What is an AUTORESPONDER?

If you’ve ever asked for information online about a product or service, or signed up for an e-list or group membership on the Internet, and received a nearly instantaneous response in your e-mail inbox, an autoresponder program was responsible for delivering the reply.

Simply put, autoresponders are e-mail programs that send out a preset message at a scheduled time in the future. That time can be hours, days, weeks or months. Just about every Internet-based company uses autoresponders for a variety of purposes, from automating tasks that would otherwise take up hundreds of man-hours to building lists and tracking prospective leads.

For instance, a multiple autoresponder can be used to send an instant response, then a follow-up message three days later, then another five days after that, and so on. It can be programmed to send a message a day, one per week, twice monthly, or any interval that satisfies the purpose of the message series.

Autoresponders are the most powerful Internet marketing tools available. They are easy to use, and once they’re set up the entire marketing process is automated and instant. When you use autoresponders, your Internet business runs itself 24 hours a day. Launching an effective autoresponder campaign can mean the difference between a struggling business and a wildly successful one.

How can I make money with autoresponders?

Just about any online business can benefit by using autoresponders. In fact, with a properly arranged campaign, your as-yet-unfounded business can be built around an autoresponder program. All you need is a product and an effective series of autoresponder messages, and you can start carving your piece of the Internet pie.

Your autoresponder can be your golden goose: the marketing tool that will sell your well-developed product far more effectively than any other form of advertising.

Few sales are made by impulse buyers, particularly on the internet. But if you are able to get your message out repeatedly to people who are already interested in what you have to offer, you will see an explosive sales response.

You want your name to be in front of the buyer when he or she is ready to buy. Two ways to accomplish this difficult task is to use an autoresponder and/or regular mail.

That is what your local companies (especially real estate) do successfully. They send out postcards and flyers on a regular basis. They don't know, of course, when, if ever, you will want to put your house on the market, but they have a better chance of getting your business with regular mailings at least once a month.

As an insurance salesman, I sent birthday cards to my customers. I wanted to remind them I was still there to help them with their claims but also to urge them to call me for other offerings from my office. I received many calls of thanks from them. "No one remembers my birthday any more!" they would exclaim.

Greg Cryns

Work At Home Profiles
Wahm Search Engine
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"SPAM" disguised

You visit a website. On the side you see a link for something or another that you think may be interesting to know about. You fill out the info with your email address included. You may not know it but you are now on their email list.

Internet marketing people use this technique all of the time. They offer something of perceived value (usually an ebook) so you click the link. You then find yourself on a page that has a short form on it, usually just asking for your name and email address though there could be other fields to fill out. You put in your first name and your email address.

In the inernet marketing industry you have landed on a "squeeze page". It is named that because they will "squeeze" your email address from you. This is also called a "landing page."

Whatever they call it I bet many newbies and even experienced web surfers will not be prepared to be put on a mailing list. You will often see a message from the website owner as soon as you refresh your email client. If it says "You need to click this link to receive further messages from us" then you are in the "double opt-in system" provided by the website's "autoresponder" system.

The double opt-in protects you from being spammed after someone puts your email address into the system from the website as a joke or if they just despise you. ;P It also protects the website owner to some degree from accusations of spamming though people can always complain and, unfortunately, some hosts will automatically suspend your account no matter what if they suspect are spamming. At least the owner sould be able to point to the fact that you signed up for the messages.

Autoresponders are very cool and valuable assets for just about any website.

But here is my problem. Not all systems are set up for the double opt in technique. I am seeing a growing trend of website owners not taking the double opt-in route. This is disturbing.

Today I saw a form that said I would be entered into a drawing for a prize from the site's sponsors. I am not sure who were the sponsors (ebook purveyors?) but I wanted to see if I would be sent a double opt-in message.

I was not.

I did contact the owner and asked if I would be on their email list. I received an immediate response that I would get messages but that I could easily opt out.

That's not enough in my book. I think all websites must employ the double opt-in method or be subject to fines like any other spammers. Like I said earlier, I am not against autoresponders and I use them for my own websites.

We have a right to insist that we fully understand that we will be getting advertisments dumped into our email boxes before we hand over our email address.

It's also good business for the website owner. Disrespecting people will often result in a severe case of assbiteitis.

Greg Cryns
http://www.workathomeprofiles.com
http://www.allaboutpasorobles.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/calgreg