So you would like to run an Online Business or already do but … 8

In my blog yesterday, I talked about using f.r.ee advertisements as a way to drive customers to you web site or sales pages. Today I will introduce email marketing software often mistakenly known as autoresponders. Mistakenly because most email marketing programs are a lot more than autoresponders. 

But first, why should you need email software? Is this not just another unnecessary expense? Well imagine that you have been doing all the good work of list building and you have 100 or more subscribers on your list. Using your own email software may be possible when your subscriber list is small but when you are seen to be mailing the same email to several hundred or more you are likely to encounter difficulties from ISPs (internet service providers). You could well be accused of spamming. And current anti-spamming legislation in North America and increasingly elsewhere means you need to exercise caution if you do not want a lawsuit on your hands. Managing unsubscribe requests starts to become a major headache as your list grows in size. You need to be able to offer your subscribers the possibility to both opt-in to your list and to opt-out of your list. 

There are several emailing software programs that you can subscribe to as an entrepreneur or small business. For the larger organizations there may well be a case for running your email software system in-house provided you have the necessary technology with backup in place, people to support the technology and access to appropriate legal advice. 

So what should you be looking for in selecting your email software system? Email deliverability is vital for your success. A trusted source is more likely to get delivered because they are known to be operating within the law and do not tolerate spammers. You may have noted that when I used the word free I typed it as fr.e.e or variations of this. I did this deliberately to show some of the tricks that spammers use to get their email delivered. This will not always work. Most ISPs use anti-spam systems to reduce unsolicited email for their customers. That is why the chance to opt-in / opt-out is so important. With this you are able to prove that your subscriber elected to join your list. And when the subscriber wishes to unsubscribe from the list, s/he can go to the bottom of the email and click on the unsubscribe link and it is done immediately.

Additionally, you should be able to: send out newsletters as a mass email without any problem; create sign-up forms that are located on your website or sales page; carryout email web analytics; and automatically send out emails for whatever purpose (eg, a welcome to my subscriber list with perhaps more information or a free gift) as soon as someone has subscribed to your list or taken some other requested action – aka an autoresponder. There are a number of email marketing systems to choose from but the one I recommend and use is aweber since they have been operating for 10 years and really know what they are doing plus they offer excellent training and support. See for yourself at http://www.aweber.com/?303811  

So you would like to run an Online Business or already do but … 9