Best Autoresponder in 2020: Constant Contact vs MailChimp vs Aweber and More

There are over 3.7 billion email users worldwide, making it one of the most popular forms of communication. That explains why so many businesses are searching for the best autoresponder to help them enhance their email marketing efforts.

If you're just starting off with your own business, you may find that simply getting the word out about your products and services can take up a large chunk of your day. Fortunately, by utilizing the right tools, you can streamline your marketing campaigns to have them practically on autopilot.

Here we will be discussing the many ways an autoresponder can take your email campaign to the next level. We'll also break down our top picks for autoresponders to help you find the best pick for your business.

Read on to learn more about the various autoresponder platforms available.

What Is an Autoresponder?

An autoresponder is an email platform that automatically responds to a contact based on a specific trigger. These triggers are often chosen by the business owner in order to complete a certain marketing goal.

For example, if you're choosing to run a free course as a content grab, you may choose to do it in the form of emails. You can have specific emails delivered each week for a certain amount of time.

In this case, the trigger would be someone signing up for the course. Once they signed up, they would start receiving the emails. The emails will send automatically until they have completed the email campaign.

The Power of Email

In this world of social media and trending marketing techniques, many businesses have fallen under the false idea that email marketing is dead. However, this couldn't be farther from the case. Email marketing continues to be one of the leading methods for reaching potential clientele.

The deciding factors in whether or not your email campaign is successful is organization and your email platform. The right email marketing calendar paired with a powerful autoresponder can yield amazing results, whether it's increasing sales or simply growing your brand recognition.

Benefits of an Autoresponder

There are a number of benefits that come from an autoresponder, making them an essential part of any business. First, they streamline your email campaigns. We've all started strong with sending emails to our subscriber list, and at some point, either ran out of steam or became too busy to continue. Using an autoresponder can handle this part for you.

An autoresponder can also give you some insight into your audience and what it is they're looking for. For example, if you implemented a quiz into your website, you can add the quiz taker to different email listings depending on their results. This will allow you to send them emails tailored more towards their interests and personality in the future.

How to Use an Autoresponder for Your Business

How you use your autoresponder will depend on your type of business and the goals you want to achieve. Some businesses use autoresponders as a part of their marketing funnel to help sell big-ticket products. Other businesses use autoresponders to follow up on abandoned carts and to increase their rates of completed purchases.

You want to take a look at your business and prioritize your marketing needs. Once you know your overall marketing goal, you can incorporate an autoresponder into your campaign.

The good news is that autoresponders fulfill so many purposes, so you can use them in a variety of areas.

MailChimp

MailChimp is one of the original autoresponders and continues to lead the pack when it comes to strong email platforms. MailChimp offers in-depth data on the performance of your email campaigns. They also include the ability to segment your listing based on where the user subscribed or not.

MailChimp continues to be free. However, they offer more advanced packages that grow with your business. They have received stellar praise for their customer service and their ability to be easily integrated into practically any web platform.

Aweber

Aweber is another email marketing service that gives you the ability to customize your autoresponder and email campaigns. Aweber's strength lies in their email campaign “maps” that allow you to create different email paths depending on triggers.

For example, you can set server “if” or “when” scenarios (ie: “if the contact opened email #2”, “if the contact completed email campaign”) that will determine which email they receive next. This level of customization makes it easy for users to tailor their sales efforts or deliver their content grab in an effective manner.

Constant Contact

Chances are you've heard of Constant Contact, as they've been around for quite some time. Constant Contact started off as a simple email platform and evolved into a one-stop marketing multitool. Through Constant Contact, users can create in-depth email campaigns, surveys, events, and even social media promotions.

They do require a monthly payment. You can choose the package that best suits your budget. Keep in mind that Constant Contact can also be used as a CRM platform, so it may be worth the money if you can combine the two.

iContact

iContact is an award-winning email platform and autoresponder that's rapidly growing in popularity. The strength of this platform lies in its user-friendly setup and navigation, making it the ideal choice for beginners. The platform allows its users to create and send multi-step campaigns. However, it isn't intended for campaigns that require in-depth triggers.

If you're looking for a simple autoresponder for tasks like welcoming a new subscriber or following up on interest in a course or project, iContact gets the job done.

InfusionSoft

InfusionSoft is a lesser-known email marketing platform that still packs a punch. This platform was designed to get the most out of your email efforts and your sales efforts by combining an autoresponder with a CRM.

If you have an e-commerce store, you can use your InfusionSoft to follow up on customers when it's time to repeat their purchase.

For example, let's say you have a customer that bought disposable contacts from your website. If the contacts need to be replaced every month, InfusionSoft will automatically send an email when a month has passed. This will let the customer know it's time to purchase more contacts.

GetResponse

GetResponse is another option for those who are looking for a simple and clean autoresponder experience without all the bells and whistles. This autoresponder features a number of beautifully designed email templates to help your email stand out.

You can also create targeted subscriber lists to help you create more direct content and increase open rates. All in all, GetResponse is perfect for small business owners who are looking to cut back on the time spent on email marketing.

1ShoppingCart

If you own an e-commerce site, you know that abandoned carts are a real problem and happen more often than most business owners like. Fortunately, 1ShoppingCart has created a solution to help increase your rate of completed purchases.

This autoresponder will automatically follow up on abandoned shopping carts with a list of pending purchases, making it more likely that the customer will return and finish their purchase.

While 1ShoppingCart won't help you create a fancy email campaign, it will decrease lost revenue, which makes it worth it.

Campaign Monitor

Campaign Monitor is one of the largest email marketing platforms with over 2 million users and 200,000 businesses using it around the world. Their analytics are in-depth and easy to read, and each account comes with a with over 100 email features.

Their customer service is also available 24/7, which comes in handy when you have a time sensitive email campaign that needs to be launched. While you do have to pay to sign up for the platform, they currently offer a 14-day free trial giving you a chance to check it out.

Ontraport (Formerly Office Autopilot)

Ontraport, formerly known as Office Autopilot, stays true to its name by allowing business owners to streamline all of their email and organizational needs into one platform. The site is geared towards budding entrepreneurs and startups. It's also ideal for anyone working with a limited budget that still needs powerful email marketing tools.

The Ontraport platform also utilizes some CRM features that can help sales led businesses attract more leads. This can increase your rate of successful closes. The platform offers several packages, so it can grow along with your business.

Addresstwo.com

Addresstwo.com is new to the scene, but is managing to turn heads with its simple layout and affordable prices. The platform is small business friendly, and functions as both an autoresponder and a simple CRM. While you may not get all of the features found in other sites, at its price, Addresstwo offers great value that's enough to get small businesses off the ground.

The platform also offers design and CRM consulting, which provides some marketing guidance to those who may not have a full marketing team in the budget.

ARPreach

ARPreach is an easy-to-use autoresponder platform with an enticing pricing plan. The platform doesn't charge monthly fees, per message charges, or fees for growing listing unlike most of the platforms found on this list. The site has advanced data security installed, as well as compliance tools and customization options.

Unlike most email platforms, with ARPreach, you can link several email addresses to your campaigns and decide who sends each email. ARPreach offers unlimited broadcasts as well as social media and market-leading content management. In addition to their great price, they also offer easy, free installation.

In case you were still unsure about them after all of these features, they also offer a 30-day guarantee, so you can't really go wrong here.

Finding the Best Autoresponder for You in 2020

When looking for the best autoresponder for you, there are a number of factors to take into account. First, you need to identify what you'll be using the platform for. For example, you may want it for sales or to simply say hello. Next, determine whether or not a platform has the tools needed to make that happen.

If you're not tech savvy, you'll want a platform that makes your weakness their strength. This means easy-to-use interfaces, easy-to-read data, and customer service that is readily available.

Your current business size is important, but so is your business size 5 years from now. Chances are your business will grow (we believe in you), so it's important to find an email platform that can grow with you, both in price and capability.

Will this platform still serve you when you have 200+ employees? Or multiple accounts to manage? This is something to keep in mind.

Finally, always compare prices and see what fits into your budget. Email marketing can get pricey, especially for larger businesses. Check to see who offers which features for what prices; there's a good chance they are asking you to pay for tools you may not even need.

What to Do After You've Found the Best Autoresponder for Your Business

Congrats! You've found the best autoresponder for your business. Now it's time to put it to work.

Unfortunately, even the most powerful autoresponder isn't useful on its own. You want to focus on building a strong email campaign behind it. This is where it can get complicated for business owners.

Some entrepreneurs don't have the time to create email content, and others simply don't know how to go about it. By enlisting the help of a professional marketer, you can create an autoresponder email campaign that's built upon your unique business goals.

The great thing is once an autoresponder campaign is created, it's one less thing to worry about. It will continue to practically manage itself.

If you're looking for help creating your game-changing email campaign, contact us today so we can see how we can help. It may be the most important action you take for your business today.