August 4th "Autoresponders In Your World" Series, Part 21.

Autoresponder E-Courses Maximize Sales.

Counter intuitive as it may sound, many top Internet marketers profit handsomely by giving things away. CDs, DVDs, e-books, videos – you name it – whatever it takes to get the proverbial “foot in the door”. Done properly, offering high-quality “freebies” is an excellent way to grow your list and set up successful sales campaigns down the road. So, why not offer something of value to web surfers today with the help of your autoresponder?

In particular, autoresponders are ideally suited for delivering free electronic courses (e-courses) to eager subscribers craving specialized information. E-courses allow you to demonstrate your knowledge, trustworthiness, and friendliness to people without blasting them with blatant sales pitches. Thousands of web surfers looking for help sign up for courses every day, so consider setting up a niche-specific course to establish your expert credentials.

E-course autoresponders operate similarly to other message sequences you currently send to subscribers. Each “lesson” is released at a specific time; you should be able to judge the optimum lesson quantity and frequency to use with practice and customize each aspect of the e-course to encourage desirable future results.

Unlike traditional academic courses and live webinars, you won’t be able to interact directly with list subscribers, although you should encourage immediate feedback from them. Once you finish writing the course material, segment it into manageable lessons, and schedule its release, the autoresponder automates the entire process.

E-mail courses are effective, because they blend information with salesmanship. For example, if you sell battery-powered lawn mowers, your e-course autoresponder should prove why they are superior to gas-powered mowers. Alternatively, you could write a course about lawn care and maintenance with “green” mowers. After following your lessons, all conclusions drawn should favor your product or service. Your credibility has been established, and subscribers are less sales resistant, because they have received “free” valuable information from you.

With careful planning, your can create expert courses of varying lengths for in any niche. For example:

-Short courses: 3-5 lessons.
-Two-week course; delivered every alternate day: 7 lessons.
-Ten-day course; daily lessons: 10 lessons.
-30-day course delivered every second day: 15 lessons.

Barring unique circumstances, do not deliver more than one lesson daily, so that subscribers can focus and digest each lesson and anticipate what comes next.

Before launching your opt-in page and releasing your autoresponder address to the public, test the lesson sequence on yourself and make necessary adjustments. Edit your messages! Even the slightest spelling and grammatical errors could increase your unsubscribe rates and weaken your sales performances. Put yourself in your subscribers’ shoes and ask, “Would I buy from this person?” Always be professional.

While text-based e-courses are still the norm for new marketers, more established types are increasingly preparing audio-visual course material for complimentary consumption. As production costs plummet and equipment become more accessible, expect to find more and more free video courses on your favorite subject.

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Rahul Majumdar is an Information Marketer specializing in article marketing, list-building, and digital product creation. Sign up for more of his insights here.