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| Using Autoresponders for Follow-up Marketing |
By:
Terrance Wood |
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By now everybody and their dog knows, that "The Money is in the List". In order to be really successful as an online business, you have to have an opt-in mailing list. Nobody is going dispute this fact.
However, the ONE thing that EVERY serious online marketer will also agree on is this ... the real fortune is in the follow-up!
I'm sure you've already heard that surveys have shown that your customers need to be exposed to your marketing message up to seven times before they are willing make a purchase. Unfortunately, surveys have also proven that most marketers do not consistently follow up with their prospects.
Using follow-up marketing to build trust and credibility for your business are essential to your online success. Follow-up marketing will enable you to sell your products better and to introduce new products in the future.
One of the most widely used promotional tools on the Internet to accomplish the task of follow-up marketing is Autoresponders. Autoresponders are sometimes called mail bots, automatic email and email on demand. They have their origin from the very popular fax on demand and because they were designed to automatically respond to any email message received with an automatic response, they eliminate the need to manually answer every response. Now that's going to save you several hours of your valuable time.
Autoresponder programs vary from auto response messages set-up within an email program to a script that runs on a server. This script may run a web-based Autoresponder system that utilizes a web page form or it may run with a pop email account on a server.
Autoresponders can assist you in automating many of your daily tasks including:
Building Mailing Lists
Customer Follow-up
Order Confirmations
Deliver Newsletters
Articles for Publication
Autoresponder Courses
In addition to the standard autoresponder systems, there are also autoresponders that can send an unlimited number of follow-up messages. These follow-up messages can be automatically sent out at predetermined intervals. In other words, you can set up your autoresponder to automatically send out a new message each day for as many days as you would like.
This powerful technology is currently being used by some of the top online marketers to reach thousands of potential customers. Like I mentioned, it may take up to seven contacts with a potential customer before a purchase is made. By setting up an autoresponder and offering a free autoresponder course, you can completely automate a portion of your marketing efforts.
You can massively increase your effectiveness in your follow-up marketing; using the hidden power of autoresponders and their ability to turn multiple prospects into many customers and then customers into repeat customers.
When selecting an autoresponder service, you need to take several factors into consideration to ensure maximum performance for the tasks you want to accomplish.
Here are some critical areas you should examine when evaluating any autoresponder system:
Personalized responses - With this feature you can address the recipient by there name making them feel that the message was sent specifically to them.
Automatic follow ups - Remember, you have to contact your Customers up to seven time before they make a purchase.
Unlimited text length - Because you'll most likely be using sales letters provide to you by the products you sell, you don't want to be inhibited by the amount of text your Autoresponder may contain. This could ultimately cost you business.
Free unlimited updating - You need to have a way to provide your customers with accurate, up to date information on your products and services. Some services charge additional fees if you exceed a certain number of messages.
Sign-up form code generation - Can the system generate HTML code to provide you with a Sign-Up form to place on your Website?
Subscription-modification - Your Customers need to be able to unsubscribe themselves or modify their user contact information. Also make sure that if someone wants to modify their contact information (most common change is an email address) they can do so automatically. This one feature will save you an immeasurable amount of time.
Sending file attachments - Although this is not a critical point, it is sometimes convenient or useful to be able to send file attachments with messages?
Tracking system - You should be instantly informed each time someone requests your information.
Although many web hosts provide their clients with one-time Autoresponders, if you're planning on sending out follow-up messages, you'll want to use a more advanced autoresponder.
Autoresponders come in all sizes, shapes and colours, but I would like to introduce you to four different ones that I can strongly recommend.
GetResponse:
http://www.getresponse.com
GetResponse is a complete email marketing service that you can use to deliver your campaigns, newsletters, follow-ups and autoresponder messages.
There is a Free version and a Professional version. Even the free version provides you with the following features:
Unlimited autoresponders - create as many autoresponder accounts as you want and use each one for different purposes, even for tracking your sales!
Instant, reliable delivery - someone sends you an email or fills out a form, and a reply is sent in only 30 seconds!
Up to 5 follow-ups - unlimited in the PRO version.
Unlimited message length - your reply message can be as long or as short as you want! You're never limited!
Unlimited message changes - change, update or edit your autoresponses whenever you want, 24 hours a day!
Easy set-up and management - it takes only minutes to set up and we take care of the rest, behind the scenes!
Password-protected online control panel - gain access to a private, easy-to-use, intuitive administration panel.
Powerful personalization features - our most prominent feature is easy-to-configure, customizable personalization!
Smart tracking features - know instantly and precisely which autoresponder and message are pulling the most!
Database access - access and manage your database of prospects' email addresses, 24 hours a day, such as adding subscribers, viewing removals, updating messages, etc.
Powerful mailing list management features - use your mailing list for publishing a newsletter on a regular basis!
Automatically clean your mailing list - maintain your list easily, with hard bounces removed automatically for you!
Built-in anti-spam filters - that way, you make sure good messages go through and nobody abuses your responder!
AWeber:
http://www.aweber.com
AWeber provides an outstanding autoresponder system that will enable you to take complete control over your autoresponder marketing campaign.
This professional autoresponder service provides you with all of the following:
Unlimited autoresponders.
Unlimited personalized follow up messages.
Unlimited message length, unlimited changes, and full integrated HTML creator and/or plain text message capability.
Unlimited campaigns.
Templates pre-designed HTML to allow larger fonts, bold, colors, and images. Fully customizable.
Unlimited personalized broadcast newsletters and segmented broadcast capability.
Easy web form generator allows easy addition of opt-in forms to your website, pop-ups, pop-overs, hover pops, and exit pops along with split testing of different forms.
Name, date, geographical, 25 custom fields, and more personalization features.
Graphical account statistics and reporting with automatic emailing of reports.
Automatic undeliverable email handling.
Automated ad tracking features.
Complete 24/7 control over your own account, via an online control panel.
Integrated CAN-SPAM compliance checks with SPF & Sender ID email authentication included.
FREE unlimited customer support.
AutoResponse Plus:
http://www.autoresponseplus.com
If you'd rather have your own autoresponder system that resides on your server, I recommend using AutoResponse Plus.
Here is a list to show you the many capabilities of this system:
Adds vital follow-up marketing capability to your web site - As you use AutoResponse Plus, you can rest assured that those all-important names and email addresses are being gathered 24x7, and that your sales message is being delivered on time, every time.
Automatically and efficiently manages your prospect subscriptions - While you spend time on less mundane tasks, AutoResponse Plus is automatically managing your subscriptions, removals, duplicates bounce-backs and email address changes.
Prevents accusations of SPAM - From asking people to confirm their subscription to obtaining and storing subscriber IP addresses, date/time of subscription etc, AutoResponse Plus takes care of everything for you.
Expands with your business by allowing you to create as many follow-up campaigns as you need - Some autoresponder or mailing list providers charge you for EACH campaign or by the number of subscribers in your list. As an AutoResponse Plus owner, you do not need to endure such additional, ever-rising costs.
Does not restrict you to ineffective sales processes - You are not limited in the number of follow-up messages that you can add to each of your campaigns. And you are not limited in the number of times you can contact your prospects. Many other systems impose such limits, or charge you more (often much more) for the privilege.
Drives short-terms sales and profits by allowing you to create and send as many broadcasts to your lists as you want - Do you need short-term sales boost? Then use your AutoResponse Plus system to send a "one-off" offer. Or build on your customer relationships with specials, coupons, newsletters or ezines to your subscribers.
Personalizes your messages in over 70 ways - AutoResponse Plus has many ways that you can personalize each message you send. This is vital for building that all-important trust and credibility within your prospect. No more "Dear Friend" emails!
Allows you the flexibility of sending plain text or HTML messages - Each of your follow-up messages and broadcasts can be plain text or visually stunning HTML. You can even give each subscriber the choice, if you want! And there are no new editors to learn - just use the text editor or HTML (web page) design program that you are already comfortable with.
Measures your results, allowing you to build on your successes - You have the very important ability to measure the success of your follow-up campaigns and broadcasts. Not only do you know how many people opened a message, you also know exactly WHO chose to read it. This really allows you to "pinpoint" your targets for future mailings. Just one click selects those people, and you're all set!
Sends messages containing time-sensitive offers - You can send out offers that expire on a certain date. - This is a well-known way of boosting sales and a "must have" tool for you to have as a successful Internet Marketer.
Attaches files to your follow-up messages or broadcasts - You can send PDFs, spreadsheets, sounds, videos, documents, ebooks and programs - automatically! This is a great way of delivering valuable content to your web site visitors, while getting their name and email address at the same time.
Mailloop:
http://www.marketingtips.com/mailloop/mailloop.html
Mailloop is a software that you install locally on your desktop and has advanced email marketing capabilities" that can help almost GUARANTEE the success of every email, newsletter, and autoresponder you send!
Maillop boost with the following features:
Save up to 25 pieces of information about each new subscriber and customer in a special "custom" database -- without ANY technical know-how!
Build your list from zero to 1,000s of opt-in subscribers with just a few steps!
Never be wrongly accused of spamming again and avoid having up to 50% (or more!) of your messages instantly "trashed" by your subscribers -- automatically!
Manage and reduce your "bounce backs" -- automatically. If your ISP even thinks you're spamming, they can shut you down. That's why it's crucial to reduce "bounce backs."
Use a "confirmed opt-in system" to protect yourself from "phony" subscription requests!
Manage an unlimited number of lists at no extra cost, and avoid having your growth restricted by email marketing systems that'll only let you host ONE email list.
Send yourself "test" messages at multiple "test accounts" -- automatically. Always be 100% certain that your messages do NOT contain embarrassing mistakes!
Automatically make sure subscribers receive email in the format best suited for the email client they're using -- HTML or Text -- using Multi-Part MIME technology!
View any subscriber's "Contact History" and instantly know which emails, newsletters, and autoresponders you've sent them -- and when!
Automatically distribute all of your eBooks and registration codes -- or any other product you may offer that can be delivered electronically!
Process your "subscribes" and "unsubscribes" in real-time -- automatically -- and never waste another minute on this time-consuming list-management chore.
In closing let me ask you the following question: How much could you raise your salary with just one additional order per month? What about several additional orders? Several hundred? Maybe even several thousand? How much money are you *losing* every day because of ineffective follow up? Autoresponders can provide you with this possibility. The more you can automate your tasks, the more time you'll have for more important things, such as making more sales. |
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Terrance Wood is the founder and owner of "Marketing Tips Collection" - A Collection of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing and Home Business Tips and Tricks. You can visit Terrance at:
http://www.MarketingTipsCollection.com
Copyright © 2007 Terrance Wood - All Rights reserved.
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