Pages

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

How Autoresponders Work

At some point in our Internet lives, a majority of us have received a message from an autoresponder.  It could have been a short response letting you know that the individual is away, or an email thanking you for something that you have done.  Perhaps it was even an email letting you know about upcoming products, or even an email letting you know that a message you tried to send couldn’t be delivered.

Each one of these messages is all but a different version of a useful program known as an autoresponder.  Autoresponders are very useful tools, as they will automatically send out an answer to any email that they receive.  The answer that they send out however, will all depend on the messages that you have the program set up with.  Autoresponders are very flexible, and most will hold a variety of pre set messages.

The very first autoresponders were used with email providers or email transfer agents.  Whenever an email you sent out couldn’t be delivered to the recipient, it would send you an automatic response letting you know that your mail couldn’t be delivered.  Although these programs were somewhat helpful, they weren’t all that sophisticated.

Over the years, autoresponders have changed quite a bit, proving to be very useful with big companies and even Internet marketing.  These days, autoresponders are used by businesses and companies to give immediate response and feedback to interested clients and subscribers.  This could include a response about programs, information about pricing, specific details regarding a product, and even a time that someone from the company can get in touch with the client.

In the world of Internet marketing, staying in touch with clients is easier than ever with an autoresponder.  They will save you a quite a bit of time, especially when you think about how long it would take you to personally send email responses to each and every email you get.  If you run a business, you probably get hundreds of emails a day.  An autoresponder can simplify your life, by sending out a preset message response to each and every email you receive.

You can set up an autoresponder using either one or two methods – an outsourced ASP model and server side model.  When using an outsourced ASP model, the company wishing to use the autoresponder will their business model will contract through an outside provider.  This outside provider will then give the company user access to a web based system, or control panel.  From the control panel, the company or individual can set up the autoresponder, preset messages, and decide how the autoresponder will handle the many different types of emails. One of the best services we have found is www.Automatic-Responder.com their service is top notch. To use these types of services, the individual or company will have to pay the autoresponder provider a flat monthly fee.

Server side autoresponders are a bit different.  Basically, they are programs that a company or individual installs themselves and runs it on their own computer or server.  You can save money with these programs, as you don’t have to pay a provider to operate the autoresponder.  Although server side autoresponders weren’t user friendly in the beginning, they have become easier and easier to operate over the years – and are now the most popular type of autoresponder.

In all actuality, autoresponders are great to have.  They are very reliable, and can easily save you a lot of time. The way the different types work can be a bit perplexing, although most are easy to use and easy to implement into your website.  If you own or operate an online business – an autoresponder is something you should never find yourself without.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Getting Started With Autoresponders

If you've just started your online business or decided to get into affiliate marketing, you’ll be looking to make money.  Making money on the net with your new business can be a little tricky, unless you have an autoresponder.  An autoresponder is the ideal way to carry out your day to day business – saving yourself quite a bit of time and money.

If you don’t have a lot of money to spend, there are places on the Internet where you can get an autoresponder for free.  Keep in mind that if you don’t purchase your autoresponder, the free ones normally come with downsides.  The most common downside to free autoresponders are ads on your emails, which will more than likely send your customers the wrong idea.

When you get your autoresponder, the first thing you’ll need to do is set it up with messages or articles that relate to your business. This way, when you send out emails or messages, you’ll be sending out material that relates to your business or products.  You should try to write some of your own if you can, which will help you get started in the right direction.

When you load up your autoresponder, you should try to load it with at least 52 messages.  This way, you’ll something to send for each week of the year.  If you have trouble loading your autoresponder with this many messages or articles, there are places online where you can get your material for free.  If you simply don’t have the time, you can always start with a few messages then go back and add more later.

Once you have your autoresponder preloaded with messages or articles, you’ll need to set up your signature.  Your signature will be displayed at the bottom of every message your autoresponder sends, and should be your name and link to your business.  You can also add a short description of your business as well, which will let clients or interested customers know a bit of information about your business.  Your name and link to your business will go a long way, letting your customers know that you are professional.

Once you have everything set up, all you need to do is start sending out emails.  Your autoresponder can be set up to send messages automatically.  You can also send out emails daily, weekly, or monthly if you prefer.  Almost all autoresponders are flexible, easy to use, and will send out your messages when you decide.  Once your subscriber list starts to build up, and you get more email addresses to your autoresponder, you’ll quickly see that it’s very beneficial. After you have used your autoresponder a few months – you won’t be able to imagine your business without it.