it doesn’t make a lot of sense to come across as unprofessional by slapping on ads that you have no control over. And that’s what it’s really about controlling your own business in a way that looks professional.
Now on the other hand, you may not have a lot of money to start your business with, that’s okay. It happens. There is one other thing to think about though. If you start out collecting names using free autoresponders, and then later decide to upgrade to a paid autoresponder, you may not be able to transfer all of the names you have on your free list to your newly paid-for list.
So, while free autoresponders sound like they might be a really great deal, the truth is that they come with a lot of problems. That doesn’t mean you can’t overcome those problems, but you need to be aware of them before you do something that you may regret later. Instead of thinking of paid autoresponders as a cost, try thinking of them as an investment in your business and your future. But if you really must, a free autoresponder is better than having no autoresponder at all.