It would be crazy to try and manage a large list of email addresses manually. Before you attempt any email marketing campaigns, you will need to purchase a good email autoresponder

Email autoresponders are the workhorses for all your email-marketing campaigns. They automate a number of tasks, which allows you to spend more time on writing your promotional emails. They handle the opt-in system that allows readers to subscribe, or unsubscribe, to your mailing list and they control the distribution of all the emails sent to your list.

If you're just starting out, you may not be very concerned with some of the more advanced features offered by various autoresponders, but there are a number of features you should consider when choosing an autoresponder that will meet your needs.

The following are several key features you should consider when selecting a suitable autoresponder:

Hosting - You should consider whether you want the autoresponder to be hosted by a third party, which is on someone else's server, or hosted locally on your own computer or server. Of course, there are benefits and drawbacks to both approaches. You will need to pay a monthly subscription for any third party service, but this has the benefit of including a high number of advanced features and technical support. In contrast, you will only have to pay a one-time cost for a locally hosted autoresponder, which can save you a bit of money in the long run, but unfortunately you will have to handle the technical details and deal with any problems you may encounter. Ultimately, you will have to consider whether you possess the knowledge and time involved to operate and maintain your own software. If you don't know computers that well, a hosted option may be the best choice.

Multiple Lists - A good autoresponder should be able to handle multiple email lists. Limiting yourself to a single list will severely hinder your business. You may want to maintain a number of separate lists for customers, prospects, and so on. It's also a good idea to have separate lists based on what products your customers buy.

Easy Integration - A good autoresponder should allow you to integrate other mailing lists into the one you have. This is important if you acquire a separate email list or if you decide to upgrade your autoresponder; you certainly won't want to be forced to throw away an email list simply because it cannot be integrated.

You have a number of choices available on the market today for email autoresponders. Take a look at the requirements you have for your business as well as your budget to find the one that best suites your needs. Your business will greatly benefit if you take the time now to choose an effective autoresponder.

Once you have selected an email autoresponder, you will need to build your list - Find out how to get people to sign up to your mailing list.

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About the Author

Sean Kenaston is the senior editor of No-Nonsense-Marketing.com; a website that offers the information you need on Internet marketing without all the hype and nonsense.