You’re probably already aware of the importance of keeping your AWeber account active and up-to-date. After all, if you’ve been using the tool for as long as I have, you know that it can be beneficial to have the latest features and improvements as soon as they’re available. So, when I say that you should AVOID having a “stop” status with AWeber, what exactly do I mean?
As the name would suggest, a “stop” status with AWeber is the equivalent of an account lockdown on other email marketing tools. When a subscriber’s account becomes inactive, they are automatically placed into a “stop” status. So, while there’s nothing wrong with signing up for a free account and using it as needed, it’s vital that you take the time to keep it active by getting e-mails out to your subscribers. Inactive subscribers are not receiving any emails from you, which could potentially lead them to conclude that you’re not taking the tool seriously, or that you’ve stopped caring about their needs. That’s why, even if you don’t use AWeber yourself, it’s important that you keep your account active. As long as you have active subscribers, you can continue getting e-mails from them and continue the valuable communication flow between you and your audience. When you reach out to customers to ask how they’re doing or if there’s anything you can do to help, they’re more than likely to appreciate your genuine interest and consider your offers seriously. And that, in turn, could make all the difference in your business. So, in case you’re wondering, here’s a short list of reasons why you might experience a “stop” status with AWeber:
Unresponsive Customer Support
One of the main reasons why people go through a “stop” status with AWeber is because they’ve encountered poor customer support. When you sign up for the tool, you have the option of getting notifications whenever new features and improvements are released. With that said, if you ever have an issue that you need help with, all you need to do is click the “support” link in the primary menu to get in touch with a human. From there, you can choose to submit a ticket or send a message. Now, depending on how “complex” your issue is, it could take a little while before you’re able to get a response. But, in all likelihood, you’ll get one. And, if you end up going through several “stop” statuses, it might be time to consider the validity of the customer support you’re receiving.
Too Many Violations (90 days)
When you sign up for a free account with AWeber, you’re given a certain number of “free credits.” These can be used to send test emails to see how the tool performs. The idea is that you should be able to use the free credits to get your feet wet, figure out what you need, and determine whether or not AWeber is a good fit for your business. While it is certainly understandable that you might send a few test emails, ultimately, you’re going to have to choose whether you want to continue using the tool or not. The reason why we need to mention this is that if you continuously exceed the number of allowed emails, you’re going to see more and more people being placed into a “stop” status with AWeber. There’s nothing wrong with the tool itself; it is a legitimate email marketing tool. But, like I said earlier, as long as you have active subscribers, you can continue to use the tool. So, before you know it, you could find yourself in a situation where you’re no longer able to send emails.
Too Many Subscribers
If, for whatever reason, you end up exceeding the number of allowed subscribers (5000), you’re going to have to choose between reducing the number of subscribers you have or seeing more and more people being placed into a “stop” status with AWeber. In most cases, the best option is to choose the latter. The issue with having too many subscribers is that it becomes more and more difficult to actually send out newsletters without running into one of the issues discussed above. Ultimately, you might find yourself in a position where you can’t use the tool at all unless you upgrade. And if that happens, well, then you’re back to square one.
Out of Office Auto Responder
When somebody clicks the “out of office” option next to an e-mail, the recipient is shown a brief message explaining why the person who they’re contacting is temporarily unavailable to respond. While this might not seem like a big issue, especially if you’re the type of business person who only communicates with customers over e-mail, it can certainly cause some problems. One issue that could arise is that people could become disheartened by the lack of a response, thinking that you don’t care enough about their needs, or that you’ve stopped taking the tool seriously. In a lot of cases, this could lead to a subscriber dropping off your list entirely.
Too Many New Features
Over the years, AWeber has added a lot of new features to their platform. While many of these features are useful and can save you a lot of time, in most cases, they also cause problems for users who are already struggling with poor customer support, spam complaints, and inactive accounts. A lot of the time, it’s difficult to figure out which feature to use, and, more often than not, it’s a matter of trial and error. Even when you discover the “right” feature, it might not be obvious how to use it effectively, or at all. If you’re in this situation, chances are you’re going to end up in a lot of “stop” statuses. Ultimately, it comes down to finding a balance between a comprehensive feature set and ease of use. So, while it’s certainly wonderful that AWeber keeps on adding new features, if you’re seeing more and more people have problems, it might be time to consider if these features are worth it, or if you should consider an alternative.
Old Account
If you’re already using AWeber and it’s been a while since you last updated your account, there’s a chance that you’re already seeing problems. With time, the account gets a little “dirty” and it’s not uncommon for users to run into issues. One significant issue that many users complain about is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get in touch with customer support, even when you’re experiencing an issue. There’s also the issue of spam complaints, which, as we’ve discussed, are on the rise. Sometimes it takes a while to get a response from customer support, even when you’ve submitted a ticket, and, in some cases, a lot of people have given up, resulting in them being placed into a “stop” status. It’s also possible that your account is already being flagged as spam, because there are plenty of scammers out there who try and trick people into thinking that their accounts have been compromised, when, in reality, it’s just a matter of the spam filters kicking in. Ultimately, it’s important that you keep your account active, so that you can receive important updates and, if necessary, contact customer support. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of TLC (tender, loving care) to bring a long-neglected account back to life.
Locked Account
If you’ve ever shopped at an online store that utilizes an email-based shopping cart, or an online store that offers discounts only to people with active accounts, you might be familiar with the concept of a “locked” account. An account can become locked for a number of different reasons. One of the more common reasons why an account might become locked is when a payment processor, such as PayPal, gets in touch with the owner of the account and asks that they verify their identity. Once the payment processor verifies that the email address is linked to a valid bank account, the account is set to “unlocked,” allowing the user to continue making transactions. While this might not seem like a big problem, especially since you can simply “unlock” the account and continue using it, it can certainly cause some headaches. First, it’s important that you recognize when this happens. Typically, if you get e-mails from PayPal, credit card companies, or banking institutions asking to verify your account, it’s time to take action. Next, it’s important that you follow the instructions, since, in most cases, you’ll be able to continue using the account once you’ve completed the procedure.