subject: A Few Tips For Auto Responders [print this page] The main goal of your internet marketing strategy is to generate traffic to build your lists and therefore to increase sales and profitability. It is tempting to think of putting your effort into one huge traffic generating source, but the secret is to get a steady stream of visitors to your site, a little at a time, and to retain those you attract. Build from there and add the traffic day by day, continuing to do what it takes to collect names and emails and build your lists.You need a good autoresponder to collect your emails and other information for you and generate a response. The earliest autoresponders created bounce messages such as "your e-mail could not be delivered because..." type responses. There is the danger that automatic responses will be tagged as spam so use with care and test them as you would your marketing messages. A good autoresponder company will do this for you, and let you know if your emails are likely to be flagged. But used professionally, automatic replies can be invaluable for providing information immediately to prospective customers and then follow-up with them at preset time intervals. They are also incorporated into electronic mailing list software, to confirm subscriptions, unsubscriptions, posts, and other list activities.For example, if you are sending out a newsletter, you can set up three autoresponders for new subscribers; the first is sent an hour after they sign up containing a thank you message and maybe a discount on your new product. The second is sent 24 hours later, telling them about a new feature on your website, perhaps a new blog or message board. Then the third can be sent 72 hours after they subscribe, where you can offer them a special deal to close a sale.The free bonus hook is overdone on the internet these days so you will want to have a reward, product or service of real value to offer new subscribers if you are looking to grow your list. The content in your autoresponders needs to be useful with relevant information to keep your new subscriber engaged. Depending on your business, you can send catalogs and list prices, coupons for local businesses, best-seller lists, menus, event schedules - all useful information helping to build trust in you and your products or services and attracting more subscribers.Going with a reliable autoresponder company is one of the best things you can do as an Internet marketer when building your list. The companies most often mentioned are aWeber, Get Response and E-Mail Aces, because they have good reputations and reasonable prices. Autoresponders have an interface that you will need to get familiar with. The ability to have unlimited lists and help organizing them is offered by most companies and they can certainly help you figure out how to craft your messages in the future.
