Jimmy Rodela
© Brian Jackson / Dollar Photo Club
What if I tell you that there is a way to turn your $ 1 into $ 44.25?
It’s mind-boggling, isn’t it?
While some may think that there’s no way in high heaven to make this miracle happen; many of the seasoned internet marketers are achieving this miraculous multiplication of their money’s worth, month upon month upon month.
How do they manage that, you might ask?
According to the data uncovered by Emailexpert.org, “For every $ 1 spent on email marketing, the average return is $ 44.25.”
That’s a whopping 4400% return of your money’s value!
It’s for this same reason that marketers and business owners are gung ho about capturing their web visitors’ emails. They know, without a doubt, that the money is in fact on the list!
Because email marketing is such a powerful tool for growing your business, we need to make sure that we’re using the best email marketing software there is.
However, if you Google “best email marketing software 2015”, you’ll find differing expert opinions as to which is email software is the best.
Instead of giving you the top 10 list, we picked 2 of the most popular email marketing software in the industry. We then compared both tools side-by-side.
At the end of this article, you will have a better appreciation of the strengths of each software helping you decide which is the perfect fit for your business.
Of course, I will share my very own verdict at the end of the article as to which email marketing software is better than the other.
We introduce here GetResponse (http://www.getresponse.com/)…
… and AWeber (http://www.aweber.com/).
Both websites are professionally designed and built, and both allow you to create your own account.
GetResponse prides itself as the “World’s Easiest Email Marketing”, while AWeber declares “We’ll Help Grow Your Business in 30 Days.”
Here are 7 questions/elements that we will use to peg each software to determine which . Let’s see which one – GetResponse or AWeber – comes on top at the end of this article.
1. Which is more affordable?
Everyone is attracted to anything that has the word “free.” Free trials allow us to evaluate software before making any serious investments.
GetResponse allows 30 days of free use, without the need of credit card.
Signing up is very quick and simple.
AWeber also allows a 30-day free trial use, however…
…they require you to enter your credit card information.
Here’s the pricing scheme of GetResponse (https://secure.getresponse.com/pricing/en).
…and here’s the pricing of AWeber.
GetResponse is without a doubt more affordable than AWeber. Plus, GetResponse is hassle-free when using its 30-day free trial (no need of credit card).
2. Which platform is more intuitive?
GetResponse has a user-friendly interface that allows you to perform (right away) the 3 essential functions: Add Contacts, Create Web Form, and Create Newsletter.
Importing contacts.
Creating a web form.
Creating a newsletter.
Now, let’s take a look at the user interface of AWeber.
When you log in for the very first time, you are greeted with this screen.
Creating a list.
Setting up a message.
Once everything’s set up and you log-back in, you’ll have the following main user dashboard.
Managing subscribers.
The form designs.
Creating a newsletter can be quite confusing with AWeber. The button to create a newsletter isn’t readily available for the users.
Here’s a tutorial to help you with creating newsletters. http://www.aweber.com/send-email-newsletters.htm
Click “Messages”, then “Follow Up Series”.
Next, hover your cursor at the button “Create A Follow Up”, then click “Drag & Drop Email Builder”.
At this point, you can now design your newsletter using a variety of templates.
I feel that for those that are new to the platform, AWeber’s user interface isn’t as friendly as it should be.
On the other hand, GetResponse’s advantage is its clear layout of the most essential functions. So, GetResponse wins over AWeber in the “easy to use” department.
3. Platform has more tools/services that you can integrate.
Aweber has 124 apps GR only has about 106
According to GetResponse’s App Center (http://connect.getresponse.com/category/crm), they have about 106 total apps/services that they can integrate with their platform.
AWeber, on the other hand, has about 124 apps/services according to an entry in their Knowledge Base.
(https://help.aweber.com/hc/en-us/articles/204031276-What-Services-Can-I-Integrate-With-AWeber-).
In this round, AWeber without a doubt the winner.
4. Which one allows you to do Contact Segmentation?
GetResponse allows you to create contact or list segments based on certain criteria. It even provides a PDF tutorial, found here.
AWeber also supports segmentation, as shown in its Knowledge Base topic “How Do I Create A Segment?”
(https://help.aweber.com/hc/en-us/articles/204028706-How-Do-I-Create-A-Segment-).
In this case, GetResponse and AWeber are even.
5. Which one can provide analytics and reports?
GetResponse can create Analytics Reports for your newsletter, RSS, Subscription, and Email Clients.
You can also generate reports for your Survey Statistics.
AWeber lets you add reports to your dashboard. This is explained in the Knowledge Base topic “How Do I Add a Report to My Dashboard?” (https://help.aweber.com/hc/en-us/articles/204029816-How-Do-I-Add-a-Report-to-My-Dashboard-).
This is how the reports section in the AWeber’s Dashboard looks like.
Analytics reports let you see the progress of your campaigns. This time, GetResponse and AWeber are on equal footing in generating analytics reports.
6. Which allows you to create autoresponders easily?
In GetResponse, you can easily create and manage Autoresponders by going to the Messages menu.
In the case of AWeber, the option of setting up an autoresponder isn’t readily available in their dashboard. A couple of searches in its Knowledge Base won’t give you direct answers either.
This time, GetResponse wins over AWeber in the area of Autoresponders.
7. Which one provides better customer support?
GetResponse provides a 24/7 customer support via a virtual live chat.
Plus, GetResponse has a wealth of informative articles in its Learning Center (http://support.getresponse.com/)
In contrast, AWeber also has a virtual live customer support but it’s only available on certain times.
AWeber does have a Knowledge Base to answer most questions.
So, which one provides better customer support? In terms of who provides uninterrupted 24/7 coverage, GetResponse prevails over AWeber.
Summary and verdict
Here’s how the summary of our comparison turned out.
Which is more affordable?
– GetResponse
Which platform is more intuitive?
– GetResponse
Platform has more tools/services that you can integrate.
– AWeber
Which one allows you to do Contact Segmentation?
– GetResponse and AWeber
Which one can provide analytics and reports?
– GetResponse and AWeber
Which allows you to create autoresponders easily?
– GetResponse
Which one provides better customer support?
– GetResponse
Considering how my comparison turned out, my verdict is in favor of GetResponse.
What’s next?
If you find the information I shared to be helpful, please don’t forget to spread the word by sharing the post. Cheers!
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