Autoresponders: Hosted Vs Locally Managed

Recently, I have found myself in a major dilema concerning the management of my opt-in list. For those of you who do not understand the importance of an opt-in list, it is perhaps one of the most crucial parts of internet marketing and perhaps one of your most value assets. Getting the "opt-in" is basically the idea of capturing a person's email address or contact details with their permission. This is different from SPAM, where you did not choose to be placed on such a newsletter or marketing list. SPAM, of course, is illegal but managing an opt-in list and a proper email marketing campaign is perfectly legitimate (and necessary) to succeed in online business.

The question arises concerning the management of these email lists. Most online marketers are laymen when it comes to the complexities of creating forms, storing this vital information and then finally, using this information to provide emails to your clients. This information can be in the form of auto-responder news, content and marketing offers or simple broadcast offers.

The autoresponder is a tool set up to automatically send emails on predetermined days after the initial sign-up. This is an excellent way of placing your clients in an organized funnel of information without having to manage much of anything. You initially write your emails and set the delivery days and the autoresponder will do the rest.

The broadcast is a real-time event where you can email some or all of the clients currently in your email database in a one-time action (similar to sending a normal email to a group of people).

Of course, setting up your own autoresponder is a worthless cause. You simply can not just send 100s or 1000s of emails from your Gmail account. It is not allowed. Plus understand that there are anti-spam rules, such as a built-in "opt-out" options that must be added to all email correspondence (essentially, your client always has the option of no longer being on your list).

My point is that using an autoresponder service is a MUST and one of the best (and most affordable) online tools you will invest in. These autoresponders are designed with the true internet novice in mind, but realize that they are rather complex systems in the background.

So you have two real options when it comes to autoresponder services:

• Externally Hosted
• Localled Hosted

Externally hosted autoresponders are managed through the web. You create an account with the autoresponder company online and all management is conducted on your browser. The company will provide you with the step-by-step details on how to create the submission forms, they will capture, store and manage all of the client submissions, and they will send, test and manage all autoresponder and broadcast messages.

Localled hosted autoresponders are very similar in functionality to the externally hosted ones. The difference is that they need to be integrated into your existing website, client information is stored on your own server, and your server must manage the delivery of the emails.

For the new (and even established) online marketer, an externally hosted autoresponder service is highly recommended. The price is fairly reasonable (at less than $20/month with less than 10,000 clients). There is virtually no technical set-up, the delivery operation will not slow down your server and delivery-rates are essentially quite high due to the relationships that these companies have with major email companies (like Gmail, AOL, Yahoo, etc.).

Still, you may find yourself fighting with other factors that are difficult to manage with a simple externally hosted autoresponder service. In my case, my client database resided on my website and transferring these leads into an external system requires a second opt-in (by law). This results in a large loss of clients. Second, externally hosted services can become costly once you exceed your 10,000 client limit. Localled hosted programs are usually a one-time fee with no recurring cost (no matter what the size of your list). Technically, the integration can be complicated but most major companies offer free assistance with their package.

The final issue with locally hosting your autoresponder revolves around delivery rates. You may need to aggressively optimize your server settings, headers and white-listing efforts with the major email companies yourself. This can be an initially daunting task, but once everything is set-up correctly, you may find yourself with even higher delivery rates.