AutorespondersHow to use them in your marketing to drive

more profit, repeat customers and drive down costs

So why market with an autoresponder?

What’s it useful for• Explaining – How to use our website• Teaching – A training course chapter by chapter• Advising – FAQs on your product or service• Selling – order forms, product guides, taster sessions• Introductions – New joiners always ask the same questions• Guides – Free report giveaway• Upselling – After buying – offer the upsell immediately• Case studies – Showcase your best work• Tips and hints- archive your newsletter column• E-books – publish one chapter at a time

Planning the series

Start with the outcome you desire. What is the customer path or journey? Where are they heading, who will they meet on the way and when they arrive what happens next?

An autoresponder about autoresponders

Getting Automatic – read this – it explains how autoresponders can work for marketers. Written by the team from Creative Agency Secrets > Resources Subscribe link http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=856363 The image is the back end of the software we use to manage them, FeedBlitz.com

Pre-requisites

You will need• An opt-in email list• A website• Energy and enthusiasm

You will not need• Not suitable for individualised messages • Time-limited offers – may not get payback• Short-term products and services – may expire before people finish the series

Structuring the series - linear

Credit: Rowperfect.co.uk

Structuring the series – cyclical

Credit: Problogger.com

Let’s plan an autoresponder

Which type of products/services in your business are appropriate?• Go back to the list• Explaining • Teaching• Advising • Selling• Introductions• Guides• Upselling • Case studies• Tips and hints• E-books

Can you create a new product out of the auto responder?

Writing the detail

Consider the interval - set by hours or days (or both)Joining instructions – what does the reader need to know?The first message• Welcome people to the list • Set expectations about what will follow• When they’ll get their next email• What the emails will be about.• How long the series lastsExampleDigital Photography SchoolThis welcome email has a site logo, my picture, some links to key parts of the site like the forum, some suggested reading for catching up on key posts in our archives (I send them to a few ‘sneeze pages‘ that send them deep within the archives and get them viewing multiple pages) and shares what the subscriber will receive in the coming weeks in terms of future emails.

How to structure sales messages inside an auto responder

Start with your outcome – where is the journey going?What products do you want to sellHow easy are they to buy? one click / considered purchase / recurring feeWhat’s the price – is it perceived expensive or cheap?Can emotion be used to sell the product?What about impulse buying? Does it need a money back guarantee?Where and when could the sales message insert into the series?Should sales emails start small and build up?Is a big bang all-in-one sales offer worthwhile? Or should it build to a crescendo?

How to keep prospects engaged

After the auto responder series ends – what happens next?Consider the customer journeyTriggers – activate before or after the autoresponder seriesParsers – automatically trigger from external source e.g. shopping cartExport subscribers into your CRM database

Ways to promote sign-ups

Where could you promote this autoresponder?• Website• Newsletter• Mail shot• Email signatures• Social media• Letters• Advertising• Trade show / exhibition• Trade journal articles• Press relations• Partner marketingHow many times should / could you promote it?Is it seasonal?

Anticipate issues

Email service providers may not be on the white list for your readersWarn them about double opt in Email format – text, web or HTML

ExampleProBlogger.comLastly I generally focus my efforts with this list on HTML emails. Aweber does give you the ability to send out a text email as well for those subscribers whose email system doesn’t allow HTML. For the text version I usually just send out a short email that links to a HTML version of the email. I did use to send out a full plain text email for these people but found that when I switched to a shorter email linking to the HTML version that most readers clicked through and appreciated seeing the images (this might be particular to my niche).

An offer

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Resources – where you can learn more

• http://kb.feedblitz.com/category/20/0/10/Autoresponders/• http://www.allaboutautoresponders.info/howto_use_autoresponders/

howto_use_autoresponders.htm• http

://www.problogger.net/archives/2011/10/26/introduction-to-autoresponders-and-how-you-can-use-them-to-drive-traffic-and-profit/

• http://www.problogger.net/archives/2011/10/27/8-ways-to-use-autoresponders-to-drive-traffic-and-increase-your-blogging-income/

• http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/10/31/how-i-use-email-newsletter-to-drive-traffic-and-make-money/

• http://voices.yahoo.com/what-autoresponder-it-340388.html• http

://lifehacker.com/5852936/how-to-effectively-use-email-auto+responders-without-being-annoying

• http://www.workoninternet.com/article_2063.html