To my utter amazement, just a few months ago a well established business associate of mine asked for my opinion on the use of auto responders. He had several questions on the subject. However, there were three basic but very important questions in the world of marketing and office management that really caught my attention and prompted this report. He asked:
“What is a auto responder?”
“Do I really need one?”
“How much is it going to cost me?”
I simply said to him: Auto Responders don’t sleep and they send your information out 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Well the simple truth is there is a lot more to the use of auto responders. Here are a few more examples.
If you are a publisher, you can use Auto Responders to send out your regular articles, ezines, tips, etc.
If you are an entertainer, you can use Auto Responders to send out announcements about upcoming events, release parties, product releases, etc.
If you are a restaurateur, you can use Auto Responders to promote special events, present coupons, send out menus, etc.
If you are a home based business person, you can use Auto Responders to generate, manage, and profit from your own lists.
If you are an affiliate marketer or network marketer, you can use Auto Responders to help you recruit, inform, train, and motivate your team.
If you are a software developer, you can use Auto Responders to announce updates, special offers, promotional offers, and more.
This list could go on and on and on.
Most auto responder systems offer tips on how to promote your offers and get people to subscribe to your Auto Responder. Take the time to learn this powerful tool. It would be impossible to overstate how important this is to your business and success.
What makes Auto Responders such a great tool to have in your arsenal of marketing tools? Again, auto Responders don’t sleep.
They send your information out 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Auto Responders don’t care if you are on-line or if you’re away from the computer.
Once a prospect has requested your information, your emails get sent automatically.
Auto Responders don’t take breaks.
Auto Responders don’t forget.
Auto Responders don’t ask for a raise.
Auto Responders don’t ask for vacations.
Authoress just WORK!
Be sure to always use Auto Responders combined with your effective promotions to build your lists. Then market to that list over and over again.
There is no doubt about it… Auto Responders are one of the most popular tools for Internet marketing. If you have ever used an Auto Responder it is pretty easy to understand why they are so popular: THEY WORK!
The key is to use them effectively … and that can be a little tricky for some. This article is designed to help you uncover some of the secrets to Auto Responder Success.
First… it is important to understand what your Auto Responder really is. Most people think of words like “Automated Attendant” or “Follow-up Robot”. Sounds fancy… but it misses the mark.
It can be all of those things but it may help to think of your Auto Responder as your sales force… your own personal automated sales force. This is why you really want to be sure you get yours set up properly.
Do this right and you will see your sales increase.
STEP 1: PERSONALIZE YOUR MESSAGES! Most auto responders will allow you to put the recipient’s name right into the title and in the message body itself by simply adding **NAME** where you want their name to appear.
Why should you personalize?
These people are going to be getting other emails in their Inbox. They may be checking their e-mail after a long day at the office. They may have their finger poised over the “Delete” key as they sort through their messages trying to eliminate spam and viruses.
Think about it… wouldn’t you think twice about deleting an e-mail that has your name in the title?
STEP 2: CREATE CURIOSITY. Your messages doesn’t have to read like a novel. Keep it fairly short. A few well written paragraphs will do wonders for your offer. Ask rhetorical questions like,
“What if I could show you how to….” or
“What would you do if you had…”
and then show them how to get the answers by either inviting them to your web site or to give you a call. Be sure to include your URL, phone number, etc… whatever it is that you want them to use to contact you.
After all… if you don’t give them some instructions and a way to contact you or order from you, there is no way for you to get the sale. (Don’t laugh… it happens more often than you might think).
STEP 3: MAKE IT CONSISTENT. You have got time. Your Auto Responder is going to continue sending your messages for you automatically. So take the time to remind them (very briefly) what you told them in your last letter and build on it with this next message.
ALWAYS give them a clear direction on how to learn more, how to order, how to ask questions, etc… and remind them that you will be sending another message.
STEP 4: MAKE IT INTERESTING. Try to avoid too much hype. Don’t over exaggerate your offer but do let the reader know that you are excited and try to create a mental picture for them of what their life can be like with your product or service. Tell them how you can help them achieve those results and invite them to take action by either visiting your site, calling, or emailing.
STEP 5: CLOSE THE DEAL. I’ve repeated this a lot throughout this message and it is worth repeating:
CLOSE THE DEAL! I see a lot of ads and messages that go out without any clear call to action. If they don’t know what to do, they won’t do it! You have to tell them EXACTLY what to do.
I saw an ad a while back that was very interesting. I wanted to know more. I was just a step away from saying, “I’LL BUY IT” and the message gave no clue as to how I could place my order or even learn more. When I replied to the message, it just sent me the same Auto Responder messages. This person was losing a LOT of money because they simply forgot to tell the reader HOW to order!
Double-check your messages to be sure you are very clear about what the reader should do next.
STEP 6: TRACK YOUR RESULTS! Use a Ad Tracker to create a unique tracking URL for each of your messages. This will let you know exactly which letters prospects are responding to. If you see the responses drop off around Letter #5, you will know that you may need to rework Letter #5 to improve the results.
Again, an Auto Responder is a very powerful tool. When it is used properly, it can save you time and money. And because Auto Responders help you work faster and more efficiently, they can help you make more money, as well.
Cost for this great technological software can range anywhere from absolutely nothing to hundreds of dollars monthly. Piece of advice! Be sure to do your homework. Do a thorough research. Sign up for a free trial. You can always cancel after thirty days or so in most cases. Test some of the free systems. Some of these mostly basic systems work just as well without all of the extra features. Remember, the most expensive system is not always the best or the most efficient. So, investigate, investigate, investigate! Finally, be sure to use a Ad Tracker to track your results.
I am a 25 year veteran of the Marketing World. I study and research on-line consumer products and services. I investigate and report on numerous home-based business opportunities.