AWeber is one of the most popular email marketing platforms, and for good reason: it’s easy to use, offers a lot of features, and has a community of happy customers.
But even with all these pluses, there is one thing you should know about AWeber: it’s not totally free. Like most email marketing platforms, AWeber charges you for three types of emails:
- Unsubscribe emails
- Newsletter emails
- Promotional emails
The first type of email you’ll want to avoid is the unsubscribe email, since you’ll be hit with tons of them if you haven’t signed up for a free account yet. The second type, the newsletter, is great because you’re not bombarded with emails every day, but there is a catch: you have to opt-in to receive them. Finally, the third type, the promotional email, is probably the most annoying type, because you’re either tricked into believing you need to buy a product or service to receive the offer, or you have to click a link in the email to verify your account.
The double opt-in is the standard for ensuring you’re not doing anything wrong with your email address and for preventing spam. Basically, when someone signs up for an account, they are given a series of confirmation emails that they have to click on to verify it’s not a bogus address. This prevents automated spam bots from creating fake accounts and sending out spam.
But what happens when you want to know when someone signed up for your product or service without having to visit your website?
To solve this problem, you need to use a service called AWeber Alerts. If you’ve ever used MailChimp or Seomoz, you’ll have an idea of how this service works. Basically, you tell the service which email lists you’re interested in, and it will keep you updated with any new signups that fit within those criteria. You can choose to be notified via email, push notifications on your smartphone, or both.
You should sign up for AWeber alerts as soon as possible, as this service waives the double opt-in for the third type of email (the promotional one) when you use it. This means you can take advantage of the service’s awesome features without worrying about whether or not your email address is valid. So, if you use AWeber frequently, you’ll likely end up paying for the service in one way or the other.
The Major Pros And Cons Of AWeber
One of the best things about AWeber is how simple it is to use. After you’ve signed up for the service, you’ll be presented with a small learning curve (which is mostly just figuring out how to navigate the platform). From there, it’s mostly smooth sailing. You can create email campaigns in a matter of minutes, and you can use a point-and-click interface to send out those emails without any problems. If you’re looking for an easy way to send personalized emails to customers, AWeber is definitely a platform you should consider.
But if you’re looking for a fully-fledged marketing platform, with features such as online store widgets, blog integrations, and more, then you might want to look elsewhere. AWeber doesn’t offer those sorts of features, but it is very easy to use and has lots of value for small businesses simply looking to keep in touch with their customers.
Features And Functionality
One of the best things about AWeber is how easy it is to use. And not just easy — it’s actually pretty fun to use! The platform is designed to make it as easy as possible to create and send out personalized emails, and because it is so user-friendly, even non-experts can do this with ease.
One of the things that makes AWeber so easy to use is its email templates. As you might expect, sending out personalized emails using templates is a great way to ensure your emails look the same to everyone. To take advantage of this feature, create a new email campaign. Then, click on the gear icon in the top right corner of the email and select Edit Email Templates. From there, you can choose a template, modify the template, and send out the new version. Simple!
Another great feature of AWeber is how it allows you to grow your account using a viral growth technique called “Word of Mouth.” Basically, you’ll want to tell people about your account and the great content you produce, and once someone joins using your affiliate link or username, you’ll see a spike in signups. You can choose to run a contest or offer a freebie to newly-joined users to encourage them to spread the word about your account.
But just like any other tool or platform, AWeber has its downsides. The biggest issue is that because it is so easy to use, even people who are not tech-savvy can create accounts and send out spam. If you have a large number of spam complaints, you’ll have to take it down a notch or two, depending on the severity of the problem. And if you’re worried about how easy it is to use, keep in mind that even non-experts can create accounts and send out spam with ease.
Customer Support
One of the best things about AWeber is how active its customer support is. While it doesn’t always get back to you immediately, the team is usually very quick to respond and helpful. If you’ve ever used their free trial, you’ll know exactly what I mean — their support is top-notch and extremely helpful, and the free trial is very generous.
Depending on your needs, you might want to consider paying for customer support or at least premium features. But for the most part, the support offered through the app is more than adequate.
Cost
One of the best things about AWeber is how affordable it is. At the time of writing, a basic plan with all the features mentioned above costs only $5.95 per month. Plus, you’ll want to make sure you keep in mind the double opt-in for the promotional emails, which is a requirement for using this service. But even if you choose not to use this feature, AWeber is still relatively affordable.
To put it simply, AWeber is a great choice for someone who wants to quickly and easily send out personalized emails to customers. If that’s all you need, then AWeber is a no-brainer.
Of course, there are other email marketing platforms out there that offer similar features and functionality, but because AWeber is so popular, it’s important to remember that you’re choosing a system with which you’ll be interacting and which will affect your business — so take a little more time to research before you choose.