AWeber is all about email marketing for the affiliate and Internet marketing business. If you use multi-level or affiliate based marketing strategies in your business model, then emailing marketing is an absolute must for your niche business. In fact, one of the common catch phrases from the Internet marketing world is, “The money’s in the list.”
AWeber Is Viable For Niche Marketers and Businesses
If you run a business that caters to a specific niche, then you’re part of AWeber’s target audience. Email lists are powerful marketing tools that hand businesses the opportunity to market their products and/or services to a highly specific and already interested audience—after all, a subscriber wouldn’t have joined your list if they weren’t interested in your business and what it has to offer.
AWeber provides software for email marketing and autoresponses. They service companies around the globe, and they are known for an array of features including:
- Newsletters
- Autoresponders
- Sign-up forms
- RSS-to-email
The software offers tracking capabilities designed to track and estimate overall performance. Users have access to email campaign analytic reporting plus split test sign-up forms and newsletters, all designed to help businesses market more efficiently and effectively via electronic mail.
Numerous email marketing platforms speckle the cyber highway. One of the most vital elements to consider when choosing the one you’ll use is its reliability to deliver email to the most common email clients, like Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, and Live. AWeber appears to be one of the best!
The Easy To Use AWeber Platform
AWeber offers an attractive email marketing platform, chalked full of useful tools and easy to use drag-and-drop design technology. Features include:
- Newsletters: The platform has around 600 customizable newsletter templates ready for use. You can create and send newsletters on your own schedule to your subscribers instantly or program them to be sent later. The platform allows for archiving, which means once you’ve published a newsletter your subscribers can always view previous issues. You’ll even have access to analytics reporting open rate stats. You can also link to your blog or specific posts directly from your newsletters.
- Sign-Up Forms: Form creation is often a nightmare, but AWeber’s platform offers super easy sign-up form creation that doesn’t require HTML knowledge. You can choose from templates or create your own. Sign-up forms have a drag-and-drop design interface for text inputs, radio buttons, drop down menus, check boxes, dates, text areas, images, backgrounds, dividers, etc.
- Segment Your List: Based on recorded subscriber actions and statistics, you can segment and target your subscribers. For example, you have the ability to target a newsletter to the subscribers who purchased something specific, opened a certain email, or clicked on a specific link.
When you’re investing in a platform tool that requires start-up or continued costs, quality support is crucial. AWeber is a US-based business headquartered in Pennsylvania. Their support experts are available Monday through Friday from 8 am to 8 pm EST and Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 9 pm EST. You can contact support via phone, email, and live chat.
The Good
An excellent autoresponder with diverse capabilities: The success of an email marketing campaign hinges on the ability to hand customers timely, personalized, and targeted messages. AWeber’s autoresponder tool allows for a fully automated process and multiple autoresponses programmed to specific events—such as when a new customer signs up for your list. All you have to do on the user side is create a series of emails, and then set their delivery settings via an autoresponse schedule. The software houses approximately 150 email templates, making the design process simple.
Diverse integration options: Information sharing is a staple of email marketing, which means you want a platform with numerous integration options. AWeber does not disappoint. Their software can integrate your account with other online services, thus enabling the sharing of information across different business functions (i.e. website, blog, Facebook, etc.).
Live webinars: AWeber holds regular, live webinars. These nuggets of educational information are perfect for newbies, and kept informative for the established email marketer. The webinars vary from live courses to Q&A segments with industry experts. The webinars are free, and they are a viable means of nailing down the finer details of email marketing.
Report access: We often cringe upon hearing the word ‘analytics.’ But with AWeber’s software, report access couldn’t be easier. The software provides a full range of easy to understand data and statistics, all aimed at offering the best possible picture of your email campaign success (or lack thereof).
The Bad
No free stuff: Unfortunately, you can’t test drive AWeber via a free trial. However, you can gain 30-day test access for as little as $1. Just be sure to cancel prior to the end of the 30-day period if you don’t plan on using the software. Otherwise, you’ll be automatically renewed at the standard monthly rate.
Restricted data importing capabilities: The software sports two importing methods. The first is a manual text-based upload, and the second is a spreadsheet (XLS, XLSX, TSV, CSV, TXT) upload.
Competitors offer uploads from accounting and CRM programs like Zoho and Salesforce. Depending on how you feel about a lack of integration with your accounting for CRM programs, this could be a major detraction.
No mobile app: The competition is hot and heavy when it comes to mobile account access, and AWeber isn’t on top of their game. Other email marketing platforms offer mobile integration for easy access anywhere, anytime. AWeber is not mobile friendly, at all. In fact, they don’t offer any mobile tools whatsoever.
The Out of Pocket Cost
As referenced above, AWeber doesn’t believe in a free trial. But you can test drive the software for 30-days at the cost of $1. Yes, you will be required to supply credit or debit card information for billing purposes.
After 30 days, your account will automatically upgrade if you fail to cancel. The software costs $19 per month to run.
My AWeber Conclusion
AWeber Communications supplies one of the most popular and superior autoresponders on the market. Their email marketingplatform is a proven solid performer in most aspects of email publicizing. In comparison to other software and platforms, AWeber offers a little less when it comes to contact importation, but this detraction isn’t enough to taint the software as a whole.
If you’re stepping into email marketing for the first time, or looking to improve by finding a better (easier, heavily customizable, packed full of use) platform, AWeber is a good fit! The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Once you navigate the learning curve, you’re sure to have a powerful marketing tool securely in place.
