What is an autoresponder for in marketing and how can it help your business. The silent salesman you will work with to achieve super results.
The story of the autoresponder
Your autoresponder can be used in several ways however lets keep a focus that will get you sales and income.
You have two words here that lead to the description. Auto is a derivation of automatic or done for you and Responder is applying a response to a request for information.
When someone seeks information on a product they are plugged into a series of emails that take them on a sales journey. This is your autoresponder series.
It is not a wham bam approach but a series of messages that cover all the selling points that lead to a buying decision.
It would be very difficult indeed to do this manually with any sort of turnover.
Done once and done forever
We will go a lot further into this however once the series of emails is produced you only need plug in your client details once and the responder does the rest.
The journey may be relatively short or extremely long depending on all the variables however there is a best way to do this to ensure we convert the opportunity.
What is an autoresponder for in marketing and are they one off items
Do you have more than one Autoresponder?
You may have one or a hundred depending on the range of products you offer. I personally have about a dozen because I sell a range of products to many different styles of businesses.
Each one is designed to keep their interest over a long period of time however you must be prepared to take them out of the responder when they buy.
You may also change them from one sequence to another just like Amazon “others also bought this product ” or Maccas “do you want fries with that. It is an interesting concept that when they buy a product they are far more likely to participate in further offers.
What do you do with clients at the conclusion of the series?
When the buying cycle is complete and you can move them no further there are two choices: Delete them or move them to your newsletter sequence.
Of course the second is preferable but if your statistics tell you they have no interest it is often better to move on.
Having a whole series of followers that never open a mail or click on content is entirely a waste. Keep your list clean and current so that your figures reflect reality.
Never be offended by those that unsubscribe, it is not personal it may wear many hats on the day.
Email marketing for a small business
What is the sequence of emails when using a responder?
This is an important part of the sales process and you never go straight to the juggler.
First of all you want to say thank you for joining the list, It is better if you use names and keep it relatively short.
You may indicate what will happen next in the series so that they will open the mail when it arrives. Some like to ask to be white listed so you don't immediately go to the junk file. This is quickly followed by the introduction, who you are, what you do and what the series is about, Include a photo and make them all warm and comfortable that you are the person they should deal with.
Always include your contact details because you never know when they will be ready for action.
Next we are going to throw in some testimonials of people that have used you and in fact really love what you do. This will build a trust bond to carry forward to the ultimate end.
What is an autoresponder for in marketing in a sales cycle
Move up to a sales cycle
It is time to fully describe what the product is, what it does and importantly how it will benefit them. Remember we are taking all doubt away from the client and making choices easier with each mail. This may be one or more mails as you build to a peak.
We next move to a what is stopping you taking action and what can we do to assist the passage to a conclusion.
Finally we start the discount war or an urgency situation to try and get some action.
Stock running out, price going up, limited time offer ETC. What ever is best for the occasion.
You can do a time based offer as well saying 20% discount in the next 48 hours or until we have sold the last three units.
You are trying to move them off their wallet and have a reason to make a decision.
As we get to the end you may run a survey or simple action to see if they are really talking to you or just not interested.
Last of all a thank you and good bye, we have come to the end of our offer and will now transfer you to our newsletter list just to keep in touch.
There will be many versions of the sequence so find one that suits you
In short I work around an ancient formula created by the gods of marketing titled AIDA
- Attention
- Interest
- Desire
- Action
- Close
You can work this formula any way you want however it is a process that the minds of buyers go through to buy a product, do they know you, like you and finally trust you as the person to do business with.
What is an autoresponder for in marketing and who would you use?
What is the best Autoresponder?
These come in many styles and costs from small investment right through to very large CRM packages costing hundreds per month yet they all do the same thing.
I have used Constant Contact as my preferred supplier because they have never let me down.
You can build from a small trial list right through to million send programs. What is important is that the price is based on clients not emails so you can send at will. They have all sorts of programs including autoresponders and newsletter template to maintain a brand.
How often do you mail?
The simple answer is a lot more than less, with an autoresponder it should be every one or two days between posts, you must realise that these are people that have shown an interest in a product and want information to make their mind up, they don't want to wait a week for your next exciting email they want attention and they want it on speed.
Newsletters may be either weekly fortnightly or monthly however the golden rule is consistency, readers know when they are coming and look forward to the information.
Branding is important
Your brand has value and a recognition factor so it should stay as consistent as possible in everything you do. Keep your colors consistent, your logo as well as all your contact details
so that they are easily recognized.
Brand your identity
Don't hide behind the mushroom come out and show yourself as the person behind the emails, give them some personal details so they will want to deal with you the person, it makes a difference
Does your series have value to others?
There are various values on your list however it is generally thought that they should generate a sales value of $5 per subscriber per month. Now this may be more or less depending on the industry and the offer however it is a demonstrable figure that is easily calculated.
Importantly your list must be worked to gather buying traction.
In a business sale you can show the return and this becomes a high priced asset that adds significant value to your business. With online businesses this may be the only real value
What is an autoresponder for in marketing and is it legal?
Are autoresponders legal?
Of course they are but are your contacts legal? Like most marketing you can not spam consumers on lists not legally gathered. In fact your carrier will be likely to cancel your service with any complaints.
Did Covid 19 affect email marketing?
In fact quite the reverse, in a recent article by Hub spot they reported;
With buyer interest so strong, marketers have reinvested in email. Marketing email volume has increased a total of 49% since the start of the pandemic and is currently a year-high 52% above pre-COVID levels. This is a continuation of the steady increase in traffic we've seen over the last few months. At the start of the pandemic, marketing email volume had increased nearly 30% by the end of March. Over the summer, send volume was steady at about 30% above pre-COVID levels and has risen again in the fall.
Hubspot
This indicates that the market has changed direction and will most likely stay at this level
Using your analytics
Like any marketing you need to understand the figures so that you can make adjustments when necessary.
- The number sent
- How many were opened
- Were then any clicks
- Who unsubscribed and why
- finally the results of the series
Conclusion
This should be right up the top of your marketing list because it is cheap to do, easy to set up and does not take a lot of time when in a system.
Email marketing is still a massive opportunity and one every business should set up and use to its maximum.
You retain customer contact, gain sales and build a great asset with little cost or time.
You can share it on your web page and social media to increase your exposure.
Most good businesses use newsletter.
Autoresponders show you know what you are doing. Your branding is greatly enhanced.
Social media adds a multi touch concept to your client
No better marketing than email
What is an autoresponder for in marketing by Peter Hanley
