August 7th "Autoresponders In Your World" Series, Part 23.

Three Marketing Functions Best Suited for Autoresponder Use.

Why is the autoresponder an Internet Marketer’s most indispensable tool? Think about it – could you be an effective online entrepreneur without the tool that makes prospecting, relationship-building, and networking with other marketers almost effortless? You would be hard-pressed to succeed in list-building, affiliate marketing, and joint ventures marketing without the autoresponder’s versatility, flexibility, and adaptability. In short, you cannot have a serious business presence without it.

That being said, there are three specific activities that are tailor-made for autoresponders:

1. Growing your opt-in subscriber lists.

What is the first thing marketers insist they would do if they lost everything? Most (the smart ones, anyway) will opt to start rebuilding their contact list. Lists are where the money’s at, but to unlock its full income potential, you have to master autoresponders. Set up twenty to fifty messages right off the bat to distinguish yourself from casual marketers and those who simply don’t care. If your autoresponder service permits broadcasts, inject references to current news stories or important events in your life for added continuity. Autoresponder services let you incorporate name and time wildcards into your messages, so use them to build personal bonds.

2. Making repeated offers to subscribers and customers.

It takes seven looks (e-mails, salesletters, squeeze pages, etc.) on average before a prospect will seriously consider buying from you. To get the exposure your offers need, you must use an autoresponder to communicate with your permission-based list. Even if you have a respectable open rate, circumstances dictate that subscribers will not always heed your call to action. With autoresponders, you can resend e-mails, give reminders, or even build a storyline to better promote your offer. Note that discreet and subtle reminders are appropriate for both content and offers.

3. Creating and sending E-mail courses.

Most subscribers realize that you will send them content and offers on a regular basis. So, to differentiate yourself from fellow marketers, why not give original e-courses from time to time? Just load a topical 5 or 10-part series into your autoresponder and encourage subscriber interaction. Who knows, it may trigger a new product idea! By focusing on a specific area, you will prove your expertise and make subscribers take notice. E-courses are a great way to pre-sell affiliate products and your own stuff; they can be geared towards salesmanship or information (i.e. product review) depending on your goals and the characteristics of your intended audience.


Autoresponders automate time-consuming, even mind-numbing (but necessary) Internet marketing tasks. True, you have to write or outsource your sales material first, but once you get it right, plug it into your autoresponder and you’re set. It doesn’t discriminate between affiliate marketing and product creation, and is effective for e-mail relationship building. Some marketers even boast about subscribers who honestly tell them that their autoresponder messages are indistinguishable from personal letters.

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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