E-mail Marketing Using an Autoresponder
E-mail marketing is not dead! In fact, e-mail marketing using an autoresponder is very much alive and should be a prominent marketing strategy in your business plan. Email is the most direct way to contact your prospects and customers repeatedly through a commercial form of contact.
If you want to enjoy solid sales over a long-period of time, you must sustain a consistent flow of broadcast and follow-up emails that are sent at regular intervals. In order to do this effectively and efficiently, you must become very proficient in using your autoresponder.
There are many good autoresponders available. My favorite would be either AWeber, which is the one I have always used, or Mail Chimp. AWeber has a free trial period and Mail Chimp is free, but has some limitation on services until you become a paid subscriber.
Once you learn how to populate your autoresponder with messages that will be delivered at regular, specified intervals, you will realize that your autoresponder is your best friend.
Be sure that you use a wide variety of emails. DO NOT make the mistake of sending offer after offer. If you do – you will quickly lose your audience.
Types of E-mails to Send:
- Informative emails that give subscribers valuable information about a product such as reviews and case studies
- Content announcements – such as sharing a video, blog post, article, podcast, etc.
- Relationship building emails that ask for your readers input, offer a no-strings attached gift, etc.
- A series of tips directly related to your niche
- Niche news (especially “leading edge” breaking news and notification of changes)
- Mini-courses – a specified series of emails on a certain topic
- Promotions for affiliates – do this occasionally and ONLY for products that you are convinced would interest and benefit your list (with an affiliate link, of course!)
- The odd personal anecdote – These are great if they entertain or share life experiences to which your subscribers can relate
- Special surprise freebies and bonuses
- Promotional emails that offer your own product and/or services
- Follow-up emails on a product/offer promotion
- Advance special offers
- Regular new releases
If writing is not your thing and the thought of creating a stream of emails and a follow-up series of messages is very stressful, look for ways to make it easier for you. One option is to use PLR (private label rights) generic emails that apply to your niche. They can be the foundation or template on which you build.
NEVER use the articles exactly “as is.” DO NOT cut and paste! Using PLR is fine as long as you customize the documents to fit your market. Generally speaking they should be completely rewritten in your own voice. You should also do your own research so you can add pertinent updated information, references, quotes, etc. so the finished product will be unique to you.
This may seem like a lot of trouble and even confusing at first; but, I promise after you have done it for a while, you will fall into a rhythm and the process will feel very natural.
The second option is to hire someone to take care of your email writing and autoresponder maintenance – or outsource those responsibilities. If you are lucky, you will hire a VA who writes well and/or has experience in managing an autoresponder. But . . . if it is just the idea of producing a steady stream of quality content that makes you crazy, hire a ghostwriter or copywriter.
Check out Elance – they have experts in almost every area you will need. It is a good place to start.
Good luck. Enjoy every minute of your entrepreneurial adventure. Here’s wishing you great success as you build your online empire.
Want all of the information? Begin at the beginning: Building an Online Business.
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