August 5th "Autoresponders In Your World" Series, Part 22.

3 Ways to ensure Your Autoresponder Messages Are not Rejected.

With great power comes great responsibility, or so we are told. Such is the case with autoresponders, the heart of e-mail marketing. No doubt they have revolutionized e-commerce and information marketing. However, as with so many great innovations, autoresponders are susceptible to abuse and misuse. Nothing represents irresponsible autoresponder use better than unsolicited commercial mail (UCE), and unsolicited bulk mail (UBE).

…Also known as spam.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate legitimate Internet marketers from spammers. The large internet service providers (ISPs) have sophisticated anti-spam technology that frequently traps proper messages; smaller businesses also employ spam filters. Today, standard practice within most e-mail systems is to move questionable messages into a ‘Spam’ folder or in some cases delete them outright. No questions asked.

To ensure that autoresponder messages reach your subscribers’ Inbox safely, use the following three tactics:

1. Create a ‘White List’ Thank You Page.

Don’t assume that your list-building is safe after prospects enter their contact information into your opt-in page! Once they click your ‘Subscribe’ button, redirect them to a web page that gives clear instructions for confirming their request. If you are using a double opt-in procedure, tell them what to look for in your confirmation message’s “From:” and “Subject:” lines. Consider putting in specific instructions for getting onto Google (G-mail), Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN whitelists, since many subscribers use these services.

Even if new subscribers confirm their opt-in, remind them about whitelisting in your first (“Welcome”) message. It’s also a good idea to have your own accounts with large web-based e-mail clients, so that you can test and verify that your white-listing plan actually works.

2. Put each of Your Messages through a Spam Checker.

Successfully adding a new subscriber and being placed on whitelists does not give you free reign to write e-mails as you please. Avoid your subscribers’ Spam box by pre-testing each message before scheduling it in your autoresponder. Several third party e-mail deliverability services include automatic checking software with your membership. Otherwise, consider downloading a leading spam checker; many are no-cost and web-based for convenient use. With experience, you will learn to recognize words, phrases, and writing styles that demand editing or in the extreme case, a complete rewrite.

3. Send Subscribers an Appropriate Mix of Content and Offers.

Internet marketers are regularly targeted as spammers, so it behooves you to do everything possible to maintain a good score with subscribers as well as their e-mail clients. After all, what’s the point of being white-listed and using spam checking software if you’re going to blow it with 100% hard sell e-mails? Stay true to your original intentions by demonstrating your expertise to readers, building real relationships, and making appropriate offers that solve problems. You will be doing the industry, list members, and yourself a great service.

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

July 10th - "Autoresponders in your World" Series, Part 7.

Making Autoresponder Messages Sell Themselves.

Autoresponders are ideally suited for e-mail relationship marketing, the modern approach to online sales entrepreneurship. Hard sales tactics are no longer the norm; people don’t need a formal sales background to attract prospects and potential customers to their network. Most experts claim that people need at least seven exposures to a product or service before buying it. So the burning question is:

What role can your autoresponder play in influencing purchasing decisions?

Assuming that you work with permission-based, double opt-in lists (always preferable to single opt-in lists) contacting prospects seven, seven-hundred, or even seven-thousand times over a lifetime is not beyond reach. Autoresponders give you the power to harness the Internet for that very purpose. Forget the “All or Nothing” approach; i.e. an uncompromising sales pitch in your “Welcome” autoresponder. Not only won’t you make the sale, but there is a good chance your prospect will immediately unsubscribe.

Instead, use your initial message to thank subscribers for giving you the privilege of speaking to them on a very important issue. Next, focus on why they chose to sign up with your newsletter:

Subscribers believe that you have the solution to their problem!

Don’t talk about politics if your squeeze page invitation offered expert advice about deep-sea diving! Inform readers with usable content that relates to your upcoming offers. You may include a sales page link at the bottom of your message or postscript (P.S.), or hold off until future autoresponder messages. The key is to build a relationship with your readership. Resist the temptation to bear all at once. Be patient; just hinting at your unique solution will keep prospects tuned in to your activities.

Once you have established your credentials and sincerity, tell subscribers how your product or services can help them. Use follow-up autoresponders to describe benefits, and gradually explain why it is the right solution for them. Free information should stimulate prospects and convince them that you are the real deal.

Finally, comes the sales pitch: a reminder of why they joined you, the benefits of the products, and special features (i.e. bonuses, testimonials, money-back guarantees, etc.) to close the deal.

Autoresponder marketing is not an exact science, and there is more than one path to success. Signing up for other marketers’ newsletters and analyzing their styles will give you an idea of what’s already out there and help you create a unique voice. Seriously consider maintaining a ‘swap file’ (i.e. a file containing advice and/or messages proven to work) of best practices to retain messages and language that you may want to try in the future. Just remember not to plagiarize sales copy or other autoresponder messages!

Allowing autoresponder messages to do the selling for you lets you concentrate on creating and finding good products for your customers. Having sales expertise is great, but don’t impose it on your new prospects. Peak their curiosity first by empathizing with their problem and defining it in terms favorable to your solution. Repeatedly offering pertinent information that addresses the issue in a non-threatening manner improves the chance that they will be pre-sold prior to your final message.

… and ready to purchase.

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