As week 3 ends, I can see something that has to be corrected in order to move forward and succeed. The efforts from the previous week to get traffic to the blog is starting to get a small toehold. But still, there\’s one thing missing…
I could certainly be much further along if I applied one thing: consistency. One thing that affects consistency is the hosting package you use. For far too long I tolerated a bad hosting company. And for what? Because I purchased lifetime hosting. Well, it\’s easy to see that the money I saved on monthly hosting payments I lost during the numerous downtime my sites experienced.
So back into the fray… This week\’s challenge consists of 3 task: 1.) get set up with an autoresponder, 2.) select a giveaway offer, and 3.) put an opt-in offer in the sidebar.
For task 1, the autoresponder, I\’ve decided to go with Rapid Mailer. I\’ve had an aWeber account for the past few years and they certainly are one of the best out there. So why change now?
In the past few weeks aWeber, GetResponse, and a few others have experienced DDOS attacks that actually prevented many marketers emails from going out, essentially bringing their email marketing to a screeching halt. With Rapid Mailer I\’m able to switch to Amazon SES, SendGrid, or several others very quickly and keep the emails going.
Another benefit is sending pricing. Can you believe it? $1 to send 10,000 emails? And where I pay a monthly few for aWeber whether I use it or not, with my current choices I only pay for what I actually use. So with the autoresponder set up and in place, the last two task is done and ready to go.
What about you? Which autoresponder did you go with and why? What questions can I answer for you on my choices?
Leave them in the comments or feedback if you like and I\’ll get back in touch. Best success!
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Reg Ervin
Hi Reg, I too got Rapid Mailer. Have you had a lot of success with it? Good post.
Hi Scott! Thanks for popping in. So the short answer is this is the first blog I’m using it on so I’ll know soon enough.
Rapid Mailer has caused be to grow a bit and learn more about what goes into email marketing. I had to learn how to connect it to Amazon SES, what it takes to qualify to send through SES, and email marketing best practices. I’ve also set up an account with SendGrid as well.
There are still features that I don’t understand yet but I’ve worked with support several times and they have gotten back to me and answered my questions in a timely manner.
What about you? What has your experience been?
Hi Reg,
You’re off to a good start. Doesn’t matter even if it is late.
I’ve not used Rapidmailer before. So far have been using AWeber. I’m thinking of using GetResponse. I signed up for a free trial and was surprised when their customer support officer called me to find out how I was getting along and if I needed any help.
It certainly gave me a good impression of the company.
Cheers
Boon
Boon I’ve seen several people who sing GetResponse’s praises over the past few months. That is a good touch that they would reach out to see if they could be of any assistance.
Hi Reg: Good for you to keeping yourself at the task. Wherever we are in the process, for each of us, it’s about taking that next step, and never to stop–consistency!! This thread on autoresponder and another one on the FB page about hosting has given me pause for thought, and I will look into the best investment for me. So I appreciate it very much. I’m always learning from others while blog-hopping, and enjoying meeting fellow QSC-ers. Congratulations! Keep it up, and success will be in one of those steps ahead. Smiles, Anne
Anne I’m glad this helped. I have planned some more posts that relate to autoresponders/email marketing to address some misinformation I’ve seen. You’re welcomed to signup for updates so you don’t miss those when they come.
Thanks for taking the time to leave your comment!
Hi Reg,
Glad to see that you’re putting one foot in front of the other and moving right along.
I, too, selected Rapid Mailer. The whole setting up with Amazon part is my current hurdle.
You could do us all a solid with a blog post about how you set it up, if that’s something that interests you.
I suspect I’m not the only one who’d be interested in a post on this topic.
Great job on your blog.
Phil, thanks for leaving your comment. I dealt with that all last weekend and finally figured it out. I actually decided to create a low cost step-by-step guide when I finished. Do you have a specific challenge that needs addressing?
Hi Reg, I think you’ve done a great job exploring all the different resources of hosting out there. I have always liked my hosting, but never heard of Rapid Mailer. I believe I will check it out, thanks! Cheers, and happy blogging to you!
Hi Mary. Having a good hosting company can make a big difference in moving your business forward. When your sites are down then your revenue source is down. As for Rapid Mailer, it is a replacement/backup for your autoresponder, especially if you have AWeber, GetResponse, or a similar service. These are in fact very good services but as the past month or so has shown, it’s good to have a backup.
Hi Reg, great to know that gotten past your obstacle and moved forward to make a success online. I too had problem with my previous hosting company. To think that such service came from such a reputable company. Anyway, I posted what happened on the QSC facebook group of which quite a handful of fellow QSCers commented. Also, the Rapid Mailer solution looks pretty attractive compared to aweber and getresponse. I will looking into that after I have sorted out my website. Thanks for the great post and best of luck. Cheers.
Many thanks Joe! I went through the group a saw the dilemma you had…yikes!