Before you even attempt any form of email marketing, you will need to select a good email autoresponder; you would be crazy to try and manage a large list of email addresses manually.

An email autoresponder is the workhorse for all your email marketing campaigns, automating a number of tasks so you can spend more time on writing your promotional emails. It will handle the opt-in system that allows readers to subscribe, or unsubscribe, to your mailing list and it will control the distribution of all the emails you send to your list.

There are a number of features you should consider when choosing an autoresponder that will meet your needs. If you're just starting out, you may not be very concerned with some of the more advanced features offered by various autoresponders, but it's a good idea to keep some of the more advanced capabilities in mind as your business grows.

The following are several main features you will want to consider when selecting your first autoresponder:

Multiple Lists - A good autoresponder should be able to handle multiple email lists. Being limited to a single list will severely hinder your business. You may want to maintain a number of separate lists for customers, prospects, and so on. It's also a good idea to have separate lists based on what products your customers buy.

Easy Integration - Your autoresponder should allow you to integrate other mailing lists into the one you have. This is important if you acquire a separate email list or if you decide to upgrade your autoresponder; you certainly won't want to be forced to throw away an email list simply because it cannot be integrated.

Hosting - You should consider whether you want an autoresponder to be hosted by a third party - on someone else's server - or hosted locally on your own server or computer. As you might expect, there are benefits and drawbacks to either approach. You will need to pay a monthly subscription for any third party service, but this has the benefit of including a high number of advanced features and technical support. In contrast, you will only have to pay a one-time cost for a locally hosted autoresponder, which can save you a bit of money in the long run, but unfortunately you will have to handle the technical details and deal with any problems you may encounter. You will ultimately need to consider whether you have the knowledge and time involved in operating and maintaining your own software. A hosted option may be the best choice if you're not too computer savvy.

You have a number of choices on the market today for email autoresponders. You will need to take a look at the requirements you have for your business as well as your budget to find the one that best suites your needs. Taking the time now to choose an effective autoresponder will greatly benefit your business later on.

Once you have selected an email autoresponder, you will need to build your list - Find out how to get people to sign up to your mailing list.