Autoresponders 101

Subject: Autoresponders 101 Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:36 pm

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm working up a report on the use
of autoresponders in successful marketing and promotions efforts. That
will be a fairly comprehensive but to the point look at all aspects of
autoresponders and their uses.

In the meantime, I want to cover the basics here, without taking time to
lay any kind of foundation, make elaborate explanations etc. My purpose
is to introduce the subject to those that are not familiar with a/r's and to
clear up any confusion or misunderstandings others may have. I'm
hoping everyone will find something of value as I just jump in with both
feet and get started! cheers

AUTORESPONDERS 101

1. In it's simplest from, an autoresponder is a small e-mail script that
makes an '(auto)matic (respon)se to a request for information or other
form submissions. These scripts are used not only in marketing...in fact,
Internet marketing use of an autoresponder is relatively new! Real estate
and insurance brokers, e-commerce, colleges and universities etc. have
all used autoresponders to reply to inquires automatically without having
to have someone physically do that job.

Again, in it's simplest form, the autoresponder has now 'captured' your
contact information and anytime the owner of the autoresponder wants
to communicate with you, they can do so, because you are now on their
mailing list. In this form, the a/r doesn't keep sending you messages
automatically, but is ready to mail to you whenever the person on the
other end wants to! Of course, presumably, you can 'opt-out' or remove
yourself from the mailing list any time you choose.

See, you've been interacting with autoresponders a WHOLE lot longer
than you may have realized! Smile

That's a 'simple' autoresponder script. Autoresponder 'systems' are set
up to allow the gathering of much more information, if desired, categorize
it for the owner, send out sequential messages over time, mail to lists of
imported e-mail addresses and more. What we will be briefly discussing
here are autoresponder systems and primarily their ability to do
automatic follow-up for you with your prospects.

2. Internet marketing or even direct marketing in general, utilizes the full
power of an autoresponder in a number of ways:

First and foremost, to 'capture' or gather names and e-mail
addresses of visitors to their pages/sites. By doing so, even if the visitor
doesn't respond initially, marketer can communicate with them over time,
establishing a relationship and continuing to present the opportunity,
products etc. as long as the prospect remains on the mailing list.
To send a series of sequential messages, over time, to the prospect.
It is a well established fact that it may take several exposures, from
different perspectives, before a prospect will respond.
To send personal e-mails two or three days after a visitor has
submitted his or her information from an e-mail submission form on a
lead capture page of some type.
To send a periodic newsletter or update mailing to the entire
autoresponder list.
To provide training and informational series to downline or team/group
members.
To present new opportunities and offerings as they may arise.

3. There are generally three ways to subscribe, or be subscribed, to an
autoresponder:

By entering one's contact information (e-mail address at a
minimum) via a form on a page. This is the best and main use of an
autoresponder in Internet marketing. The form, a simple piece of HTML
code that the autoresponder system generates easily for you, is placed
on a web page and promoted or shown in various ways throughout the
Internet.
By sending an e-mail to the 'autoresponder e-mail address'. The e
mail is usually blank and has a word such as 'subscribe' in the subject
line. This is most often used in signature lines, classified ads etc. to allow
prospects to request more information.
By importing a lead (prospect) into the autoresponder system
manually. This is most often used for purchased leads.

4. An Internet marketer can obtain an autoresponder system in several
different ways:

Some opportunities, not many, provide an autoresponder system
for their members use. If provided however, the a/r system generally
has limited features and must ONLY be used for that opportunity. Lead
imports are rarely allowed. A separate lead capture page may or may not
be supplied.
Some marketing services programs, traffic exchanges etc. provide
autoresponder systems but again, the same conditions and/or limitations
mentioned above apply. The additional issue here is that you still have to
have the pages somewhere for linking to your autoresponder system.
There are many autoresponder system services available on the
Internet, each of which offer different feature sets, options etc. and of
course different fee structures. The vast majority of them charge a
monthly or annual subscription fee. Many of these services do not allow
lead imports and virtually all of those who do require imported leads to
opt-in again.
An autoresponder system script can be purchased and installed either
locally on your computer or on a server. The headaches, limitations and
hassles with this option are MANY and it is NOT recommended for most
marketers!
My company, ASM Responder Systems, does not sell or provide
autoresponder systems to the general public. We either bundle them
with our lead capture page and marketing systems, offer them as give
away bonuses in some of our lead capture page systems or provide
complimentary systems to selected programs, groups etc. The Team
Builder Forum is one of those groups and you can get a free a/r system
from us in my 'ASM Autoresponder Offer' post.

5. Most reputable autoresponder system services have a delivery rate of
at least 75-80%, many much higher than that, and give you the ability to
have multiple, if not unlimited campaigns. That simply means you have
one autoresponder account, but many 'sub-accounts' or 'mini
autoresponders'. This allows you to promote any number of opportunities
or programs and have many different mailing lists, message series etc.

ALL reputable a/r systems have removal or unsubscribe links placed
automatically in every message sent out from the system so that
subscribers can remove themselves any time they choose. Some may
not use that feature and e-mail you to remove them and again, all
systems give you a quick and easy way to remove subscribers via your
autoresponder admin panel (back office).

6. A/R systems really are not hard to use at all and most of the time it's
just a matter of putting in your message series, changing personal
information or settings as necessary, importing leads if you use them and
sending out manual e-mails when necessary. We currently have five
video tutorials available that cover all the basics for our system.

7. As long as you follow the terms of service, policies and guidelines of
your autoresponder system AND promptly remove any subscribers
requesting removal from you, SPAM complaints and issues are handled
by the service provider. You are generally isolated from these matters,
again assuming you are in compliance with the rules and policies of the
system!

Follow-up is an absolute MUST in successful marketing/business building
efforts and autoresponder systems really are a MUST HAVE tool in today's
marketing world. Great looking splash pages, eye-popping video's,
attention grabbing ads etc., ALL are less effective and offer NO follow-up
possibilities unless they include a method of collecting contact information
and automatically following up with the prospect.

That's it for Autoresponders 101. Hopefully the full report will fill in any
gaps and as always, I'll be willing to try and answer any questions you
have!

Happy and successful promoting,

DW
_________________
David 'dw' Walker

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
Ralph Waldo Emerson