Free vs. paid autoresponder - Using Free autoresponder script/service is advisable?

Radhika Venkata (c)

'Free' word comes with certain restrictions. There are very many free services and products. Most of these comes with limitations and expirations. Same with free autoresponder services and products too ...

Comparing free versus paid autoresponder services/scripts:

Free autoresponders are not updated at regular intervals:

Most of the scripts that are floating around the web are no longer updated by the authors and there will be many bugs and glitches in them. So make sure you use a free autoresponder that is updated regularly.

Free autoresponders are not supported by the authors:

Many of these autoresponders are sold by resellers or persons with private label rights. So they don't come with backend support. Many posts in many forums prove that free autoresponders comes with poor support.

Advertisements in the outgoing email messages:

This is a common practice with autoresponder services who actually host your lists and send your messages to your subscribers as a free service. But where do they get their revenue? By sending advertisements in your email messages. Your subscriber thinks that they ae sent by you. Not professional ... right?

Free trial versions:

These trial scripts or services comes with all features of a full featured software but they work only for a certain interval. For example, PC based autoresponders ... They let you install the software on your computer and it runs for a restricted period.

Free Limited versions:

The autoresponder scripts or services are provided for free of charge and with limited functionality. People who can go with limited features can use these software. But email marketers who wants full featured one will upgrade from free versions to paid full featured ones.

So free autoresponders comes with certain restrictions. But beginners in internet market niche usually opt for free service first and then they move to paid version. But disadvantage with this is they have to move all subscribers database to new software. But if you have option, you can go with free limited versions and upgrade them to paid full featured ones in future. So if you are serious about email marketing buy a decent script that you can stick with for your email marketing!

Where to keep Your mailing list subscription form for your magazine?

Radhika Venkata (c)

Open up your web site in a browser. Surf through few pages of your site. Remember, DON'T scroll down the page. Just look around your pages above the fold. Which part of your site is more eye catching? Any specific part of your site is more prominent? Use that area to keep your subscription form code.

Tips on keeping subscription form on the web site:

More exposed areas:

You can see the following parts of your web site are more exposed than others -

* Navigational bar above the fold
* Top header area, either left or right

Keep a small subscription form in these areas. These navigational bar and header area can be seen on all web pages of your site. So subscription form is seen by the visitor on any page of the web site.

Make it prominent:

Make the subscription form prominent. Keep a boder around the form or use a different background color for subscription form.

Use pop-up boxes:

Some webmasters use pop-up boxes. These pop-up boxes can be either of javascript type or dhtml type. Use dhtml pop-up boxes to catch your visitors attention. But the disadvantage is it will be annoying for the visitor to see this pop up on every page of your web site while he/she is surfing. So use pop up boxes only selected pages of your site.

Create landing pages:

You can also upload a seperate web page for subscription form only. This method is used by many marketers as landing pages. They test different criteria for each landing page and test them.

Subscription forms on special locations:

Other locations to keep your email subscription form(s) are-
* Your 404 error pages
* Download pages
* Member areas
* Free reports - Start giving away free report with a subscription form link.

List subscription form on other sites:

You can join in subscription co-ops where ezine publishers promote each others lists by keeping subscription forms. For example, you will keep your partners subscription form on your thank you pages and the same with your partner. Your visitors once subscribes to your magazine or list, they will be redirected to a thankyou page where they will see your partrners subscription form.