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6 Things To Be Aware Of While Selecting A
Follow-Up
Autoresponder/List Server
© 2002 By Vishal Rao
BEAT the Cold Winter of 2007 ARIZONA'S NEWEST WONDER
Kartchner Caverns State Park opened in 1999. This stunning limestone cave system is one of the top in the world. Visit Sunny Southwest this cold winter |
I don't know about you, but according to me, the best
marketing tool for your online business other than your
domain name is your follow-up autoresponder/list server.
While a good one can make running your online business a
dream, a bad one (or transferring your list) can turn it
in to a nightmare. Based on my experience here are 6
things to be aware of while selecting a follow-up
autoresponder (or transferring your existing list to a new
one).
1) Make sure your follow-up autoresponder has a "List
Broadcast" facility.
This way, there is no need for a investing in a different
list server to manage your opt-in list.
2) Make sure you read the "Fine Print" before
signing up for any service.
When I first decided to get one for my growing opt-in
list, I came across one that looked absolutely great. It
seemed to have all the features and the price was dirt
cheap too.
I signed up immediately and soon my list outgrew the 1000
barrier. When I decided to send this news to my
subscribers, I got a notice something like this:
"Your List Has More Than 1000 Subscribers. If You
Would Like To Send A Broadcast To Your List, Please
Purchase The List Extension Feature"
I cursed myself for not reading the fine print.
3) Inquire if they have any list transfer policy.
This is very crucial if you're changing your existing list
server and have a relatively large list.
One autoresponder I checked had a list transfer policy
which stated that you cannot upload more than 2500
subscribers in a given month!
4) Always upload a DEMO list and send a test mail to see
if everything is fine.
Recently I checked an autoresponder that had everything
one could dream for. When I shifted my list to this one
and sent a broadcast, I couldn't close the window!!! It
kept displaying this...
Mailing xyz@xyz.com
Mailing xyz@domain.com
...
...
Don't Stop Till You See "Finished Mailing"
It took more than an hour to mail to my entire list and
all the time I had to keep watching the process. This
might be OK for those who have unlimited Net access, but
for those with dial-up plans, it can be a nightmare.
-----SIDE BAR-----
It's very easy to create a demo list if your domain has
"Catch All" e-mail address feature. You can
create a list of 20 or so with addresses like this:
you1@yourdoamin.com
you2@yourdomain.com
you3@yourdomain.com
... so on.
-----SIDE BAR-----
5) Inquire whether they have any limit imposed on the no.
of subscribers.
6) See whether they have any limit on the message length
you send to your list.
Finally, ALWAYS check your new service THOROUGHLY before
leaving your old one. Most of them offer a 30 day
guarantee; which should be a sufficient time to make any
decision.
--------
Vishal Rao publishes an informative e-zine: HomeBiz
Opportunities. Subscribe to his e-zine and get his free
e-mail course: "11 Killer Strategies To Explode Your
Online Profits" => mailto:hbo@infogeneratorpro.com
For a complete step-by-step road-map for Internet success,
rush to => http://www.raovishal.com/
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