Auto Responders, What Are They?

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Why pay for an autoresponder when you can get one for FREE here?!

We have all seen some offer or report on some website and then left our name and email to then receive it and most of the time you receive a mail back saying something like check your mail for the report and they have received your mail are will get back to you soon, or something along those lines. This is an auto responder. It is an up-to-date and easy to use internet service which has other names like mailbot, email responder and auto email etc. Its main function is to send mails automatically, saving your time. An auto responder will send out mails whenever some one leaves there name and email in the optin box, then the set programmed message sequence will begin.

Knowing auto responders better

They help by sending out mails whenever they receive mail or collect a name and email. This is fast and does not require a person to constantly sit and read mails and thereby keep sending them e.g in a support scenario when some one leaves a query you can have a set message saying request received and someone will get back to you in 24hrs. Also it can be programmed to send out information about your product or service, or a newsletter whenever you want e.g 1 every 3 days all you have to do is enter the information and when you want it to go out. When set up correctly it responds by sending out a message for you in the most easy and time saving way.

How often should you send them?

When setting up your auto responder you should take time to think about what information and what sales strategy you are to use as this is crucial. I would say 3 to 1 I mean for every 1 promotional sales email you should send 3 good value information emails it is a bad idea to just try to sell, sell, sell, to your email subscribers this is a sure way to get people to unsubscribe. I believe around 1 or 2 emails per week but this can differ depending on your niche

How to use it

Auto responders should be a set and forget system so you need to make sure you enter the correct information, but you can broadcast mails in between the set mails if you have some priority info or promotion you want to run. There are many auto responders to choose from and you can start with a free service before you upgrade to a paid service. Knowing the usages of the responder and using it judiciously is the key to success. You will have to handle the responder strictly and with care such that it works efficiently for you. Using it properly should save you a lot of time even when you are away for a while, the program will still be sending out mails for you

How does this apply to small business?

So you may be thinking ‘how does an optin box and all his fancy marketing stuff relate to me’ e.g if you run a pet shop or cleaning business you may think people are not interested in any kind of newsletter or free information but the bottom line is that no matter what you are selling your business is exactly the same as everybody else’ – ITS ALL THE SAME THING. You need to build a list of targeted prospects and give them use full information for nothing, but which positions your product or service as the solution to the issues they face – put yourself in the position of the customer

What is your website for?

Your website should include a name capture page or optin box with an automated follow up email sequence that educates your prospect about your solution then you can beat the competition because the prospects wont price shop your product or service with the competition.

If you don’t educate your prospects and follow up with them regularly with offers and other relevant information you are losing 95% of your potential customers who are not yet ready to buy but might be in the future – Email capture, is an essential.

By Sebastian Jean-Batiste


Author Bio: My name is Sebastian Batiste I am a local Intenet Marketing Expert specialising in SEO for small businesses. I have put together a cool FREE report ‘SEO for local business ‘ get it at – http://southlondonseoexpert.co.uk and for more SEO tips go to – http://southlondonseoexpert.blogspot.com