How to Create Effective Autoresponders to Keep in
Touch with Your Prospects
I often suggest to clients that they use the power of
business automation found in sequential autoresponders as an effective
method of keeping in touch with their contacts. An autoresponder is an
automated email response or series of responses that you have previously
written and uploaded into an autoresponder service. The autoresponder
enables you to reply to customers via email 24/7 without any
intervention on your part past the setup stage. For example, you might
send an automatic reply to a new newsletter subscriber, to someone who
has requested a free giveaway on your site, or to a customer who has
just purchased your newest information product.
Where do you find a sequential autoresponder service? Sometimes they're
bundled with shopping cart software. The shopping cart I use,
GetMoreClientsCart.com,
offers this feature. Or, you can purchase a stand-alone service in
which you can set up autoresponders and send out your email newsletter,
as well. For this, I recommend
GetMoreClientsAutoresponder.com.
The two features that are essential to have in autoresponder software
are personalization and tracking ability. For greatest effectiveness,
you should be able to personalize your autoresponders both in the
subject line as well as in the body of the email. Don't you open email
more quickly when you see your name in the subject line or when the body
of the email mentions your address or city of residence? This
personalization feature permits you to send automated emails that appear
to have been written especially for the person receiving the email. I
constantly receive both phone calls and email responses from prospects
who are the recipients of these automated emails, which leaves me with
no doubt about how important it is to personalize your responses. The
second feature, tracking ability, enables you to see how many and which
recipients opened your email, how many emails were not delivered, and
the ability to see how many recipients clicked on any links found within
the email.
Once my client has agreed to use sequential autoresponders, the next
question usually is, "But what do I say in them?" Fact is, what you
tell your clients is limited only by your imagination. However, I
generally recommend that online business owners plan a sequence of 7-9
emails that go out over a series of 3 weeks. In this sequence, you need
to check in with how the prospect/customer is doing with the call to
action that got the prospect on your list, point out other pieces of
free information on your website that would be useful to the prospect,
recommend their own or affiliate products that would be of interest, and
request another call to action of your prospect.
Here's my outline of followup autoresponders that I send out when
someone has requested the free report,
TurboCharge Your Online
Marketing Toolkit, from one of my sites:
Immediate send: Confirmation of and thank them for their request and
remind them how to download the toolkit.
2 Days Later: Ask them what they think about the toolkit, point out
some of the info that they might check out immediately, and request a
testimonial.
5 Days Later: Offer another gift. I give them the URL of my articles
directory and info about how they can syndicate my articles on their
website at no charge and the benefits of doing so.
7 Days Later: Ask them to complete a survey. I created a short
30-second survey through
SurveyMonkey.com that I ask them to complete. This helps me better
understand what problems my target market has.
9 Days Later: Recommend a product. I change this offering occasionally
and either recommend one of my products or a product for which I'm an
affiliate.
16 Days Later: Offer another gift. I tell them about my podcast and
blog and why they should subscribe and how to do so.
19 Days Later: Ask me a question. I give them the opportunity to
personally ask me a question about online marketing and let them know
that I'll respond to it in my blog.
23 Days Later: Make a special offer. I introduce them to my coaching
services and offer them a special rate to try out my coaching.
Other offers you could make in your followup autoresponders include
inviting them to a discussion forum or a free teleclass, have them
subscribe to your ezine, or send them to download or view a free audio
recording or video.
Creating an effective series of autoresponders helps you begin to
develop a relationship with prospective customers, showcase your
expertise, and ultimately convert prospects into customers.
(c) 2009 Donna Gunter
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Internet Marketing Automation
Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals create prosperous
online businesses that make more profit in less time by teaching them how to
automate their businesses, leverage their expertise, and get found online.
Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get
results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by
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