Every website should have a subscribe by email option.
Feedburner seems to be the standard for delivering content via RSS and email – I know I’ve been using Feedburner for years and I still recommend their service. They provide an easy option for readers to subscribe, and they render some good analytics.
So why the switch?
I’m all about growing your email list. Aweber gives me the flexibility to customize a few options, track open rates, and more. For those folks that subscribed to this blog via Feedburner, it’s still business as usual and you’ll continue to get updates there. But moving forward, I’m using Aweber for both my newsletter and the blog subscription via email.
Why I switched to Aweber to manage my blog’s email list:
1. Instant ebook delivery.
With Aweber, I can easily deliver a copy of my ebook to new subscribers. It works as an incentive piece to get new site visitors to subscribe via email. With Aweber, I can create a simple “follow up” email and deliver the ebook as a pdf attachment. In addition,
2. I can customize a welcome email for new subscribers.
I love that I can customize the content in my welcome email to new subscribers. Currently, mine reads:
You’re all set and should start receiving fresh new content just as soon (typically 2-3 times per week).
In the meantime, you might want to dive into some of my free foundational tutorials that set the stage for what I write about on a regular basis:And of course, don’t forget to check out the podcast with my co-host Stacey Soleil (@staceysoleil) for tons of great interviews with well known social media thought leaders.
Talk to you soon!
It’s short. It’s simple. It’s personal. And what’s great is that by doing things this way, I can re-direct people to my cornerstone content while they wait to receive fresh new content as it’s published.
3. I can customize the subscription process.
This is a simply, yet powerful touch. With Aweber, I can customize my subscription process. So when someone registers, they’re redirected to a “confirm your subscription” page. Then, once they’re done confirming their subscription, they’re taken to a short Thank You page. This way, with the Thank You page, I can control the content I link people to as I did with my welcome email.
4. Test emails and tack open rates.
With Aweber, I love that I can test emails before I send them. I do this with both my newsletter and now, blog updates to make sure everything reads properly and to do a quick edit. Can I improve the title? Do I need to restructure my content? Basically, I do this to see how/where I can improve my emails before sending them out.
The other thing I like is that I can track my open rates. Every time a broadcast is sent out, I get stats on how many people (and who) opened my email and how many people clicked on the links contained in my emails. This way, I know who’s responsive. From there, I can do all kinds of things. I know who’s most responsive to my emails, I can split-test emails to try different title variations and more. Though this feature is insightful, I’m also careful about obsessing over it too much. But I do like that I can gauge what’s working and what’s not based on my open rates.
Overall Aweber Features:
- You can send out automatic follow-up emails
- You can set up your subscription for instant ebook delivery
- You can send out blog updates automatically
- You can choose from hundreds of well designed web form templates
- Monitor who signs up and from where (on your sidebar, on a post, on a page, etc.)
- Test emails before you send them
These are just some of the more prominent features that I like about Aweber. There’s tons more I’m leaving out I’m sure, but these are the ones that stand out (and are important) to me. If you’re thinking of giving Aweber a test-drive, now you know what you can do…
What do you think about Aweber?
What are you using for your email marketing? Have you considered making the jump to Aweber? Do you currently use Aweber for your email subscriptions? What features do you like best?
If you have any questions about Aweber, just drop it in the comments and I’ll do my best to help.
