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Article #61: Managing Your Business With Autoresponders

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So you don't have a way of managing all 3) Special offer emails to entice
of the customer responses coming through purchase;
your inbox? I can relate, please let me 4) Purchase notification/invoice;
share a personal story. 5) Thank you for purchasing;
When I first started my online business, 6) Informing of your newest e-book;
I didn't know what an autoresponder was, 7) Offer free course/bonus for signing
and I was intimidated by setting one up up;
on my site. I simply had an HTML form set 8) Notification of problems/complaints
up that would send e-mail address of received from customers;
people that wanted my newsletter straight 9) Notification of feedback received.
to my inbox. I can only imagine the Basically the uses of the program are
amount of money that I was leaving on the endless, in fact anything that you would
table. I had no way of responding back to want emailed to several customers can be
my potential customers. When I saw a handled through an autoresponder. And
newsletter signup come into my inbox, I just like the almost limitless uses,
would copy and paste a reply back to there are a vast number of autoresponder
them. companies vying to handle your e-business
The times have changed. Not only is the correspondence.
above situation not acceptable, but there Many sites have free autoresponder
s no way you can effectively grow your programs available which handle minimal
business without an autoresponder. email tasks; however because you are
After all, since you now have your trying to sell ebooks, you should look
website set up to sell your e-book, you for a system or service that does not
are going to need a way to handle the limit the capabilities of your emails.
various types of correspondence being Make sure you get unlimited email size
sent to you from potential customers. plus you will need the ability to send
Autoresponders are an effective and multiple emails to the same person over a
economical innovation (software program) period of time. Remember, the reason for
designed to respond to any messages a sending several emails over a course of
website receives. Thousands of online time is based on the fact that most
businesses use autoresponders to send a customers (about 60% - 70%) do not
confirmation thank you notice when purchase on their first visit. If they
anyone registers with their email address are interested in learning more about
on the site. Think of them as an your ebook, they will sign up for more
answering machine for your website. information. And this is when you use an
Using an autoresponder is a critical autoresponder to send multiple targeted
component to having a successful ebook information emails to drive those
business. Not only do you need to respond reluctant customers back to your site for
to messages and inquiries, you must the purchase. You will also want to have
implement an email sales campaign to the ability to track your emails to
promote your ebook. If you were to try to assess the effectiveness of such a
manage the emails yourself, the task will campaign. We use and is also a good
eventually become impractical and solution.
extremely time consuming. You could hire The messages you will want to send will
someone to answer them, but when your depend upon the reason for the need to
site is receiving several hundred hits a respond. One way you can handle this by
day with an average of 50% registering to having multiple email addresses for your
receive more information; you would need site. Here is a short list of email
to hire several people thus making the addresses you will need:
cost very prohibitive. In business, time 1) 2) 3) 4) If you need additional
is money and money is time , and online, addresses, do not hesitate to set them up
and autoresponder is the only solution. and use them; the more you categorize
If you do not have an autoresponder, you your customer s emails, the better you,
will lose sales, and lots of them. If you your webmaster and your autorepsonder
are not using an auto email program to program will work. The autoresponder will
get these non-committals to return to know the difference between newsletter
your site, you will not be able to sell sign-ups, customer logins, purchases, and
your ebook to them. It's really as simple so on. This is all configured in the
as that. program, as is sending notification
How does an autorepsonder work? By emails for receipt of a customer s
utilizing the information you input into inquiry at one of your listed email
the programs, the Autoresponder will addresses. Again, you or your webmaster
automatically answer any email or sign-up will manually have to answer any
your site receives. You can even program inquiries received at a site listed
a variety of responses and how many times address. Unfortunately at this moment in
you want to send your customers an email; time, autoresponders cannot read and
plus any sales receipts, download answer emails. I would imagine that
information and access, support problems sometime in the not too distance future
can all be effectively handled by an this will become a possibility. One can
autoresponder. Obviously if there is a always hope!
support situation, you or your webmaster Now you understand why autoresponders are
will need to step in and fix the problem, an important if not critical ingredient
but the autoresponder can easily let the in developing a productive, functioning,
customer know that someone will be 24/7 e-book sales site. Using one will
emailing them soon to help. help increase your sales, drive those
Due to the nature of your business hesitant potential customers back to your
(e-book sales), you will need a variety site and take care of those everyday
of email autoresponses depending upon the tasks associated with having a
situation. A typical list of responses professional and courteous Internet
for an e-book sales site might include business. Offering excellent customer
some or all of the following: service is a significant business
1) Thank you response for visiting and building tool, especially for online
signing up; businesses when a customer assesses you
2) Free newsletter emailed to all and your site faster than you realize.
sign-ups;






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