Email Autoresponders as a Marketing Tool
Email autoresponders are the ideal way for your business to keep in touch with your customers.
It is common marketing knowledge that it takes, on average, seven contacts with a prospective customer before they buy your product or service. And yet most businesses still try to make the sale on the very first contact. While some customers will buy, most will not.
As you can imagine this leaves a substantial amount of cash on the table, cash that could make a significant impact on the profitability of your business, for very little extra effort.
The rest of this page will concentrate on maximizing your bottom line profits through the use of email autoresponders.
It is common marketing knowledge that it takes, on average, seven contacts with a prospective customer before they buy your product or service. And yet most businesses still try to make the sale on the very first contact. While some customers will buy, most will not.
As you can imagine this leaves a substantial amount of cash on the table, cash that could make a significant impact on the profitability of your business, for very little extra effort.
The rest of this page will concentrate on maximizing your bottom line profits through the use of email autoresponders.
What is an Email Autoresponder?
An email autoresponder is a service, script or program that sends out a sequence of pre-written email messages in reply to a customer either filling out a web form or sending a request email. In short, they are like answering machines for your email.
Maybe an example would make things a little clearer...
Imagine for a moment that Bob visits your Golf website after reading an article or watching one of your viral marketing videos and sees that you are offering a free golf ebook for download. All he has to do is enter his name and email address into the form box and click the submit button...and all from the comfort of his sofa.
The email autoresponder then goes to work. It adds Bob to your subscriber list and then sends Bob an email informing him of where to download the ebook.
The next day, Bob gets another email from the autoresponder asking him if he managed to download the ebook and telling him of the latest offer they have on golf clubs.
Two days later, the autoresponder sends an email to Bob telling him about the best way to cure a slice shot...and lists a number of golf swing aids that are on special offer.
A week later, Bob gets an email from the autoresponder...
As you can see, an autoresponder keeps your company at the forefront of Bobs mind without being intrusive.
No need to spam the guy, he's already shown that he's interested in your products. and anyway, if Bob doesn't want to receive any more emails, he can simply unsubscribe at any time.
This is why email autoresponders are such powerful tools in your marketing arsenal.
Maybe an example would make things a little clearer...
Imagine for a moment that Bob visits your Golf website after reading an article or watching one of your viral marketing videos and sees that you are offering a free golf ebook for download. All he has to do is enter his name and email address into the form box and click the submit button...and all from the comfort of his sofa.
The email autoresponder then goes to work. It adds Bob to your subscriber list and then sends Bob an email informing him of where to download the ebook.
The next day, Bob gets another email from the autoresponder asking him if he managed to download the ebook and telling him of the latest offer they have on golf clubs.
Two days later, the autoresponder sends an email to Bob telling him about the best way to cure a slice shot...and lists a number of golf swing aids that are on special offer.
A week later, Bob gets an email from the autoresponder...
As you can see, an autoresponder keeps your company at the forefront of Bobs mind without being intrusive.
No need to spam the guy, he's already shown that he's interested in your products. and anyway, if Bob doesn't want to receive any more emails, he can simply unsubscribe at any time.
This is why email autoresponders are such powerful tools in your marketing arsenal.
Web Based Email Autoresponder Services
Many web hosts such as AOL, Hotmail, or Verizon have very aggressive spam filters that block the majority of emails sent to their users. Sources reckon that over 50% of email messages are blocked. This is not good news for business.
The best way to guarantee maximum deliverability is to use one of the web based email autoresponder services such as GetResponse. They have agreements with all the major ISPs that ensures a 99.34% deliverability rate. So you can relax, knowing that your messages are getting through.
But email deliverability isn't the only advantage to using a web based service. Their system is very easy to use, even for absolute beginners. GetResponse even have a series of videos showing you how to set up an email campaign, how to make each message personal and how to send those fancy formatted HTML emails that will make your message stand out from the crowd.
Head over to the GetResponse site and check out their tutorial videos under the 'Take A Tour' tab. In fact, why not give it a spin for one month, for free. Take a look at GetResponse here.
The best way to guarantee maximum deliverability is to use one of the web based email autoresponder services such as GetResponse. They have agreements with all the major ISPs that ensures a 99.34% deliverability rate. So you can relax, knowing that your messages are getting through.
But email deliverability isn't the only advantage to using a web based service. Their system is very easy to use, even for absolute beginners. GetResponse even have a series of videos showing you how to set up an email campaign, how to make each message personal and how to send those fancy formatted HTML emails that will make your message stand out from the crowd.
Head over to the GetResponse site and check out their tutorial videos under the 'Take A Tour' tab. In fact, why not give it a spin for one month, for free. Take a look at GetResponse here.
Getresponse Autoresponder
Autoresponder Scripts
If you are fairly competent at PHP or Perl, then another option is to install an autoresponder script on your own web server. This is actually easier than it sounds, so what are the advantages (and disadvantages)?
The main advantage to having your own autoresponder script is that you can create an almost unlimited number of email campaigns, limited only by your systems resources. The emails will also have your company address, rather than some third party name. This can help with branding.
The biggest downside to installing your own script has already been mentioned; deliverability. See, the big ISPs often simply throw the emails into a black hole without telling you that it wasn't delivered. So you never even know that they were blocked. Not a good situation.
Of course, if you install your own script then you must also maintain it. If the script breaks, you need to fix it. Or install updates. If you are comfortable with say, PHP then this is not a problem.
The main advantage to having your own autoresponder script is that you can create an almost unlimited number of email campaigns, limited only by your systems resources. The emails will also have your company address, rather than some third party name. This can help with branding.
The biggest downside to installing your own script has already been mentioned; deliverability. See, the big ISPs often simply throw the emails into a black hole without telling you that it wasn't delivered. So you never even know that they were blocked. Not a good situation.
Of course, if you install your own script then you must also maintain it. If the script breaks, you need to fix it. Or install updates. If you are comfortable with say, PHP then this is not a problem.
Autoresponder Software
Yet another option that is growing in popularity, thanks to the rapid growth of broadband and a permanent internet connection, is dedicated autoresponder software such as Mailloop.
Mailloop is actually much more than just a simple autoresponder. Its latest upgrade to version 7 sees the program mature into a complete email and newsletter suite, capable of handling unlimited newsletters, subscribers and email sequences.
I would go into great detail explaining every feature of Mailloop, but as they offer a free 90 day trial, it's easier for you to just grab a copy and take it for a test run. Click here to get your copy.
Mailloop is actually much more than just a simple autoresponder. Its latest upgrade to version 7 sees the program mature into a complete email and newsletter suite, capable of handling unlimited newsletters, subscribers and email sequences.
I would go into great detail explaining every feature of Mailloop, but as they offer a free 90 day trial, it's easier for you to just grab a copy and take it for a test run. Click here to get your copy.
Free Autoresponders
For people who simply want to try out email campaigns before committing to any particular system, there are free autoresponders available. My advice? Don't use them!
At first, free autoresponders seem like a great idea. But in reality, you get what you pay for.
Their delivery rate is poor, which means that you are throwing valuable subscribers down the drain. Now how much would that be costing you?
Another thing you need to ask yourself is how the free autoresponder services actually make money. Usually, they do this by placing advertisements in your emails to your clients. Just how unprofessional would that make your business look?
At first, free autoresponders seem like a great idea. But in reality, you get what you pay for.
Their delivery rate is poor, which means that you are throwing valuable subscribers down the drain. Now how much would that be costing you?
Another thing you need to ask yourself is how the free autoresponder services actually make money. Usually, they do this by placing advertisements in your emails to your clients. Just how unprofessional would that make your business look?
More about Autoresponders...
Advanced Email Marketing
Email Marketing is conceptually brilliant: low cost, high speed, personal, dynamic, and interactive. But there's a big difference between knowing that email is a powerful marketing tool and proving it. This is a book of proofs. A book about the ways and means that email can be put to the test. A book about how an individual goes about demonstrating the power of email and pointing to specific results. This is a story that shows how you can as well.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/12/2009) 
Email Marketing: Using Email to Reach Your Target Audience and Build Customer Relationships (7.5 x 9.25")
In these days of fancy, sometimes overdesigned Web sites and banner ads, we often forget e-mail's huge potential for marketing. This book aims to remind us and explains how this chttp://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/01MwsCjsXSL.jpg
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/01MwsCjsXSL.jpgheap, easy-to-use tool can be one of your online business's best assets. The authors are keen to point out they're advocating not spam but rather targeted, well-constructed marketing messages. To make effective use of e-mail as a marketing tool, you need a strategy rather than a splatter gun, and the book talks you through the process of crafting one.
Amazon Price: $35.99 (as of 07/12/2009)
Email Marketing By the Numbers: How to Use the World's Greatest Marketing Tool to Take Any Organization to the Next Level
E-mail is one of the greatest, most revolutionary marketing tools ever invented. Unfortunately, most businesses have no idea of its full potential-they think e-mail is nothing more than an electronic version of their normal marketing materials, such as newsletters. In E-Mail Marketing By the Numbers, Chris Baggott reveals the e-mail marketing tactics used by some of the biggest and most successful companies-and he shows small and mid-sized business owners how to level the playing field by applying those same techniques-at very low cost-to their marketing efforts.
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/12/2009)
Build Interest With Autoresponder Messages
If you are using your autoresponder to sell a product or service such as Hotel Marketing, you must be very careful as to how you approach your potential customer. Few people like a hard sale, and marketers have known for years that in most cases, a prospect must hear your message an average of seven times before they will make a purchase. How do you accomplish this with email autoresponders?
It's really quite simple, and in fact, the autoresponders make getting the message to your potential customers those seven times possible. On the Internet, without the use of autoresponders, you probably could not achieve that. Too often, marketers make the mistake of literally slamming the potential customer with a hard sales pitch with the first autoresponder message - this won't work.
First, you need to get people to see your signup form. This can be done using a squeeze page online, or cheap and easy leaflets in the real world.
Then you build interest slowly. Start with an informative message - a message that educates the reader in some way on the topic that your product or service is related to. At the bottom of the message, include a link to the video marketing page for your product. Use that first message to focus on the problem that your product or service can solve, with just a hint of the solution.
Build up from there, moving into how your product or service can solve a problem, and then with the next message, ease into the benefits of your product - giving the reader more actual information with each and every message. Your final message should be the sale pitch - not your first one! With each message, make sure that you are giving the customer information pertaining to the topic - free information! This is what will keep them interested in what you have to say.
This type of marketing is an art. It may take time to get it exactly right. Use the examples that other marketers have set for you. Pay attention to the messages that you receive from other marketers. Start a 'swap' file, and keep those messages. Use some of the better sales copy for your own autoresponder messages - just make sure that yours doesn't turn out to be an exact copy of someone else's sales message!
Remember not to start with a hard sale. Build your potential customers interest. Keep building on what the problem is, and how your product or service can solve that problem or fill that need.
It's really quite simple, and in fact, the autoresponders make getting the message to your potential customers those seven times possible. On the Internet, without the use of autoresponders, you probably could not achieve that. Too often, marketers make the mistake of literally slamming the potential customer with a hard sales pitch with the first autoresponder message - this won't work.
First, you need to get people to see your signup form. This can be done using a squeeze page online, or cheap and easy leaflets in the real world.
Then you build interest slowly. Start with an informative message - a message that educates the reader in some way on the topic that your product or service is related to. At the bottom of the message, include a link to the video marketing page for your product. Use that first message to focus on the problem that your product or service can solve, with just a hint of the solution.
Build up from there, moving into how your product or service can solve a problem, and then with the next message, ease into the benefits of your product - giving the reader more actual information with each and every message. Your final message should be the sale pitch - not your first one! With each message, make sure that you are giving the customer information pertaining to the topic - free information! This is what will keep them interested in what you have to say.
This type of marketing is an art. It may take time to get it exactly right. Use the examples that other marketers have set for you. Pay attention to the messages that you receive from other marketers. Start a 'swap' file, and keep those messages. Use some of the better sales copy for your own autoresponder messages - just make sure that yours doesn't turn out to be an exact copy of someone else's sales message!
Remember not to start with a hard sale. Build your potential customers interest. Keep building on what the problem is, and how your product or service can solve that problem or fill that need.
Formatting Autoresponder Messages
Have you received emails that were all broken up? These emails have one or two words on one line, then eight or ten words on the next line. In some cases, one word begins on one line and ends on the next. These emails are very hard to read, and they appear to be very unprofessional. Is this what you want your autoresponder email messages to look like?
If not, you need to learn how to format your messages. Start by reading the instructions for your specific autoresponder. Each one operates a bit differently in the way that it handles text. For instance, some autoresponder messages will be messed up if you do put a 'hard line break' at the end of each line, while others will be messed up if you don't! Find out what the right option is for your autoresponder!
Because each email client is different, you should not allow any line in your message to exceed 65 characters. This will help prevent lines from breaking up, and it is achieved by hitting the 'enter' key at the end of each sixty-five character line.
The best way to be sure that your autoresponder messages are delivered in the correct format is to send them to yourself, before you send them to your list!
So whether you're a multinational corporation or just a humble Bolton restaurant, get started with an email autoresponder and put your marketing on autopilot.
If not, you need to learn how to format your messages. Start by reading the instructions for your specific autoresponder. Each one operates a bit differently in the way that it handles text. For instance, some autoresponder messages will be messed up if you do put a 'hard line break' at the end of each line, while others will be messed up if you don't! Find out what the right option is for your autoresponder!
Because each email client is different, you should not allow any line in your message to exceed 65 characters. This will help prevent lines from breaking up, and it is achieved by hitting the 'enter' key at the end of each sixty-five character line.
The best way to be sure that your autoresponder messages are delivered in the correct format is to send them to yourself, before you send them to your list!
So whether you're a multinational corporation or just a humble Bolton restaurant, get started with an email autoresponder and put your marketing on autopilot.
by MarkHeywood
If you are using Referral Marketing to promote your business online, you need to include email autoresponders in your toolkit. (more)
