Section 4

Advantages & Disadvantages of Desktop-Hosted Autoresponders

How do they work?

Desktop hosted autoresponders are programs which are run directly on your own workstation or computer.

These types of autoresponders may or may not be cheaper or easier to use than the locally hosted type.

The biggest disadvantage is that you need to have the program running on a dedicated computer with an around-the-clock access to the internet via a high speed broadband connection. The use of a dial-up connection simply would not be adequate.

This usually involves the purchase and installation of a program on your computer.

Desktop-hosted autoresponders are more suitable for non-professional marketers who have a small subscriber list.

For professional marketers who have a large subscriber list, these are not recommended.

Advantages & Disadvantages

If you are a professional internet marketer or has a large subscriber list, you should consider a locally-hosted autoresponder and not a desktop autoresponder because:

• Technical superiority and reliability as it is hosted on a web server.
• Ease of expansion to meet growing demand as multiple autoresponders can be added.
• Ability to handle large subscribe list.
• Lower overall cost- no need for a dedicated computer with around-the-clock internet access.

Admittedly, desktop autoresponder has its advantages too.

For example, if you are a professional internet marketer, you can use it for automating a lot of the tasks involved in answering emails.

In fact, you may consider using a locally-hosted autoresponder to handle tasks like subscription and follow-up, and a desktop autoresponder to handle tasks like sending a certain email-on-demand or for responding to specific enquiries.

Continued Reading- Comparing All Host Types