One of the most important tools for any online business is an autoresponder for eMail marketing, a key Internet marketing strategy.Autoresponders send messages automatically to your prospects when they opt-in to receive information from you.

It also manages your 'list' (of prospects) and usually include many different resources. Autoresponders are not all created equal and there are some important considerations when deciding which one to use. It is vital first of all that your autoresponder service has a good reputation with Internet service providers (ISPs) so that your mail will be more likely to be delivered.

A reputable autoresponder company will not allow spammers in their system and will diligently enforce the rules about spam (unsolicited advertising), because it is the law, and they will go so far as to remove anyone who compromises their business as well as the other users. In this same regard the autoresponder documents the date, time and IP address of anyone who opts-in to your list.

With that, if someone accuses you of spam (sending them something they did not request), you can prove that they did in fact sign up. However, this is not always fool-proof as pranksters and other miscreants may think it is funny to add someone else's email address to your opt-in form. So in any case it is imperative that you can document your opt-ins as this will protect you and your reputation. Some autoresponders have the option of being super-safe by having a double-opt-in system. This means that after the person opts-in (inputs their name and email address) on your web form, that the first message they receive will be a confirmation message that includes a link they must click to respond and confirm that they did sign up and do wish to receive messages from you.

Sometimes if the potential subscribers do not respond to the confirmation message nothing will ever be sent to them again; but in other cases the autoresponder may allow you to re-attempt by sending the confirmation message again if you do not get a response. Another consideration is the unsubscribe function. Part of the ICANN spam law designates that you must include a way for people to 'opt-out' if they change their mind. This is usually by including a link at the bottom of every message sent out and it is very important that it works correctly to remove that person from your active list. There are various options you can sign up for when you start using an autoresponder system. The costs vary - some have free trials for up to so many subscribers or messages. They usually have one fee for each level of service, for example $xx for up to 500 subscribers and $xxx for 1000 and so-forth. Some may also sell leads which are usually an optional extra cost. These can be good leads if the company is good, as they will advertise to get leads for you. These may be double opt-in where the autoresponder company has already sent the confirmation message so that when you get them you can just start sending your messages.