Maybe you’ve heard of autoresponders. They’re online systems set up to help marketers deliver an automatic message directly into an email inbox. Autoresponders are so great because a prospect voluntarily signs up to receive your message. They are opting in, and giving you permission to send them information. Autoresponders are an excellent way to promote products, services, newsletters, and web sites.

I have three autoresponders that are actively working 24/7 to deliver my special messages to eager information seekers. You’re probably wondering how do you get people interested in signing up for your autoresponder message. It’s simple: Give them some information they want!

You’ve gotta offer something of value by way of their interests. Someone visits your web site looking for some specific niche information and hopefully your site delivers just what they are looking for. Now, the autoresponder is there as an extra special offer. The subject matter should be related to the subject of your web site. Don’t try offering something completely unrelated to what your targeted visitors are interested in.

Can you think of something extra you can offer your visitors?

What about an eCourse on how to . . .?

What about some tips on how to . . . ?

What about some secret sources you discovered for the best . . . ?

See how easy it is? I’m sure you can find some additional information to pass on to your visitors on a wide range of subjects. Autoresponders aren’t just for the big marketers-anyone can set one up and stick it on their web site.

Now what is the benefit of an autoresponder to you?

One big benefit is additional TRAFFIC to your web site. This is a hidden benefit that many people don’t think about. Every message should have your web site URL. This message is sponsored by: www.mywebsite.com. Your autoresponder service should make it easy to create live html links embedded in the body of the message. Your subscribers only have to click on the link to visit the site you promote. Actually, I promote several sites via my messages, although I’ve found that again, for best results, the additional sites should be related to the subject matter of the messages.

Keep in mind that you probably won’t get a ton of traffic, but more like a steady trickle. Yes, those that have visited your site before may re-visit your site via your autoresponder link, IF they are reminded. Also, there may be an individual message that someone wants to pass along to a friend-more exposure for you!

Another benefit is the ability to promote affiliate products to your subscribers without the guilt of feeling like you’re annoying or spamming someone. Remember, they’ve given you permission to contact them with your information, so there’s no reason why you can’t offer products that will benefit them as well. Please don’t abuse this permission. Don’t get greedy and stuff your messages with several products. Your subscribers will be turned off and you won’t make any sales.

You can see how many people have subscribed and opened your messages by logging into your account manager area. Your autoresponder statistics offers you a good insight into how many messages your subscribers are opening and if they’re clicking on your links.

Is it hard to set up an autoresponder?

Not at all. I’m no techie, and I chose a service that is literally as easy as using my word processing program. Look for a service that offers ease of use, convenience, and a variety of ways to utilize your autoresponder. Oh yeah, and unlimited messages is a must. Each message should also offer an automatic opt-out. Although, I still find that a few people will send me an email to take them off the list (because they are unaware of the opt-out link). You should also be able to log into your account and easily remove them manually.

A good autoresponder service will also make it easy for you to insert the subscriber name automatically, as well as, create a custom welcome message. This is a very important feature since it’s been proven that personalization makes people feel more comfortable with you, the message creator. By the way, the person’s name is extracted automatically from the subscriber box.

What is the cost of an autoresponder?

The cost varies depending on the service you use. Most will give you an option for a monthly subscription, quarterly payments or one yearly payment. You’ll need to decide if gaining extra visitors to your web site, subscribers to your newsletter or making additional affiliate sales is worth the cost of the service.

An autoresponder can be a great addition to your web site and can be an extra marketing force that works for you twenty-four hours a day. It really is a “set it and forget it” tool that can help you gain an edge in the competitive online world.

When someone sends an email, they would prefer to get an immediate response. Although most responses take time, customers and potential buyers prefer to get their response immediately. To give an immediate response to an email, you can use an autoresponder. They are a great way to let someone know that you received their email, and that you are taking care of their request. Autoresponder messages can be custom tailored, and look much better than simple thank you pages.

Some Internet marketers use their autoresponders to save themselves time and make their customers feel a bit more at ease until they get the time to handle the request or issue. If you set up your autoresponder in your email account, you’ll find that there are many advantages, although the biggest advantage is answering email questions and acting as tech support.

Your autoresponder can act as tech support for your business by answering any questions you receive via email. To make this work smoother, you can always add answers as you go or just include the most common preset answers in your autoresponder. If your website has a technical support page, you can include different addresses for each specific question. When a customer emails the address, the autoresponder at the other end will automatically send them the answer.

Using an autoresponder to answer your email questions can drastically cut down the amount of emails that you need to answer. Instead of having to wait on your response, your customer will get an instant reply. Customers love to get instant replies, which is one of the main reasons why autoresponders are so popular with online businesses and Internet marketing. If customers start to ask questions that your autoresponder isn’t set up for, you can easily add answers to it anytime you need to.

No matter what the question may be, you can use an autoresponder to answer it. With most autoresponders, you simply type the answer to a question or other piece of information into a text file. You can include an answer section on your website as well, where customers will ask their questions. If you set it up so that it includes a mail form, you can add several pages to the answer section. Once a customer sends the question, the autoresponder should immediately send them an answer.

For a growing Internet business, an autoresponder is a must have. If you deal with a lot of customers, you’ll find this tool to be very beneficial. No matter what type of company you may have online, an autoresponder will help you stand out in a crowd – and keep you looking good night and day. When customers email you and get an immediate response – they won’t forget it.

In business, every decision you make should be based on facts. This process can be difficult, but in the world of ecommerce this can be accomplished relatively easy by using tracking software, tools which are specially designed to track, for instance, how well your advertising campaigns are doing.

There are various autoresponder programs offered on the internet today. However, not all of them offer complete tracking abilities. Before signing-up with an autoresponder service or purchasing an autoresponder software, you need to make sure that the tracking features are already provided. The features will give you the ability to measure the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns.

There are several types of tracking features which are usually provided by a reliable autoresponder service or program. One of the most popular is a tracking tool to help you monitor how many clicks you have received so far. This can be accomplished by entering the website address that you want your subscribers to visit, and then the autoresponder generates special URLs that you can insert in your messages.

The tracking feature above can also be used to find out the number of subscribers who have downloaded an ebook or software. Autoresponder plays a vital role in building potential customers’ interest and excitement. This email marketing tool is often used to let people preview a product. For instance, if you have developed an ebook, you can use your autoresponder to tell your subscribers about it and let them download several chapters of your ebook.

Another tracking feature that can be found in many popular autoresponder services is the one that allows you to monitor the number of opened messages. By being able to track how many emails that have been opened, you can make better decisions in choosing your email subject lines. Compelling headlines will draw attention from subscribers, making them feel excited to open your emails.

Some quality autoresponders today also include a feature that allows you to set up different autoresponder addresses to track different marketing campaigns. Of course you can also use your own domain names for this purpose. You can then monitor the results of each campaign such as how many clicks you have received through the control panel of your autoresponder service account.

Some popular autoresponder services can generate easy to read reports. The information allows you to find out what is working, and what is not working. You can then change or remove campaigns or messages that are not doing well. It will essentially make your email marketing much more effective and profitable.

Once again, if you want to sign up with an autoresponder service, you need to make sure that it has already provided the tracking tools above. In addition, don’t forget to take the time to read the instructions to learn how to use the service effectively, including how to make use and to set up the tracking features provided. If there is a manual or help file for your autoresponder, read it carefully. The more you know about the service, the more prepared you will be to perform various marketing tasks with it.

Anyone who owns a website can gain a world of benefit from an autoresponder. If you own a website, you probably have hundreds of visitors on a daily basis. Through the use of an autoresponder, you can take their emails addresses and contact them anytime you wish. Although an autoresponder is a great thing – you should be very careful when you choose the one for your website.

When you select your autoresponder, you want to purchase from a company that has a history of being stable and reliable. There have been several companies in the past that have went out of business, taking customer lists and leaving those with their autoresponders hanging. This can be very devastating to a company, and you should avoid it at all costs. You should always choose a company that you can rely on, and never go by price. If you try to save yourself some money, you could end up paying for it down the road.

If you run a big company, you’ll want an autoresponder that supports multiple lists and allows you to follow up with customers as many times as you wish. An autoresponder can do more than just answer emails, which is why you should pay close attention to features. Although you may have just one website now, you’ll want to plan ahead for the future just in case you decide to run more than one site.

If you don’t know a lot about computers, you’ll want to choose an autoresponder that is easy to set up. Non technical autoresponders are always the best, as virtually anyone can install them. Integration is also important, especially if you have a lot of other components on your website such as a shopping cart or a checkout. If you are paying for hosting with your website, you should check and see if the package comes with an autoresponder.

For many, price is a very important factor. If you don’t have a lot of money to spend, this will be a crucial consideration. Although there are free autoresponders out there, you should usually use them, as they come with ads and other annoyances. If you search around on the Internet, you may be able to find a complete package that offers you web hosting and an autoresponder together for one low price. The savings here can be really good, especially if you use a long term option.

If you take your time and choose a reliable autoresponder, you’ll save your company and yourself a lot of money in the long run. Buying or downloading a free or cheap autoresponder is never a good idea, as it will end up costing you both money and time. The ideal way to find the best autoresponder is weigh out your options, take your time, and select best autoresponder for your company.

Introduction

The extreme versatility of autoresponders is that the messages are pre-written and sent automatically. This saves the internet marketer a great deal of time and effort. Even better, the messages are programmed to be sent at intervals designated by the internet marketer. These intervals are relative to the initial request by the recipient.

Once the messages are written, the time intervals set, and the opt-in form installed on a web page, the marketer does not need to bother with the system again. Other than tweaking the content and intervals of the messages, and possible unscheduled broadcasts, the system runs automatically. What is the best way to schedule autoresponder messages?

Scheduling Autoresponder Messages

This article offers three methods of scheduling autoresponder messages: 1) steady intervals, 2) decreasing frequency, and 3) content-based.

1. Steady Interval Scheduling

Scheduling autoresponder messages at steady intervals means that the interval between messages is the same for all messages. This method is useful for delivering information on a periodic basis, such as a weekly e-course or a monthly reminder list. Remember that your subscribers are likely receiving other autoresponder courses too, so daily messages are probably too intrusive. When delivering content that is not time-critical, steady intervals is a method that works well.

2. Decreasing Frequency Scheduling

Use decreasing frequency scheduling when you want your subscriber to get lots of exciting messages after subscribing. Then you gradually increase the time (decrease the frequency) between messages so your messages don’t become annoying. This method is good for autoresponders describing an online product or service you are selling.

You might initially schedule a message to be sent immediately, and then the next three are sent on Days 1, 2, and 3. The next few messages can be slightly delayed, such as being sent on Days 5 and 7. If the recipient hasn’t purchased your product or service by then, have some long-term messages ready. Long term messages can be sent, for example, on Day 14 and Day 21, then monthly for 3 months after that.

This method initially gives the recipients lots of information to keep them excited about your product. The increasing time between the long term messages provides reminders to the recipient without clogging their inbox. If they haven’t purchased by the end of the autoresponder sequence, they probably won’t. However, these subscribers are ripe for follow-up offers and upsells you might offer in the future.

3. Content-Based Scheduling

If your autoresponder messages don’t fall easily into one of the previous two categories, consider content-based scheduling. This simply means that you must picture yourself as the potential customer, and consider how fast you would want to get the content. This is best illustrated with examples.

Example 1: Assume you are providing the content of an e-book through your autoresponder. You have placed each of the e-book’s 25 chapters in its own autoresponder message. Now think about your own e-mail inbox. If you were subscribing to receive these chapters by e-mail, would you want a lot of them arriving quickly? Most would not, because recipients need time to read and digest the material.

Most subscribers would likely click delete, or worse, unsubscribe, if your messages begin piling up in their inboxes. This type of material does not require urgent delivery, and a periodic schedule is probably best.

Example 2: Assume you have written an e-book on interview tips, and made an autoresponder series to promote it. To entice subscribers, you’ve promised them your top five interviewing tips directly from the e-book. Someone who has just received notice of a job interview in two days is frantically searching for tips and finds your site.

Would weekly scheduling help this person? Of course it won’t. You might choose to deliver the tips daily, or even twice a day. Of course, you would have some long-term follow-up messages in the autoresponder series too. If the recipient doesn’t get this job, he or she will certainly need your interview tips in the future.

In Example 2, you could even set up two different autoresponders. The first would be your normal product promotion series of messages, set up with decreasing frequency scheduling. The second could be your “hot tips for desperate job seekers,” which would deliver the tips every few hours, then automatically subscribe the person to your first autoresponder sequence.

Some autoresponders have a “get next message now” function. This is a link at the end of the message that allows the recipient to manually request the next message in the sequence, instead of waiting for it to be sent. This feature is perfect for urgent or time-sensitive information.

Conclusion

Think of your potential customers, and how desperate they might be to get your information. Then decide which method of autoresponder scheduling is right for your product. If you are not sure, ask your subscribers if the scheduling was helpful to them. After all, they are the ones with the money to spend.