Autoresponders are an absolute MUST for doing business on the internet. They are a powerful tool you can use to help automate your business. The problem is that they are misused or not used to their full potential by many online marketers. I'm sure most of you are somewhat familiar with autoresponders, but just for those who aren't let me very briefly cover the basics.
ALL autoresponders are NOT created equal! In addition to that; the cheapest price may not be best choice! Here are a few key points to keep in mind while shopping for autoresponders;
1) You MUST have control over your autoresponder documents at all times. In other words you must be able to upload a new document any time you want or need to.
2) Your autoresponder should be user friendly. Some autoresponder services require you to enter a particular email subject or email body in order to retreive the document you are requesting. These autoresponders will work, but they are more difficult for the user to understand and if the instructions aren't followed precisely your prospect gets NOTHING! Why take a chance on losing a prospect or a sale?
*Keep it simple. Remember K.I.S.S. keep it simple sweetheart or keep it simple stupid; whichever the case may be. Set your autoresponder to send the document back to the person requesting it no matter what is in the subject or body of the message. When I advertise info on an autoresponder I say "Send any email to:". Most saavy marketers automatically recognize this as an autoresponder email address. This type of autoresponder will require you to have a separate email address for each various message you wish to offer.
*For example: healines@yourbiz.com (headlines report) and banners@yourbiz.com for info on banners. These are not true email addresses. They are just an example.
*With the autoresponders that ARE NOT user-friendly one email address can control more than one document. Here is how they work: To get info on headlines you may email the address abc@yourbiz.com and enter HEADLINES in the subject. You may also get the info on banners by emailing abc@yourbiz.com, but you must enter BANNERS in the subject to get the banners document. However what happens if the prospect or customer enters headlines or banners in small letters? What if they put an exclamation point or a period? NOTHING! They get no info and you lose a contact.(ouch!) Again these email addresses are just made up to illustrate the example.
*Many autoresponders limit the size of your document/message. Be careful. If your AR will only send 15K or 30K messages maximum; that's gonna place limitations on how you use it. Get autoresponders that allow you to send unlimited size messages or at least very large messages. Also be sure you can send attachments; this will allow you to send more complex documents as well as graphics, etc.
*Be sure you find out how quickly you can update your messages, set-up additional autoresponders, etc. as you need them. I think most of the more modern autoresponders allow you to change them yourself as needed, but I can tell you from experience there are some providers who have to change your message for you. A good rule of thumb is…STAY AWAY!
*Does the autoresponder log and save every email address that contacts it? Even better; does it forward the contacting email to you? This is critically important! If you get the email addresses you have a way of following up. If you don't get the email address….what's the point? Bottom line; be sure you get at the very least the requesting email address and even better the requesting email message which of course also has the date and time of the contact. If the autoresponder you are considering doesn't get the email address or message to you…KEEP LOOKING!
Now…….THE DOWNSIDE.
Stay away from autoresponders that:
a) charge high set-up fees (more than $25 is unacceptable.)
b) charge more than $10 per month for the service.
c) charge you "per hit" or every time someone requests your document.
d) require you to send your document to some sort of service provider and THEY will take care of uploading your document for. You lose your ability to control and change the document. Been there. Done that. FORGET IT!
Most marketers use autoresponders for sending out articles, sales letters, press releases, etc. They post their ads in classifieds, message boards, newsgroups, FFAs, discussion groups, forums, etc urging readers to email the autoresponder for more info. Once you learn these basics and fine tune your ad copy you will get requests and sales.
OK, that's enough for now. There you have the basics. Within the next week I'll have part 2 of this article finished. I'm working on some ideas that are a little more advanced that can really unleash the power of autoresponders! Stay tuned…..
Written by
Leon Brickey
Best Recommended Software to Success on Online Business
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