Autoresponder Basics
What is an autoresponder?
Internet marketing and online business people agree that email autoresponders are the greatest marketing tool ever invented. Why? Because it gives people instant access to information!
An autoresponder is much like a fax-on-demand system, where you call a number or, in this case, email a specific email address, fill out a form on a website or do something, like buying something online and get an instant reply.
When a customer sits down to e-mail you, it's because he or she needs help. It could be help in the form of wanting more information, or help in choosing a product or service. He chooses e-mail because it's quick, but his request still warrants a satisfying and personal response!
Companies eager to save time and money often take automation too far in their customer support. Each customer has a unique question, and deserves a unique answer. Even if you save time by copying and pasting stock replies, change the opening and closing to make the message sound less robotic.
So it's not important just to have an autoresponder for the sake of having one or making your work easier. It's how you use this great tool.
Autoresponders Can Be Used For SalesExperts state it often takes 7 or more messages before prospective customers make a purchase.
I believe that's true for a lot of prospects, but not all of them. Some will buy on the first look, but not many.
So we need to have an effective follow up system and I believe that the proper use of an autoresponder can do that job.
Autoresponders Can Be Used For EducationAnother great use of an autoresponder is in the form of a course. If you have a product or service that needs some explaining, a 3 or 4 part series of instruction in bits and pieces is an excellent way to gain credibility. Do Your Site Visitors Forget About You?
Your web business probably gets product inquiries from potential customers around the globe. Inquiries come via e-mail and your web site, and you try to send information to each hot prospect as quickly as you can. You know that you can drastically increase the likelihood of making a sale by satisfying each person's need for information quickly! But, after you've delivered that first bit of information to your prospect, do you send him any further information?
If you are like most Internet marketers, you don't. When you don't follow that initial message with additional information later on, you let a valuable prospect slip from your grasp! This is a potential customer who may have been very interested in your products, but who lost your contact information, or was too busy to make a purchase when your first message reached him.
Often, a prospect will purposely put off making a purchase, to see if you find him important enough to follow up with later. When he doesn't receive a follow up message from you, he will take his business elsewhere.
What Follow Up Method Really Works?Following up with each lead individually, multiple times, but at set intervals, and with pre-written messages, will dramatically increase sales!
Others who use this same technique confirm that they have all at least doubled the sales of various products! In order to set this system up, though, you need to do some planning.
About the author:Paul, also known as The Mad Webmaster, has been building websites since 1998. Visit his blog to discover simple yet powerful strategies for building and promoting your online web business. You can also find video and elearning courses about building an online business at Mad-U.
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