 Maximize Autoresponder Use
to Boost Business
By
Matthew Rotterman
© 2005
Although web
businesses use autoresponders extensively, it's doubtful that many are taking
full advantage of this tool to broaden profit potential. Are you missing
out on more repeat visitors, better customer contact, enhanced marketing
and greater revenue? Maybe it's time to broaden your autoresponder use.
Lead capture is likely the most common autoresponder use. A common technique
is to drive traffic to a lead capture page with a pay-per-click campaign
and offer some juicy information in exchange for a name and email address.
Sales messages can eventually be sent as follow ups to the information series.
But autoresponders can be incorporated in many other ways. The impact on
your bottom line can be substantial, especially if you combine several
autoresponder uses.
Autoresponder use beyond lead capture can be slotted into two categories,
although there is some profit-boosting crossover:
- Marketing: information directly designed to promote or enhance sales.
- Services: information offered to assist the website visitor, which can
invite return visits, increase customer satisfaction and create higher business
visibility.
In the marketing category, here are four powerful ways to use
autoresponders:
1. Offer a useful gift in exchange for completed customer survey. The survey
could be sent when an information series is completed, after a fixed number
of sales or after a certain time period.
2. Sending an unadvertised bonus or customer appreciation gift can strengthen
relationships. The gift should go out early rather than late, to help retain
someone who might be wavering about staying with you. Long-term customers
should get an occasional surprise too, because they can be costly to
replace.
3. Motivating and training affiliates.
4. Exchange products with another marketer to be offered when someone
unsubcribes. You lose a subscriber and maybe she gains one. And offering
a parting gift can create goodwill that will come back to you in other
ways.
Depending on the type of web site you have, you might compile a long list
of autoresponder uses for the services category. Free reports are a typical
use, and they can serve to cross over into marketing by linking to subscriptions
that carry a stronger sales message.
A services list might also feature:
1. Frequently asked questions reponses.
2. Details on your services and products.
3. Ezine archives.
4. Endorsements or testimonials, if you have a lot. Always ask that these
be passed along.
5. Public domain reference material, branded for your web site.
6. Lengthy material of any kind.
Remember, many web users are still on dial-up services, some with a limited
number of hours per month. Anything you can offer to reduce their time spent
reading online will likely be appreciated.
And excellent service translates into another marketing vehicle, one that
the autoresponder can enhance nicely.
About the Author:
| Todd Kenovas
is Marketing Manager for Webways Media the keyword marketing resource. See
http://www.webwaysmedia.com
for more information. |
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