by Scott F. Geld

 

What is an autoresponder? Autoresponders are programs

that automatically respond to an Email with 'pre-canned'

message. For example, if you respond to an invitation to

sign up for a newsletter by sending a blank Email to a

certain address, it is likely being directed to the Email

address of an autoresponder. An Email response is fired

back and you'll see it your inbox within seconds.

Autoresponders are in effect, Emails on demand and that

means that your information is available around the clock

all year long.

 

Automating your Internet marketing business using this

tool can dramatically improve your sales without any work

on your part. In fact, an autoresponder can process in

excess of 50,000 requests every day!

 

The most common uses for autoresponders are sales letter,

email gathering and customer support.

 

Sales Letters

 

Using an autoresponder is an effective way to distribute a

sales letter. For example, if you post to newsgroups

and/or forums you can offer information about your

business or perhaps a report. People indicate interest by

responding with a blank email to the address you specify.

The autoresponder sends back the information requested,

and along with it your sales letter is included. How easy

is that for free advertising?

 

Customer Support

 

If your business includes a customer support group, and

you receive a lot of support questions that are very

similar, you can create an autoresponder that includes

a 'Frequently Asked Question" (FAQ) list that answers the

most common questions asked about your products or

services. Autoresponders also allow you to set up

predefined answers to specific questions. By using an

autoresponder in this way, you can significantly reduce

your customer service load. Imagine if you were an

Internet host provider and people wanted information on

setting up their Email service. You can provide all or

most of this information in an automated Email message.

You require fewer 'live bodies' to man your support desk,

and your customer can print out the instructions for ease

of reference...definitely a win-win situation.

 

But the best thing about autoresponders is that they

record the Email addresses of every contact who requests

information from you. You can retrieve the addresses from

the autoresponder log and use them to follow up with

prospects. In this way you are creating a 'qualified

prospect' list.  You can even set up an autoresponder to

Email messages at predetermined intervals. For example,

during a holiday season you can send an Autoresponse Email

with good wishes and a promotion for a seasonal product.

Or, you might want to tell a customer that their

subscription has expired. There are hundreds of reasons to

use an autoresponder. They are an effective marketing tool

that any business can benefit by.

 

Scott F. Geld is the Director of Marketing for

MarketingBlaster.com, a company providing targeted traffic

and direct links starting at just $5.  For more info: