	Article Directory		Article Submission Service		Article Marketing Blog		Publishers		Member Log In

Article Directory :: Internet Marketing/Online Business Articles

The Ten Things to Look For When Selecting an Autoresponder

By Cary Ganz

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 13Jun2009
Word count: 728
Viewed: 201 time(s)

Get Free Content For Your Site

In the world of internet marketing there are certain steps that must be taken in order to be successful. Probably the most important of these is Communication.

Now, that may seem to be a real simple requirement but in reality it can prove to be a daunting task. Since the Internet is such a 'non-personal' environment; a difficult place to create warm and cuddly personal and/or business relationships, it is up to the individuals involved to use whatever tools are available to assist in the rather time consuming and sometimes overwhelming task.

How do you stay in touch with all of your customers, either in the online or 'brick and mortar' world without spending hours and hour of time at the computer keyboard. The answer lies in Autoresponders.

Autoresponders, in their most simple form, are a means of sending a sequence of planned emails (or newsletters etc.) to a specific opted in list(s) of subscribers on a timed basis.

Here are ten things you need to understand when selecting an autoresponder:

1. Simplicity - to stay in touch with your customers you need a simple way to create that personal relationship. Whatever system you choose it needs to be simple to use and easy to maintain. I would suggest that online systems are far more convenient due to the ability to access them anywhere at anytime, even if you're away from your home or business computer.

2. Cost Effectiveness - there are lots of way to create relationships but many of them, like hiring a public relations firm or using some form of direct 'snail' mail, are very costly and beyond the limits of a new or intermediate business owner. Most autoresponders are either a one time purchase of a monthly subscription.

3. Predictability - whatever means you choose, you need to be sure that the message gets through in a timely manner.

4. Automation - time is money in any business. Doing the same task over and over just doesn't make either personal or business sense when you can develop systems to do it for you. Automating the process is the key to efficiency.

5. Convenience - when attempting to communicate with your customers, either on or offline, you need to be able to do it when you want to, where you want to and when you want to. You don't need limitations on your time but rather you need a system that works within your time restraints.

6. Track-ability - there is an old adage in marketing that states something like, "If it's worth doing, it's worth tracking!" Well, I may have just made that up myself but the reality is that whatever you do online and offline relating to marketing, needs to be tracked to see what works and what doesn't work. Why waste loads of time and money on things that don't work?

7. Reliability - when you choose a system as important to handle customer relations, it needs to be reliable. Using a 'cheap' system although possibly cost effective may prove to be more expensive in the future when it fails to accomplish your goals.

8. Track Record - how long has this company been around? What is their percentage of downtime? What is their reputation? The reason this is so important is that once you have set up your list of autoresponder emails, you certainly don't want to have the company disappear from the marketplace and lose all that work.

9. Text and HTML: the autoresponder you select should have the capability of sending your email or newsletter in both text format and html. The reason for both is that many email clients (your subscriber's email program) will only accept text. Some will accept html and others will accept both. Since you don't know what your customer has, you need to be able to cover all of the bases.

10. Deliver-ability - email is a tough business. You need to be sure that whichever autoresponder you select has a high delivery rate and is not blocked due to high SPAM levels.

Conclusion: The use of autoresponders in the internet world is one of those concepts that has taken hold and is well entrenched in the lexicon of internet marketing. It is truly one of the most effective ways to stay in touch with your customers and/or subscribers on a frequent basis with limited time,. minimal cost and exceptional effectiveness.

Learn All You Need to Know About Autoresponders with Cary Ganz's "AWeber Unleashed" Cary Ganz Creator of The Newbie Phenomenon

EasyPublish™ this article - publishers click here