If you’re just getting started in marketing info products online one of your very most important tools will be your auto-responder service. It will become the lifeblood of your business.
So what is an auto-responder and why does every online marketer have one? Let’s cover the basics to help you understand why you need one and what they can do for you.
An auto-responder service provides you with the ability to collect email addresses of visitors to your web site, blog, or any location online you control. In most cases a marketer will use their auto-responder service to place an opt-in form on one of their pages and offer visitors to that page some kind of free bonus product if they input their email address and join their list.
Within your auto-responder service you have the ability to direct new subscribers to where they can download your free bonus automatically. Through your auto-responder service you can create emails and have them sent out automatically to every subscriber on your list. You can send out emails in one of two ways. You can create an email whenever you wish and send it out to your list with the click of a button. This is called a broadcast type email. You can also create a sequence of emails ahead of time. You can set new subscribers to receive your first email immediately (or whenever you like. The second email could go out on, let’s say, day three after they subscribe. The third email could go out on the 7th day after they subscribe. You get the idea.
I am on a list of one online marketer who has over 100 emails loaded into his email sequence. Sure it took him time to create the emails, but once set up the whole thing runs on auto-pilot for month after month.
There are two purposes in having an email list. First, it allows you to keep in contact with your subscribers and establish a relationship of trust with them so they learn to respect your expertise and knowledge. Second, some or all of the emails you send out promote products, either your own or products you promote as an affiliate, with links to the promotional pages for those product. In time your email list will become the largest income producing asset in your business.
I use Aweber as my auto-responder service. It would run you about $20 a month starting out but they usually offer your first month free for for $1. As your list size grows the fee increase just a bit. I have tested out others in the past but I have had my Aweber account for many years and I highly recommend them. I have also used GetResponse and Infusionsoft.
Infusionsoft is more of a CRM. While it incorporates auto-responder functions, its service platform goes well beyond the basic auto-responder services. CRM (Customer Relationship Management) services allow emails to be sent to individuals based on specific interactions they take while on your sites. CRM services are often much, much more costly than basic auto-responder platforms. While many marketers use them, I don’t recommend them if you are just starting out because they can flatten your wallet quickly. Down the road you can look into CRM platforms once you are generating income and can afford the expense.
Aside from web hosting an auto responder service should be one of your first investments. It really is required!