Q. In deciding whether to do AWeber versus ShoppingCart, I’m trying to evaluate what I need. Right now I’m developing several info products but realistically they probably won’t be up and fully running for a good 6 months. I definitely want to put an autoresponder in place now but should I also get the shopping cart up at this point since I won’t need it for a bit? It sounds like one can have both aweber and shoppingcart1 together and that it shouldn’tn be too hard to add one later…is this correct?
A. First, I recommend developing just *one* info product at a time. Developing several can be overwhelming! I did that myself and am still untangling them. Pick the product that appeals most to your market or else choose the product with the lowest price. Practice with that product. Then move on to the next.
Trust me: you’ll make at least one mistake. Why repeat that mistake over and over with all your products?
Second, many people do use AWeber and the shopping cart together. Some marketers use AWeber for prospects and the cart for customers. Others just use the cart to keep things simple. It’s a business decision. You have to decide if you want to invest the time to work with two systems and pay the extra fees. You can certainly start with AWeber and add the cart later.
Third, some people start with a smaller, lower priced autoresponder service, such as Constant Contact. Many experienced marketers still use these services. However, I recommend investing in 1ShoppingCart or AWeber early in your business cycle. Learn the system before you have a gazillion people on your list. Yes, you will pay $20 per month more and that will seem like a lot. But you will pay a lot more if you have to move your list at a later date and learn a new system.
But for now I’d focus on creating one spectacular info product. My recommendation is a download, Reach Desperate Buyers. It’s an awesome guide to the Internet and I regularly get messages from buyers who thanked me for the recommendation. It’s fully guaranteed so you have no risk. The author is extremely honorable.
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If you know you’re going to be selling products and using autoresponders, I would go for 1shoppingcart now. I don’t know much about Aweber, but I use 1shoppingcart and it takes care of all of my shopping cart and email database needs. Lots of successful on-line marketers use 1shoppingcart and from my research I think it’s the best system out there for the money.
I think that most email database systems like 1shoppintcart, ConstantContact and, Aweber require your contacts to opt-in to be eligible to receive emails from you. This means that once you import your contacts into your new system, it will send them an email with a confirmation link that they’ll have to click on. If they don’t click on the confirmation link the system won’t send them your emails.
So it’s best to choose one system sooner rather than later, and stick with it because whenever you change systems you lose subscribers. This may be why people are using and paying for 2 separate database systems. I’ve changed email databases a couple of times in the course of my business and each time I’ve lost subscribers because people didn’t opt-in to the new system. The good news is that it’s a great way to cull your list so that only current emails of interested people are on the list. But the downside is that you’ll also lose people that still want your emails. I know this because I’ve had people email me a couple of years later saying they didn’t know how they fell off my list and could they please get back on.
I whole-heartedly agree with Cathy that the extra money you pay now will be worth it in the long run. It’s better to have a system that you’ll grow into rather than have a system that you’ll grow out of. Even if you’re not using 1shoppingcart’s full capabilities now, your mailing list and your business is going to grow and evolve in ways that you can’t even imagine right now (ask me how I know). When it does you’ll already have a system that will take care of those future needs.