In this brand-new article I share with you some of the Pros and Cons of the three main online marketing services that many solopreneurs use, and give you some pointers on choosing the right one for your business.
One question I get asked a lot is which online marketing service should I use (or variations thereof):
"I use Constant Contact for my newsletter but want to start selling products via my website. Do I need 1ShoppingCart to do this?"
"Which is the best service to use for my newsletter - Constant Contact or Aweber?"
"I want to use an autoresponder service. Do I need 1ShoppingCart or Aweber?"
You get the idea!
This is something that many solopreneurs find a difficult decision to make; after all there are so many different choices and services available and the cost of each one varies a lot too!
So, which one to choose...
- Should you go with a service like Constant Contact that is purely for newsletter broadcasts and doesn't have an autoresponder or shopping cart feature?
- What about a service like Aweber for your newsletter broadcasts and also comes with autoresponders, but no shopping cart feature?
- Or should you just go with a service like 1ShoppingCart that has all the features you need but with a hefty price tag?
I sound like an episode of House Hunters don't I... (If you don't watch this program you won't know what I'm talking about!)
To help you decide the best service for you I have put together a list of the Pros and Cons of Constant Contact, Aweber, and 1ShoppingCart (although these are by no means the only services available!) I'm using these examples because they're the ones I get asked the most about, and I also know each of these services very well having used them all over the past few years.
Whichever service you want to use, before you decide...
Ask yourself these two crucial questions:
1. Decide what the long-term goals are for your business? (For example do you plan on just sending out a newsletter or do you want to sell information products via your website and have the ability to follow up with your customers via autoresponders?)
2. Which of these services will meet my long-term goals?
From my own experience I can tell you that going a cheaper router can be a false economy and can lead to its own headaches as your business grows, so carefully consider all of your goals, and the options each service provides, before making your decision. What I'm sharing with you here is a quick overview of each of the three services I mentioned above and the benefit of my experience of each of these systems. Keep in mind when reading through this list, that this is only a very broad overview of each service; you'll need to refer to each one for specifics.
Constant Contact
Pros
* Has 100's of HTML templates for you to choose from
* Will automatically convert your HTML email into plain text format
* Has the ability to create as many different interest categories as you need
* Can schedule broadcasts ahead of time and to go out at a set time of day
* Can create a custom sign-up web form for visitors to be automatically added to your database
* Has very detailed click through statistics
Cons
* Is an email marketing-only service, so you cannot create follow-up autoresponders
* Does not have any shopping cart functions
Aweber
Pros
* Has many HTML templates for you to choose form (although not as many as Constant Contact)
* Ability to create as many different lists as you need, i.e. one for your newsletter, another one for your teleclass sign-ups etc.
* Can schedule broadcasts ahead of time and to go out at a set time of day
* Can follow-up with your clients via unlimited autoresponders
* Can create a custom sign-up web form for visitors to be automatically added to your database
* Provides click through statistics
* Has a very high email deliverability rate
Cons
* Does not automatically convert your HTML newsletter into text - you have to copy and paste the information
* Does not have any shopping cart functions
1ShoppingCart
Pros
* You can manage your entire business through this one service - newsletters, autoresponders, shopping cart, affiliate program
* Offers different levels of service depending on your needs
* Can follow-up with your clients via unlimited autoresponders
* Can create a custom sign-up web form for visitors to be automatically added to your database
Cons
* No HTML templates so you will either need to get someone to prepare your broadcasts for you, or have your own HTML software and prepare your broadcasts in this program and upload to 1SC
* Doesn't have the ability to create a text version of your HTML newsletter - you will need to do this yourself and upload to 1SC
* Has a technical interface, so if you're not comfortable using technology you may find this service difficult to use
* Can schedule broadcasts to go out ahead of time, but can't set a specific time of day
Conclusion: Carefully consider all of your options before deciding on a service and see if that service will meet your long-term goals. If you prefer to use a broadcast-only service initially, Constant Contact would be a good choice, and you can then find a shopping cart service later on as your business grows. Keep in mind though that if you do go this route you will be running and maintaining two separate databases - one for your newsletter broadcasts, and the other for your online product sales.
5 Tips for Finding a Great Virtual Assistant
Lately I've been hearing from clients and colleagues about bad experiences they've had when working with a virtual assistant, so that prompted me to write this brand new article for you. In it, I'm going to be sharing with you my five tips for ensuring you find a great virtual assistant to partner with, and making it the rewarding experience it should be.
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Having a system in place for regularly backing up your important documents is crucial when you are a solopreneur. A hard drive failure can strike at any time, sometimes even new PCs can fail. Read this article to learn more about creating a back-up system for your computer, and follow my tips to ensure you have your back-up system in place.
The Secret for Overcoming Writer's Block With These 3 Simple Tips
How many times have you sat down at your PC all ready to write your newsletter article, only to be faced with that dreaded writer's block? You're sat there and can't think of a single thing to write about. In this article I'm going to share with you my top three tips for overcoming writer's block, and show you how easy it is to write your own articles.
