How Autoresponders Work
At some point in our Internet lives, chances are we have received a message from an autoresponder
. It could have been a short response letting you know that the individual is away, or an email recognizing you for something that you have done. Perhaps it was even an email telling you about upcoming products, or even an email letting you know that a message you tried to send couldn't be delivered.Each one of these messages are just a different version of a useful program known as an autoresponder. Autoresponders are extremely useful tools, as they will automatically send out an answer to any email that they receive. The answer that they send out however, depends on the messages that you have the program set up with. Autoresponders can be customized, and most will hold a variety of pre set messages.
The first autoresponders were used with email providers or email transfer agents. Whenever an email you sent out could not be delivered to the recipient, it would send back an automatic reply letting you know that your mail couldn't be delivered. Although these programs were somewhat helpful, they weren't all that sophisticated.
Over the years, autoresponders have changed quite a bit, proving to be very useful with large corporations and even Internet marketing. These days, autoresponders are used in the business world to give immediate response and feedback to interested clients and subscribers. This may include a response about programs, details about pricing, specific information about a product, and even a time that someone from the company can get in touch with the client.
In the world of Internet marketing, staying in front of your contacts is easier than ever with an autoresponder. They will save you quite a bit of time, especially when you think about how long it would take you to personally send email responses to each and every email you get. When you run a business, you may get hundreds of emails a day. An autoresponder can simplify your life, by sending out a preset reply to each and every email you receive.
There are different ways to set up your autoresonder - an outsourced ASP model and server side model. When using an outsourced ASP model, the business wishing to use the autoresponder will contract through an outside provider. This outside provider will then give the company user access to a web based system, or control panel. From the control panel, the company or individual can set up the autoresponder, preset messages, and decide how the autoresponder will handle the various types of emails. To use these types of services, the individual or company will have to subscribe to the autoresponder provider for a flat monthly fee.
Server side autoresponders operate differently. They are programs that a business or person installs themselves and runs it on their own computer or server. You can save money with these programs, as one doesn't have to pay a provider to operate the autoresponder. Although server side autoresponders were not user friendly before, they have become easier and easier to operate over the years -and are now the most commonly used autoresponder.
In all actuality, autoresponders are great to have. They're extremely reliable, and easily make you more efficient. How the different types work can be a bit confusing, although most are simple to operate and easy to implement into your website. If you own or operate an online business - an autoresponder is something you should never find yourself without.
by: Becky Ryan