An autoresponder script written in a scripting language such as PHP usually runs on your own web server and gives you total flexibility and control over your permission based email marketing campaigns.
It is this flexibility that makes hosting their own autoresponder script so appealing to many businesses as they are not limited to the rules laid down by many of the autoresponder services.
Possibly the best autoresponder script for small businesses capable of running PHP and MySQL is Interspire Email Marketer. It has a vast array of features that make setting up, maintaining and of course, profiting from your email list simple and efficient.
Autoresponder Script Advantages
So what advantages does hosting your own autoresponder script give you? Here’s a few:
- Full Control
Many businesses enjoy the freedom that having full control of their email autoresponders brings. Don’t want double opt-in? No problem! Want to mass import a list without jumping through hoops? You got it! - Everything In One Place
When you host your autoresponder on your own server you have your whole web system in one place, under the watchful eye of your IT team. - Unlimited Options
With full access to the autoresponder source code you have the freedom to add whatever features you need, limited only by the imagination of your marketing team and the capabilities of your programmers. High end scripts such as Interspire Email Marketer already have more features than you would probably ever need, but if there is something your business simply must have then it is as simple as coding and upgrading the script.
Disadvantages Of Using An Autoresponder Script
As with everything in life there are a few small disadvantages to hosting your own sequential autoresponder:
- You Are Responsible
If you host it yourself then of course you are responsible for maintaining, upgrading and installing the script. If you are comfortable with installing scripts then this will not be a problem, however if you are unfamiliar with PHP then you may need to pay for someone else to install or upgrade the system. - Server Limitations
If you are using shared hosting where many different businesses are on the same server then chances are you will be limited to how many emails you can send out per hour. The industry average seems to be around 500 emails per hour which seems reasonable until you try to send out a time sensitive message to your 10,000 strong email list. This can take 20 hours! If you have your own server then mail throttling in not usually a problem. - Email Deliverability
Getting your autoresponder message past the ever more aggressive spam filters can be tricky unless you take steps to make your domain trustworthy first. This can include changing some of the server settings so you may need to sit down with a techie to run though what is needed for YOUR particular business.
All that said, permission based email marketing using sequential autoresponders will be one of the best investments of time and money your business can make. So if you prefer to host your own script then take a look at all the features packed into Interspire Email Marketer and start to leverage your customer database.