By Paula Morrow
http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com
You've heard the experts say that a prospect usually needs to be exposed to an offer at least three, sometimes as many as seven, times before a decision is made to buy a product or service. To offline businesses, accomplishing this through direct mail and telemarketing can be both intimidating and expensive.
This is where online businesses have a distinct advantage, through the use of autoresponder technology. This technology forms the backbone of many of today's online fortunes.
The basic concept behind an autoresponder series, sending a series of scheduled messages to convince a customer to take action, is easy to understand. But determining how to write one, or WHAT to write, often isn't so clear.
First, the basics...every autoresponder series must include:
*Useful Information
*Personalized Messages, Both in the Subject Line and in the Body Copy *Back-end, Upsell Offers
Here are some new applications to consider:
1) Deliver a multi-part salesletter. Remember that long piece of art you slaved over, aka your sales letter? You could break it up, as an ongoing series of weekly messages for an instant autoresponder series. You could also offer links in each, pointing back to your website to view the entire document.
Also, you could send a sequence of different letters with each one promoting a different benefit of a selected product or service. Finally, you could send different variations of the original letter. Think creatively!
Or, if you're really pressed for time, just put 'Second Notice' in the subject line, and resend the original message.
Just remember to always focus your messages to emphasize 'what's in it for them,' showing what pain or problem your product/service solves.
2) Deliver a multi-part training or coaching course. Yes, this can be done on autoresponder. Again, the key is that the delivered information must be perceived as being valuable.
3) Deliver evergreen information in the form of an ezine or newsletter. By offering value, and keeping you top-of-mind, this leads to a stronger customer relationship. When you have to choose between reading a message from someone you know and trust, and one from someone you don't, most will choose the friend, right? Use autoresponders to help create that bond--this could lead to more sales!
4) Make existing customers feel special by developing a autoresponder series that offers a 'members only' exclusive of product bundles, limited-time discounts, holiday or seasonal promotions, etc.
5) Create a separate autoresponder series to 'upsell' paying customers on increasingly expensive product offerings. Never assume that they're automatically done with just one purchase! Don't underestimate a customer's ongoing desire for high-quality products and services.
One last idea for a creative use of autoresponders - timely customer relations. If you find that the same questions are being asked over and over by your visitors, assemble their answers and load them into an autoresponder. Then add a place on your site to click for 'Answers To Frequently Asked Questions' - this will save a huge amount of time and energy, leaving your time open to come up with new marketing ideas.
Always remember to provide a way for customers to contact you directly, in the event that the FAQ's didn't answer their question(s).
How many other autoresponder campaigns or applications can you think of?
================================== Paula Morrow heads Ideal Marketing Corporation, specializing in information products and training for newbie netpreneurs. Subscribe to IDEALProfits, now read in 12 countries, and receive 5 bonus ebooks! http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com/subscribe.html