If you’re using an autoresponder script or a desktop autoresponder to send out emails, you should back up your data regularly. All it takes is one small mistake – an accidental click on the DELETE button perhaps – to flush years of hard work down the drain.

Here are two simple ways to back up your autoresponder data.

Backup for Autoresponder Scripts

Most autoresponder scripts will store your data into a database like MySQL, which is pretty much the standard database if your web hosting runs on Linux / Apache. Just login to your cPanel account, and click on Backup Wizard.  Then you can click on “Backup” – if you ever want to restore your backup then you click on the “Restore” link instead.

You can either backup your entire site, or just the MySQL database that contains your autoresponder data.

You’ll then see a list of all the MySQL databases in your account. Just click on the database that you want to backup and you can instantly download it in a zip file. Then just save it to your computer or external hard drive.

Sometimes your web hosting company may also provide automatic remote backup of your website. Most shared hosting accounts don;t have this feature, but if you do you’ll save all the hassle.

Backup for Desktop Autoresponders

A desktop autoresponder on the other hand will save your entire mailing list on your PC or laptop. In my opinion this is even more dangerous as your computer will probably crash more often than your web host. Your laptop may get damaged or stolen, so there’s an additional risk factor here.

When you use more than one computer, another danger is synchronization of data. You may overwrite a newer data file with an older one, which will wipe out months of hard work and leave you with a rather bad taste in your mouth.

I always backup all my data into an external hard drive, which I use to sync data between my laptop and desktop computers. I mainly use GoodSync, a commercial software you can get for about $29. GoodSync allows you to:

• Sync data between two disk drives
• One-way backup of data to a selected drive / location
• Backup / sync to FTP / online

It’s really good and I’ve been using it for two years now with no problems.

Then I triple backup everything to another external hard drive. That particular drive I store in my office and only take it out about once every three months to be updated.

I know, you’re probably reading this and thinking “Sounds like a lot of work..”

Yes, it is a lot of work. But it’s nothing compared to the amount of work you’ll be forced into when you lose your autoresponder data unexpectedly. So backup regularly, and you’ll never have to worry about your computer crashing every again.