Email marketing tools and Autoresponders are among the most important parts of your business as an artist. They are used for more than sending promotional emails. You can also use them to follow-up with existing customers, to build loyalty and keep people coming back to your art website and ultimately to make sales.
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What is an Autoresponder?- here is the Wikpedia explanation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoresponder
The providers listed here have different capabilities and you may want to choose according to your needs. Some are free and some are paid and you can pick according to your budget. You can always upgrade later as your business grows,
Features may or may not include:
- Importing offline clients
- High deliverability
- Shopping cart integration
- List segmentation
- Single or double opt-in requirements
Full features are listed on each providers website as well as current pricing and offers. The providers are listed in no particular order of preference – and I have not used all of them myself. Pleas click on the name to go to the website. These are direct links.
MailChimp
If your list is 500 addresses or less Mailchimp has a free solution for you. This is an ideal choice when you’re just starting out – 500 is more than enough, and if your list is never over that number is is free forever. The starting price for a paid account is small and can be upgraded as you go. If you want to get familiar with autoresponders and you don’t want to start paying yet, go ahead and try MailChimp. It is an ideal first step as an email marketing tool with plenty of features and flexibility and pretty HTML templates – if that is your thing. Many not-for-profit organisations use Mailchimp as well as small businesses.
iContact
If you need to import an offline list of customers, as a small to medium sized business this can be for you. iContact allows you to add people to your list manually or through import. Although some other providers allow this, you often have to jump through hoops to get permission. They provide enough features to be and effective marketing tool.
Aweber
All the tools you need from a company with an excellent reputation. Aweber offers a free trial period and training (currently 30 days). When the trial period is over the price is you will pay is related to the size of your list. Well worth checking out for the training and tools. The strict spam rules they impose mean your emails are trusted.
Constant Contact
Geared primarily for marketers who have lists in the hundreds, thousands or low to mid tens of thousands. If you love HTML or graphical emails, this also has much to offer. Constant Contact could be your choice as an email marketing tool. They offer a Free trial and pricing plans with more or fewer features.
GetResponse
This is a reliable solution for small businesses suitable for list sizes of mid tens of thousands or fewer. They have a strong reputation in the industry and offer a wide variety of features according to the pricing plan you choose. They offer a test Drive, currently one month free.
InfusionSoft
Not for Startups. InfusionSoft is geared to already successful businesses with large lists and is capable of complex configurations. You can even use it to send physical postcards! All this comes at a price – it in the hundreds per month and has a hefty set up fee. If you are aiming to be super successful you could set a goal of needing this – and affording it!
Disclaimer:
These links and the information with each is correct at the time of publication – prices and features may vary.
Your suggestions
I hope you can find your ideal autoresponder and that it serves you well. If you have experience of these or others please share them in the comment box below, your thoughts could be useful to others seeking a marketing solution.
And feel free to share if you find this post useful:)
