The biggest question, and hardest for me, is what kind of content to use. That’s going to vary with each individual and is worth an article on it’s own I’m sure. What I’m going to look at more today is the format of one’s content and what will keep me subscribed to your list and what will send me to the unsubscribe link.

I, like probably most people entering the Internet Marketing field, have had the misfortune of falling into the trap of subscribing to Joint Venture Giveaways and downloading loads of crap. Along with the crap comes subscriptions to a multitude of mailing lists. My experience with these Joint Venture Giveaways has led me to believe that the vast majority of contributors to these events are the laziest of Internet Marketers and possess very little knowledge of how to MARKET.

I say lazy because many seem to feel that all they need to do is join one of these events, build a list and then start spamming sales messages to it. Want me to unsubscribe from your list? Send me nothing but sales messages…I’ll be gone by the time I’ve received the second. Quite possibly after the first one.

Then we have the “My good friend ….. has this great FREE product that he’s allowed me to offer ONLY to my list members.”  (translation: I’ve never met or talked to this “good friend” but he’s a JV partner or I’m an affiliate of his and I’m hoping to make some money from you buying his upsell after you sign-up for HIS list and download some more crap). So you download another piece of garbage to go with all the other GREAT stuff you’ll never look at in that steadily growing folder of…crap. And you’re now subscribed to another mailing list to which the owner’s first message to you will probably be…”My good friend ….. has this great FREE product that he’s allowed me to offer ONLY to my list members.”

I have got to the point that I don’t even open these mailings anymore if it’s apparent in GMail’s preview what they are… or I just delete them if I find them to be of that nature. I’m also pretty much at the point of unsubscribing from anybody who uses this method of list marketing. They waste my time and provide nothing of value.

The next one high on my list of sending me to the unsubscribe link is the video marketer. I see video in the preview and I just hit delete as they’re a bigger time waster then the “opt-in marketer”. Often times they are just using video to send you to an opt-in. Videos have a time and place but, unfortunately, they’re being abused and I’m personally becoming very tired of them.

Perhaps I’ve become jaded and/or highly critical but I’ve no patience anymore for the way some people market with their lists. I’ve culled the vast majority of the lists I’ve signed up to and am very picky now to whose I will join.

What type of list will I join and remain subscribed to?

Michel Fortin‘s mailing list, in my view, is the perfect example of how to market with your list. He will send out three or so links to blog posts of his, past or present, all providing excellent content. I have no intentions of ever writing my own copy from scratch but do want to learn how to edit existing copy effectively and to understand what copywriting is all about. I’ve bookmarked every one of Michel’s posts…they’re that good. When he does market something it’s something within his niche and he doesn’t try to hide the fact he’s promoting something. He does a review and sends you to the sales page. Good content and no BS…I like that.

Another list I belong to is owned by Ian Traynor. He sends out a weekly newsletter that begins with a summary of the content. So, in a manner of a minute or two, I can decide if I want to continue reading or not. And, if I do, I already know what to scroll to that holds my interest. It’s always a mix of a free download (no opt-in baloney), a product promotion and free advice. Once a month he provides members a free package of content…usually PLR articles or something of that nature. Straightforward, no nonsense and consistent.

The others I subscribe to offer either free downloads that I can make use of, like articles I can rewrite, and/or advice mixed with non-opt-in promotions. The majority are promotion of their own products often tied in with the free downloads they offer. Value mixed with intelligent marketing.

These are my personal likes and dislikes but I hope they provide you a little incite in how to populate your autoresponder.

“Approach each customer with the idea of helping him or her solve a problem or achieve a goal, not of selling a product or service.“
Brian Tracy

There’s several things to consider in choosing an AutoResponder but the biggest is deliverability. If your mailings aren’t getting through to your subscribers then your not going to be making any sales. One of the biggest causes of mail not getting through is spam traps. With so much spam out there Internet Providers all have tools in place to filter out spam. If your AutoResponder company does not have a good name and reputation your chances of having your mailings fail to reach your subscribers increases substantially. On the other hand if your AutoResponder company does have a good reputation your chance are increased dramatically. Even the use of simple words like free can cause your mail to get trapped if you choose the wrong company. It may happen anyways but the chances are far less. This is where the bigger names like AWeber and GetResponse become so important. Their reputation is so high among Internet Providers that mail delivery is almost guaranteed unless you ARE a spammer.

What’s that I hear? Other companies are cheaper you say? Well, what price do you put on the success of your business? Is it worth losing everything you’ve put hours of effort into through the choice of a bad AutoResponder company. It can happen. Spam complaints can see your host closing down your site, you can even lose your domain. All for saving a few dollars a month. Let’s have a closer look at pricing. You’ll be hard pressed to find an AutoResponder company that charges less then $20 a month give or take a few dollars. Where the increased prices come into play is that companies like AWeber and GetResponse have tiered pricing. So while some will charge $20 a month for 10,000 subscribers AWeber and GetResponse prices increase after you exceed 500 subscribers, to around $30, and again after passing 2,500 to around $50. At a glance that may seem like a big increase, especially the second one, but is it really? If you’ve been building your mailing list properly you’ve been targeting people interested in your product or niche not going after huge numbers. After all, wouldn’t you sooner have a list of 100 buyers then 1,000 tire kickers? That being the case, by the time you reach 500 subscribers you should be seeing a return from your mailing list and a $10 increase in your monthly AutoResponder should not be of any great concern. By the time you reach 2,500 you could be making a comfortable living off of your mailing list and what’s $50 a month for the service that provides you your living to a large extent?

When I was in the process of choosing an AutoResponder I did a lot of research as I knew how important it is. Among other things, I posted on as many forums related to Internet Marleting as I could asking what AutoResponder people felt was the best. The overwhelming response was that AWeber and GetResponse are the best. The responses mentioning other ones were almost non-existent. So which of the two is the best? In terms of price and features they are pretty much identical but AWeber enjoys the support of a lot of the industry and a lot of things like templates and the like default to AWeber. Whichever you choose, or if you elect to go elsewhere, just remember that choosing an AutoResponder is a big choice in the future plans for your business. PLAN FOR SUCCESS!

“Success often comes to those who dare to act. It seldom goes to the timid who
are ever afraid of the consequences.” Jawaharlal Nehru