When I started to blog using one of the free blogging platforms several years ago, I didn’t have any idea what I was planning. I just had to say something and I decided to say it using a blog. That’s was the extent of my plan.
But things changed with time and I began to see possibilities as my confidence grew. I soon realized I needed to allow people to subscribe to my blog so that they don’t have to wonder when I am going to post something.
Started My List Building Journey With Feedburner
Today, this is a no brainer. When you have a blog, you need to burn a feed and link it to your website. Pretty simple and everyone has it these days!
Well, I stayed that way for a long time and I wasn’t able to communicate with my subscriber community in any other way than through my blog posts. I wasn’t able to send follow up emails, share an eBook or anything of that nature.
Personal Branding Efforts Caused The Transition
Eventually, I realized the mistake I was making and I decided to switch to Aweber. Not that I was losing out on money because I didn’t have a big list but simply because it was hurting my personal brand. I was running a couple of blogs and I was not even having a subscription form properly placed. It was not very professional, was it?
I realized that I needed to invest in my online brand to have the credibility I needed to build my brand. Once that sense of ownership came, I decided to switch to Aweber (didn't know many of its features at the time, but simply; since many top marketers were using it).
By the way, in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, I need to disclose that the links in this post are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and do business with them, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I write to recommend only the products and services that I like, enjoy using and feel valuable for my readers.
A Sense Of Importance For Email List Building
After switching to Aweber and using their autoresponder services for sometime, I realized what I was not doing until then. I didn’t have a vision for building an email list. Whatever I did, I did for building my brand identity. That’s it!
Well, your blog’s email subscribers are the base from which you really grow your online presence and your brand identity. This is the aspect which is no more secret today but it was for me at the time because I didn’t understand why. I am glad I got it finally!
Now, I am going to share a few features of Aweber that make them such a popular autoresponder service and why I highly recommend them to my clients.
Features For List Building And Management By Aweber
Yes, committing to pay $20 a month to begin with, wasn't the most pleasant decision at that time when I was not even making a penny online. But it was an investment I was willing to make.
Well, when I started liking them, I became their affiliate and since then, I have enjoyed promoting Aweber and hence it pays for itself. So, really, it’s not about money. It’s about making a decision. Isn’t it?
Later, as I continued to use Aweber and started building my email list, it continued to amaze me how much I was able to do with so much ease with this service. Some of it, I share with you today and hopefully you will find your reasons for using Aweber if you haven’t already:
1. Easy And Instant Welcome Email
I remember when I wanted to give away my first eBook as a free gift to those who subscribed to my blog. That is when I really felt the need to have an Autoresponder service. That is when for the first time I thought about Aweber.
Isn’t it so much easier for you as a subscriber to get an instant thank you response sent to your email with the eBook attached? How about being redirected to a “Thank You” page that has a link to download your eBook as soon as you confirm your subscription?
Not just that, this instant follow up feature has a definite advantage where you, as a blog owner, can instantly promote a few other offers you may have along with your free eBook (or any other offer that you might be running).
2. Ability To Send Personalized Emails
When I was with Feedburner’s free service, I had no way to personalize my emails to my subscribers. I couldn’t start my email by addressing my subscriber with his/her first name.
But with Aweber I can do that. My follow up emails or even blog broadcasts go to my subscribers as:
Dear [Subscriber’s First Name],
Now, I have many subscriber friends who love to receive such an email and many times they take time to thank me for sending them my blog updates. They feel valued and isn’t that the purpose? Don’t you want your readers to know that you want to make their experience as pleasant as possible?
Personalization is one of the best features of Aweber and I would spend money only to get this feature!
3. Ability To Send Automatic Follow Up Messages
We all like to be part of some community and building an email subscriber list, having a set of people who engage in discussion on blog posts, is also part of the same agenda. Before signing up for Aweber, I did not have a way to send any follow up message to people who subscribed to my blog, or ask a question to understand their needs.
But with Aweber, you can automatically send out follow up emails to your subscribers as you choose. You can send a communication right after the welcome email, then again after a set interval of days or weeks depending on your strategy. This is such a great way to build relationships with your readers!
I currently run an email based educational course to teach how to setup your own self-hosted website, how to write blog posts, how to drive traffic and how to make money online. I offer this course to anyone who subscribes to my blog. The chapters start to go out as a follow up message after confirming their subscription.
Depending upon my assumption of how many days it may take for my subscriber to implement the knowledge gained through a chapter, I have set the delivery interval for the next chapter throughout this 10-email series. Isn’t it such an incredible feature?
4. Ability To Monetize Through Email Campaigns
When you have a blog, you want to make some money, don’t you? Everybody needs some money and Aweber gives you a powerful toolbox in your hands to make it happen.
You ask how? Right?
Well, if you are subscribed to any well-known experts such as John Maxwell, Tony Robins, Neil Patel, Michael Hyatt, Jeff Walker or Robin Sharma. There are so many of them and they all are incredible leaders in their own craft. But, have you noticed that from time to time they send you an announcement about a new product or a new service or a new online program they are launching?
And, right after that, you start receiving about 2 or 3 really awesome value-added information for free. It may be training of some kind, or an incredible eBook or something that teaches something of value and you love it. And then, from the 3rd or 4th email onwards, you get the announcement that now you have an opportunity to buy their product/service/program in $97 (or something along those lines) which usually costs $599 (or so)?
What is it?
That’s exactly how top internet marketers make money online. They have a large email list. They connect with their subscribers through their quality content, offer awesome value and then, promote their product or service which people are more likely to buy because they already love the free stuff. This type of email campaigning is now in your hands with Aweber. Isn’t that awesome?
5. Beautifully Designed Signup Forms
I wasn’t very good at web design, so including a picture within my posts was a technical challenge. When it came to designing a good looking signup form, I couldn’t do it if it wasn’t for Aweber’s predesigned beautiful forms.
They have over 150 web forms available for free for you to place right in to your blog’s code. They even have a WordPress plugin so you don’t even need to copy and paste code.
This was one of the most compelling reasons for me behind choosing Aweber at the time. I discovered all the other features later.
6. Track Email Delivery, Open Rates And Do Much More
I had no way of knowing, who read my email and who didn’t, when I was using the free Feedburner for managing my subscribers. But now, I can really track a lot of things easily and comfortably! For example:
- Get an email every time you get a subscriber
- Get an email notification as soon as people start to open your emails to track your email campaign’s statistics.
- Track how people opened the email you sent and how many people didn’t.
- Track who clicked on a particular link within your email. This enables you to know the best place to place some advertisements in your emails.
- Get an email when somebody unsubscribes.
- Manage subscribers based on their activity. For example, if there is a subscriber who hasn’t opened an email from you in last 10 months, you may want to remove them from your mailing list.
…and much more which I’m not yet using. But these are just some of the features I love and currently use.
7. They Have Credibility In The Marketplace
Another thing I was looking for was, the credibility factor. Who else is using them? Who trusts them?
Well, that was very easy research because I soon found some of the most respected internet Guru’s that use Aweber and they all seem to be using it very effectively. Just to name a few, here are the people I noticed using Aweber and that made a difference:
- Problogger
- Copyblogger
- SocialTriggers
- Neil Patel
- Robin Sharma
This was enough credibility for Aweber to earn my trust. I guess any company will love to have these people use their service. But they chose Aweber. There must be a good reason, isn’t it?
How About Yourself? Share Your Thoughts
If you are using Aweber as your Autoresponder, are you happy with it? Would you recommend it to others? Please share your experience now through your comments.
If you are still thinking about it, does my experience add any clarity to your decision making process? Do you have any additional questions for me? Please share your thoughts/questions in the comment section.
Thank you kindly!
Hello Kumar,
I guess we all had the same manner of starting off in the blogosphere…starting a blog for the sake of sharing with the world, then exploiting the various opportunities that come with it then monetization at last.
Presently, I still burn feeds. This is because my first major ebook (which I want to give away for free) is still under my pen. Once the book is finished, I would switch over to Aweber.
Thanks for million for sharing your honest opinion about this service.
Always,
Terungwa
Hi Terungwa,
Happy New Week! Yeah, we all start the same way more of less 🙂
I am glad your eBook is coming up. I know it’s going to be awesome. Do let me know if you need any help with anything.
Regards,
Kumar
Thanks Kumar…I’ll keep that at the back of my mind!
Always,
Terungwa
Hi Kumar,
Oh yes…Aweber is wonderful and the choice of many pro-bloggers because of all the lovely benefits you mentioned. I was using it too for a few months, but later switched to a free one that I use now.
Honestly speaking, if you are not an affiliate or into marketing and selling something, I don’t think Aweber is the right choice for you. For me, because my aim was never to earn money through my blog, until recently, it seemed like taking more money from me than giving anything in return, if you know what I mean. I did try it out and liked it too, but when I found I was not using it fully, it didn’t make sense spending that much. But you never know when things change and I might be earning well from my blog, and switch to Aweber again. Even Get Response is supposed to be good, though second on the list I guess.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena,
I definitely know what you mean 🙂 I was having same issue for a long time when it comes to the bills and I didn’t make a dime from my blog for a long time. However, I realized that if I needed something of this nature to have a professional representation and if this was the best, I thought this is what I want. But then, money was a problem. Especially when your blog isn’t making money, paying $20 a month is a bit stressful.
But then, I am one of those guys who believe that if I want something badly, I will find a way or I will make one. So, I found a way to cover for the cost. I found a few fellow entrepreneurs and because they liked what they tried, they stayed with Aweber and so, my cost came down and kept coming down as and when somebody I referred, stayed with Aweber. I have been happy about my bills since then 🙂
Now, speaking of GetResponse, if I ever become unhappy with Aweber for any reason (it’s life, anything is possible), they are my destination. I have heard good things about them as well.
Have a successful new week!
Regards,
Kumar
Hi Kumar,
I never started off with a free autoresponder. The main reason is when I started building lists I was doing affiliate marketing and the majority of them don’t allow that. I had to plop down the money from the beginning.
I did start out with Get Response though only because it was upon the recommendation of the people I was following at that time. I hated it if I must be honest and this was several years ago when the website was so user unfriendly. I soon left them and came over to Aweber and have never looked back.
It’s just easier to use, the support is so helpful and the opt-in box creations are so simple. Of course the list building part of it and how you can set up your auto messages or broadcasts are just great features.
You’re right though, the money at first seem like a lot but promote it and let others know which one you use and it will end up paying for itself. It shouldn’t take too long because everyone needs one.
Glad you’re with the best and thanks for sharing what you use.
Have a great week.
~Adrienne
That’s exactly I thought when I got started Adrienne! If I am going to spend some money, I better be spending with the best.
Glad to know you have been happy with Aweber as well. See, a lot of great people I know are using Aweber and they are all pleased with them. Isn’t that such a wonderful thing to know?
Thank you for sharing your story with us. Have a great week ahead!
Regards,
Kumar
Hi Kumar,
As you know, you’re the one who suggested AWeber and I began using it last year. I have only used it to broadcast the latest posts. I understand there is much more to it than that, and this year, I will learn to use many more of Aweber’s features. I have also seen others using Get Response and wonder if you have done an apples-to-apples comparison of their features compared to Aweber?
One thing I don’t care for about AWeber is that they have no one to service calls from the West coast. If I have an issue in the wee hours of the morning, I must wait until they open hours later on the East coast. I have asked them to consider this, but you never know if/when they will do so.
Kind Regards,
Bill
They will improve on that Bill. Probably that is an area for their improvement which I am sure they must be working on.
Anyways, if you have any small little issue, you can me know and I will try to help you fix it if I can 🙂
Regards,
Kumar
Hi Kumar,
I’m very familiar with Aweber, which I’m with since 2007, and it’s the only autoresponder I’ve ever been with, because there’s no need in fixing what’s not broken, right?
Back in my days of affiliate marketing days, I made a lot of sales thanks to this responder as you mentioned many successful people do that all the time, because it just works.
I haven’t used my list to sell anything in a long while, but I still maintain that list in promoting my blog posts at the moment.
Like you I’m willing to invest my $20 a month to do so for now and when I’ll have something to sell, my list will already be there.
Thank you for this great information 🙂
Hi Sylviane,
I like the sound of “why fix something which isn’t broken” 🙂
I agree with you. I haven’t looked back since I signed up with Aweber and although I hear a lot of good things about a lot of other services, never needed to step out of Aweber to try setting else because they rock!
Thank you for sharing your testimonial.
Regards,
Kumar
Awesome post Kumar!
I know it sounds silly but that little point you made about monetizing really clicked with me! I’ve been in the IM marketplace for so long but I was never really able to “get it”! Its not an instant solution obviously but it definitely has the wheels turning!
Thanks
Zach
That’s right Zach. Progress is sometimes slow but as long as we are making progress, we are doing great 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
Hi Kumar,
Thanks so much for a detailed explanation about Aweber! I have been using Get Response since I came online to start my list.
Now, many people have had problems with them, but so far so good. They have supported me well.
Aweber was and still is in the back of my mind because mostly all of my friends use it. Now, that you have reinforced my understanding of all the benefits and how well it works, it makes me go Hmmmm.
Thanks so much!
-Donna
Hi Donna,
As I was sharing with Harleena, I have seen GetResponse and I like them as well. However, it just so happened that I tried Aweber and since then, loved it so much that I never worried to change or explore anything else. They truly are the best in the class!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience with list building. Have a great week ahead!
-Kumar
I haven’t used Aweber, but I am a fan (because most of my friends – like you – are using it :D). I have always been a Mailchimp user (then again, I haven’t done much email marketing).
But, I am serious about it this time…I have already setup the list and all (along with a few auto responders). I am still working on it though – trying to answer how I will match everything (I mean, new campaign emails with new subscribers). I haven’t tried Mailchimp’s segmentation feature, so I really have no clue how to do this.
Hopefully I will be able to figure it out 😉
Thank you for sharing the review, Kumar. Hope you are having a good week!
Of course you will be able to figure things out Jeevan! I know you will!
if you can figure out blogging, setup your awesome looking website, build your audience and connect with so many awesome bloggers, I have no doubt you are sharp enough to figure out a small little thing like email marketing 🙂
And if you get stuck somewhere, do let me know. I will be glad to help you out!
-Kumar
Excellent posy Kumar! Well I haven’t been a Aweber user before I kinda prefer to go with MailChimp. I know there used to be or is a tug of war between Aweber and Mailchimp but PROs tent to chose Awber over Mailchimp.
Well here is a tricky situation I’m kinda stuck with and as a Aweber user thing you might be able to help. Let’s say you have 2 different eBooks for your users, and one can signup for your mailing list by downloading any of them. What if someone fills up the signup form twice to get both the eBooks. So will he/she be receiving 2 emails of your new post or Aweber has any filtration process for that?
Hi Saurav,
That’s a great question and perhaps the simple feature Aweber has, will help you in this situation. You have an option to specify where do you want the subscriber to go (means, you can send them to a new custom page) if he/she is already subscribed.
That means, you can have a custom page designed for people who hit that situation and then it’s up to you to decide if you want them to be able to download the other eBook (or both) from that page.
Now, does that answer your question? 🙂
Good to meet you here!
-Kumar
Hey Kumar,
When i first got online to start blogging, I didn’t have a great idea of what branding was and why it was important, let alone grow an email list of subscribers. Yes we all started from that point, but we can all also pat ourselves on the back for all the personal growth we attained.
I started using Aweber about 3 years ago, but i really didn’t get into the nuts and bolts of it until last year. It was almost like a rediscovery or an epiphany. I didn’t think of all the strategies and ideas in could put forth with a tool like aweber. There’s so much you can do in order to get more sales and marketing done. But last year is when I started to really get interested in marketing. Just thinking about all the features now is starting to hype me up all over again LOL.. Great share!
I really like Aweber too Kumar. Broadcasts are really easy to send out at a certain time of the week, and putting the list into segments so you can send to just part of a group is really useful.
Yes, segments are another great way to identify buckets of people for different things. Thank you for bringing it up Julienne! Great point!
Regards,
Kumar
Hi Kumar,
I switched over to Aweber last March and am pleased with that decision to do so. I agree with all that you mention above. I must say that the ability to segment my lists is my favorite feature. I had attempted it with another email subscription provider but could never get it to perform to my satisfactions.
Thanks!
Hi Kumar,
Good post today. I love using Aweber but I am using another for the time being. I am anxiously awaiting when I can go back to Aweber; very reliable and easy.
Have a great day, Monna
Awesome Post Kumar! Finally someone with the knowledge of how auto responders work. I have used many different AR’S and Aweber is hands down the best one out there. You can be a beginner or a professional and still be able to produce professional work. Plus the support team is amazing and very fast to respond. Thanks again for the awesome post and I will for sure be letting others know about your blog!
Thanks,
Michael
Kumar,
There are other free platforms which accomplish the same if not more than the one you stated. How ever each person should complete due diligence on what they want.
I would never use auto-responders and have not. I have a huge mailing list that is not challenging at all and my amazing blog is bringing in so much weekly it has left me in awe. Yet, with having my own hosting abilities my WordPress blog is my voice. I also found that all who subscribe to my blog is just a click away within my Dashboard in WordPress? I can interact with each one on a personal level.
My contact manager has every contact in it with their profile information. Even their children receive real Birthday cards and gifts without me doing a thing. Yes, I create the card myself on days I am creative and could change the messages at the tip of my fingers.
I just believe that the better one gets in research skills the more they will find out here. There is not best thing anymore with thousands of products being duplicated by various manufacturers. We all make out the best by taking our time and completing due diligence is the key.
Kumar I love your drive and feel the empowering style you have with presenting any product and service. You were a born salesman from the beginning. I am so excited each time I visit your site knowing there is going to be some amazing presentation on a new product or service some where.
I use Aweber, but i recently switched to Trafficwave though. Nothing wrong with Aweber but it comes a bit pricey when your list grows. Trafficwave has a fixed price and quite cheap compared.