 Send this
to me by autoresponder
Using New Technology to Deliver the Hottest
Product on the Web -- Information!
(c) 1999 by Chris Ayers
In a previous article, we talked about ways to use new
"super-powered" autoresponders to follow-up with a potential
customer after they have received your initial message.
In this article, we're going to look at additional ways that you
can put this exciting new technology to work for your business.
As a little review, these are not your average autoresponders.
When someone sends an email to the autoresponder address, not
only do they receive your initial message (like an ordinary
autoresponder) ... but they also receive a series of
follow-up messages that you have created.
As well as customizing each follow-up message, you also
get to determine the order they are sent, how much time
passes between each message, and most services even allow
you to personalize your messages.
There are a number of companies on the web today that offer
these "super-powered" autoresponders. In my previous article,
I referred to a review of the leading autoresponder services
on the web. In case you missed it, you'll find the review
on my site at http://unlimitedtraffic.com/auto.html.
Now that you understand how these autoresponders work, let's
look at some other creative ways that you can use them
to deliver the most valued commodity on the web today
... information!
Picture this. You have a link or a button on your web site
that says "7 Days to a Better Web Site." When the user clicks
on the link, they send an email to your autoresponder.
Immediately, they are sent the first in a series of 7 daily
messages that help them improve the effectiveness of their
web site.
I have even seen people deliver actual products that they
sell online using these autoresponders. Others are using
them as an alternative to creating and distributing
electronic books or e-books.
Here are some other examples that you could use:
- Top 7 Reasons to Start Your Own Newsletter
- 6 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Site .. for FREE!
- How to Get More Newsletter Subscribers ... in just 5 Days!
Another great use of these follow-up autoresponders is
to provide your new customers with help getting started
with a new product or service they've recently purchased.
Walk them through the process of getting set up, explain
some of the product features in more detail, share success
stories of other customers, or simply encourage them to
make full use of whatever the product or service might be.
(In fact, some of the companies that sell these services
actually use their product to follow-up with you and help
you get started quickly :-)
Affiliate program managers also use these autoresponders
to provide training for their new affiliates. The key here
is that you deliver a consistent message and its all on
"autopilot." It's like they have their own personal
trainer online ... and you don't even have to lift
a finger.
Regardless of how you decide to use these tools, there are
some things that you can do to increase the value of your
message and its chances of being read by your customers.
Here are few ...
1. If you are delivering a series of messages such as "Top
7 Reasons for Putting Your Business Online," identify
each reason in the subject line of the message.
For example, the subject of the third message might read,
"Reason Number 3: Provide Access to Current
Information"
2. Don't overwhelm them with information. You have several
shots to get your points across. Most people do better
with smaller doses on a regular basis than one big shot.
3. Take care when trying to work your "sales pitch" into the
message text. This could really be the subject of another
article but for now, let me suggest that you ensure that your
sales message matches the subject of the overall message.
Said another way, your sales message should "blend" with the
information provided. This is sometimes difficult to do and
if not done effectively, can leave your message and possible
follow-up messages in the reader's recycle bin!
A much safer route would be to conclude with a short sales
message at the bottom of the text ... only a paragraph or so.
Even better would be to create a unique signature for all of
these messages that does your "soft selling" for you.
4. Personalize ... but don't get cute. The single best place to
use this feature is in the subject of the email message. This
has proven effective in getting your message read.
A close second would be the first line of the text in the
message ... with some white space separating that line from
the body of your message.
5. Always include a way for your readers to "opt out" of the
messages. Most will not and many will appreciate the
fact that they have the option. This helps to build
credibility with your customers.
Like I mentioned last week, if you decide to purchase
this service from one of the online providers, treat
it as an investment.
If you missed my previous article, you can find a copy at
http://unlimitedtraffic.com/articles/cva108.html.
With what you've learned in these two articles, you now
have several new ways to put your investment to work ...
attracting new customers and increasing sales!
And that's something we all are striving to do :-)
************************************
Chris Ayers is an Internet Marketer and publisher of the FREE
newsletter, "Unlimited Traffic!" Put his 10 plus years of
experience in Direct Marketing and on the Web to work for you.
Visit his site at http://unlimitedtraffic.com or
subscribe to
his newsletter with message to mailto:traffic-on@mail-list.com
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