Monday 15 October 2007
Growing Customer Relationships With Autoresponder
How do you build and maintain a good relationship with your customers?Practice relationship basics - remember that relationships depend on communication, and that communication is a two way street. And don't imagine that a constant bombardment of ads is constructive of a relationship. It only says to that customer that all that matters to you is whether he buys.You may be saying, "My customers are automatically put on my ezine mailing list so they hear from me regularly. I don't have time to do more than that." My answer is, the ezine is a great start. Now use my favorite tool - the autoresponder - to its full, time saving advantage to personalize the relationship. I have put together some steps that I think will build these relationships more quickly than any other
1. Personalize your communicationsMake sure you use the personalization feature in your ezine list manager and your autoresponder to full advantage. You know, [firstname], how you like to see and hear your own name. Whether you realized it or not, it's your favorite word! But don't overdo it. Just as you don't begin every sentence in a verbal conversation with the other person's name, use the name sparingly in your emails. Make it flow naturally by placing it in sentences that are more personal in nature (note the sentence above where I used your name, for example).2. Generate feedbackLook for ways to generate feedback from your ezine subscribers. As you noted above, I have started features soliciting your feedback in form of your personal biographical background and information about your website. Anytime you can get your subscribers to share something important to them, they have come another rung on the relationship ladder. It should go without saying that you need to share yourself to encourage feedback. Communicate simply as you would if you were talking to a friend - you will find that your subscribers will come to consider you their friend! Don't be afraid to take a stand on issues, again, just as you would with a friend. It is difficult for your subscribers to develop a friendship if no personality emerges from your emails. If you are by nature a more private person (as I am), you may need to work at being more open in your communications. Have a friend or spouse read some of your emails to give you honest feedback as to how your personality is communicated. Obviously the latitude you have in expressing yourself is enormous. I receive several ezines whose authors always start out by writing about their children's braces or their dog's cancer. While that isn't my style, if you have a let-it-all-hang-out personality, then go right ahead. It communicates who you are. The personality you project won't be the favorite of all your readers anyway, but that's not the point.Use a spell checker and have someone else proof your emails if grammar and sentence construction give you problems. You have a message to communicate to your subscribers - bad grammar or incomplete sentences obscures that message. Even worse, it says that you didn't consider the message (and its recipient) important enough to get it right. Don't expect significant feedback if you don't respect your subscribers enough to pay attention to details.Autoresponders also allow you to easily get feedback on site issues such as HTML/plain text, or whether to publish on Tuesday or Saturday. Simply set up separate autoresponder addresses for each reply, or one address with different subject lines.3. Exceed expectationsAssuming you are already doing the basics such as delivering a good product that does all it claims, and promptly following up on support issues, nothing builds good relationships and customer loyalty better than doing little things that are pleasant surprises. For example, your customers deserve first rate support and you should by all means deliver it. But why not anticipate as many of their questions and potential problems as possible by including a FAQ/support email in your autoresponder instant message that immediately follows up your sale? It will not only save you tons of support time and effort, it will deliver the message that you want your customers to have answers at hand before there are questions.Use another of your follow up messages to offer your customer another product that is a natural follow-up to the one you just sold him. It is not only smart marketing; it says you know what he is likely to need and are not just pitching whatever else you have to sell.Another message could ask for a testimonial in exchange for some item of value. This tells your customer you value his feedback and are willing to pay for it.Here's the biggest relationship-builder. Before you put your product on the market, think in advance what other less costly but closely related products your customer is sure to find useful. Offer these products as bonuses through your autoresponder follow-up series. By doing so, you will immediately set yourself apart from 95% of your competitors. Nothing I know of matches the pleasant surprise of receiving unannounced bonuses that are immediately useful and valuable. It speaks volumes about your thoughtfulness and the value you place on your customer and his needs. Even if you have to pay to get these follow-on bonuses, it will be more than worth it in the long term. One is great; if you can manage it two or three would be even better. Ideally you could continue to provide articles or tips on a continuing basis that relate to that customer and his needs. Autoresponders make it simple!This is just a sampling of the kinds of relationship-building jobs you can set up your autoresponder to do. Does this kind of approach call for considerable planning before the sale? You bet! While your average customer may not appreciate the fact that you spent the extra time to set up the post-sale autoresponder sequence, he will get the overall message that you care about him as a customer and have gone out of your way to see that his needs are met. As you build a relationship of trust and respect by applying methods such as these, that position you hold in your customer's subconscious relative to your competitors will move higher and higher. While this is an invisible, intangible thing, it will translate into future sales and a growing customer base. Combined with a continuing flow of good products, this is a recipe for online success. It's time to crank up the autoresponder and start putting in the ingredients!
1. Personalize your communicationsMake sure you use the personalization feature in your ezine list manager and your autoresponder to full advantage. You know, [firstname], how you like to see and hear your own name. Whether you realized it or not, it's your favorite word! But don't overdo it. Just as you don't begin every sentence in a verbal conversation with the other person's name, use the name sparingly in your emails. Make it flow naturally by placing it in sentences that are more personal in nature (note the sentence above where I used your name, for example).2. Generate feedbackLook for ways to generate feedback from your ezine subscribers. As you noted above, I have started features soliciting your feedback in form of your personal biographical background and information about your website. Anytime you can get your subscribers to share something important to them, they have come another rung on the relationship ladder. It should go without saying that you need to share yourself to encourage feedback. Communicate simply as you would if you were talking to a friend - you will find that your subscribers will come to consider you their friend! Don't be afraid to take a stand on issues, again, just as you would with a friend. It is difficult for your subscribers to develop a friendship if no personality emerges from your emails. If you are by nature a more private person (as I am), you may need to work at being more open in your communications. Have a friend or spouse read some of your emails to give you honest feedback as to how your personality is communicated. Obviously the latitude you have in expressing yourself is enormous. I receive several ezines whose authors always start out by writing about their children's braces or their dog's cancer. While that isn't my style, if you have a let-it-all-hang-out personality, then go right ahead. It communicates who you are. The personality you project won't be the favorite of all your readers anyway, but that's not the point.Use a spell checker and have someone else proof your emails if grammar and sentence construction give you problems. You have a message to communicate to your subscribers - bad grammar or incomplete sentences obscures that message. Even worse, it says that you didn't consider the message (and its recipient) important enough to get it right. Don't expect significant feedback if you don't respect your subscribers enough to pay attention to details.Autoresponders also allow you to easily get feedback on site issues such as HTML/plain text, or whether to publish on Tuesday or Saturday. Simply set up separate autoresponder addresses for each reply, or one address with different subject lines.3. Exceed expectationsAssuming you are already doing the basics such as delivering a good product that does all it claims, and promptly following up on support issues, nothing builds good relationships and customer loyalty better than doing little things that are pleasant surprises. For example, your customers deserve first rate support and you should by all means deliver it. But why not anticipate as many of their questions and potential problems as possible by including a FAQ/support email in your autoresponder instant message that immediately follows up your sale? It will not only save you tons of support time and effort, it will deliver the message that you want your customers to have answers at hand before there are questions.Use another of your follow up messages to offer your customer another product that is a natural follow-up to the one you just sold him. It is not only smart marketing; it says you know what he is likely to need and are not just pitching whatever else you have to sell.Another message could ask for a testimonial in exchange for some item of value. This tells your customer you value his feedback and are willing to pay for it.Here's the biggest relationship-builder. Before you put your product on the market, think in advance what other less costly but closely related products your customer is sure to find useful. Offer these products as bonuses through your autoresponder follow-up series. By doing so, you will immediately set yourself apart from 95% of your competitors. Nothing I know of matches the pleasant surprise of receiving unannounced bonuses that are immediately useful and valuable. It speaks volumes about your thoughtfulness and the value you place on your customer and his needs. Even if you have to pay to get these follow-on bonuses, it will be more than worth it in the long term. One is great; if you can manage it two or three would be even better. Ideally you could continue to provide articles or tips on a continuing basis that relate to that customer and his needs. Autoresponders make it simple!This is just a sampling of the kinds of relationship-building jobs you can set up your autoresponder to do. Does this kind of approach call for considerable planning before the sale? You bet! While your average customer may not appreciate the fact that you spent the extra time to set up the post-sale autoresponder sequence, he will get the overall message that you care about him as a customer and have gone out of your way to see that his needs are met. As you build a relationship of trust and respect by applying methods such as these, that position you hold in your customer's subconscious relative to your competitors will move higher and higher. While this is an invisible, intangible thing, it will translate into future sales and a growing customer base. Combined with a continuing flow of good products, this is a recipe for online success. It's time to crank up the autoresponder and start putting in the ingredients!
Kunjungi www.investasi-saham.com untuk investasi saham dan bermain saham. Panduan Lengkap dalam Berinvestasi di Pasar Modal, Bursa Efek Indonesia, Saham, Obligasi, ORI, SUKUK, Reksadana, Derivatif, Investasi Syariah dan Produk Investasi Keuangan lainnya serta Belajar Menjadi Investor/ Trader (Main) Saham.
How And When To Use An Autoresponder
How To Use An Autoresponder
Email autoresponders are the most powerful tool to automate the process of marketing products online, and in fact to do business online in general. As I found when I started online, however, there is more agreement about the need to use autoresponders than there is on the specifics of how to use them.
As on virtually any topic related to online business, it is possible to go into great detail about how to use autoresponders. In fact, when a person gets serious about their Internet business, this kind of detail is necessary to separate yourself and your business from the casual users who aren't serious about the use of autoresponders to really make serious money. If you are to that "make serious money" stage or want to get there, you need to check out my comprehensive resource on how to choose and use autoresponders.
However, there is a place for a discussion of a more general nature on the use of autoresponders. To state what may be obvious to some and completely new to others, email autoresponders are special email addresses that return a pre-stored message or set of messages in response to any email sent to the autoresponder address. Autoresponders are are available over a range of costs and come in different forms. A moment's thought begins to reveal the power of this concept to provide information on any topic to anyone, anywhere, instantly and automatically. With that briefest of introductions, what are the uses of autoresponders?
As on virtually any topic related to online business, it is possible to go into great detail about how to use autoresponders. In fact, when a person gets serious about their Internet business, this kind of detail is necessary to separate yourself and your business from the casual users who aren't serious about the use of autoresponders to really make serious money. If you are to that "make serious money" stage or want to get there, you need to check out my comprehensive resource on how to choose and use autoresponders.
However, there is a place for a discussion of a more general nature on the use of autoresponders. To state what may be obvious to some and completely new to others, email autoresponders are special email addresses that return a pre-stored message or set of messages in response to any email sent to the autoresponder address. Autoresponders are are available over a range of costs and come in different forms. A moment's thought begins to reveal the power of this concept to provide information on any topic to anyone, anywhere, instantly and automatically. With that briefest of introductions, what are the uses of autoresponders?
General Information Dissemination
Anybody that has information they want to be instantly available to anyone else might well use an autoresponder, since many are available for free. It could be information about a product you are interested in. It could be instructions on how to use or repair a product that you have. It could be an article about how to lose 30 pounds in 30 days. Anything that can be be put into text (and with HTML email, pictures or drawings also) can be sent by autoresponder.
Building An Opt-in Mail List
Just as a brick-and-mortar business loves to build a happy clientele that keeps coming back to buy again and again, so online business want to build relationships with visitors as well as customers so they will keep coming back. Physical stores may ask their customers to provide their name for a store mailing list which alerts them to special sales, etc. The online mailing list is even more important than the physical counterpart, because there isn't an online equivalent to driving down the street and noticing a "Sale" sign in the window of your favorite store. For an online business to compete and survive, it is virtually necessary for the owner to build an email list of people who have willingly given their names, with the expectation that they will be advised about things they are interested in. Building this list can be done several ways, but an autoresponder or email list program with autoresponder functions is usually the tool of choice. You need to be careful, of course, in selecting the autoresponder for this purpose. Some are much better suited to do it than others.
Following Up With Visitors
So you have an opt-in email list started. What do you do with it? A list of names isn’t much good unless you follow up with them about your product offerings. Obviously the basic autoresponder function of responding to e-mail messages isn’t of much value here. You need a function that can send follow-up messages to addresses you already have. And that is one of the additional functions of a good autoresponder or an e-mail list program. It is often called the ‘broadcast’ function for obvious reasons – a message is broadcast to all the addresses in the list at once. Again, not all autoresponders allow this function, and some do it better than others.
Multi-part Courses
Offering multi-part courses is one of several methods to attract visitors to your site. The course establishes you as an expert in some field - even if you aren't! Any good information source can be broken down into several parts and placed in autoresponder follow-up messages, to be sent at whatever interval you choose. This approach is often used as a sales tool. When the student gains confidence in you through the information you have provided, you can then present your product (hopefully related to the course material) and hopefully gain a sale. You can advertise your free course anywhere on the Internet. Included in your instant or follow-up message would be an invitation to join your opt-in list. Do you get the idea of the power of offering a free course?
Basic Sales
Studied have shown that you need to present your product before a potential customer several times to increase the likelihood of making a sale. To do that, you want to give the potential customer a good reason to send his/her e-mail address. Since he/she may not have enough interest simply to ask for more information about your product, you will want to offer some incentive, like a free gift or service. Whatever the method, you want to get the potential customer into your autoresponder message sequence, then, in those messages, send your customer to your web site to make the sale.
Customer Support
This is a large topic. If you are selling information products, you may want to use autoresponders as the product delivery method. You can provide after-sale support information such as FAQs (frequently asked questions), thank-you messages, request for testimonials, etc. There is really no limit other than your imagination to the uses that autoresponders can provide in supporting your customer.
Anybody that has information they want to be instantly available to anyone else might well use an autoresponder, since many are available for free. It could be information about a product you are interested in. It could be instructions on how to use or repair a product that you have. It could be an article about how to lose 30 pounds in 30 days. Anything that can be be put into text (and with HTML email, pictures or drawings also) can be sent by autoresponder.
Building An Opt-in Mail List
Just as a brick-and-mortar business loves to build a happy clientele that keeps coming back to buy again and again, so online business want to build relationships with visitors as well as customers so they will keep coming back. Physical stores may ask their customers to provide their name for a store mailing list which alerts them to special sales, etc. The online mailing list is even more important than the physical counterpart, because there isn't an online equivalent to driving down the street and noticing a "Sale" sign in the window of your favorite store. For an online business to compete and survive, it is virtually necessary for the owner to build an email list of people who have willingly given their names, with the expectation that they will be advised about things they are interested in. Building this list can be done several ways, but an autoresponder or email list program with autoresponder functions is usually the tool of choice. You need to be careful, of course, in selecting the autoresponder for this purpose. Some are much better suited to do it than others.
Following Up With Visitors
So you have an opt-in email list started. What do you do with it? A list of names isn’t much good unless you follow up with them about your product offerings. Obviously the basic autoresponder function of responding to e-mail messages isn’t of much value here. You need a function that can send follow-up messages to addresses you already have. And that is one of the additional functions of a good autoresponder or an e-mail list program. It is often called the ‘broadcast’ function for obvious reasons – a message is broadcast to all the addresses in the list at once. Again, not all autoresponders allow this function, and some do it better than others.
Multi-part Courses
Offering multi-part courses is one of several methods to attract visitors to your site. The course establishes you as an expert in some field - even if you aren't! Any good information source can be broken down into several parts and placed in autoresponder follow-up messages, to be sent at whatever interval you choose. This approach is often used as a sales tool. When the student gains confidence in you through the information you have provided, you can then present your product (hopefully related to the course material) and hopefully gain a sale. You can advertise your free course anywhere on the Internet. Included in your instant or follow-up message would be an invitation to join your opt-in list. Do you get the idea of the power of offering a free course?
Basic Sales
Studied have shown that you need to present your product before a potential customer several times to increase the likelihood of making a sale. To do that, you want to give the potential customer a good reason to send his/her e-mail address. Since he/she may not have enough interest simply to ask for more information about your product, you will want to offer some incentive, like a free gift or service. Whatever the method, you want to get the potential customer into your autoresponder message sequence, then, in those messages, send your customer to your web site to make the sale.
Customer Support
This is a large topic. If you are selling information products, you may want to use autoresponders as the product delivery method. You can provide after-sale support information such as FAQs (frequently asked questions), thank-you messages, request for testimonials, etc. There is really no limit other than your imagination to the uses that autoresponders can provide in supporting your customer.
When To Use An Autoresponder
You've got your business, you've got some ads ready to run, andyour site is ready to take orders. All that's left is to buy someadvertising and get people coming to your site. But should yousend people straight to your site from your ads or set up someauto responder messages and direct them to those?Hmmm. Good question. Here's some thoughts to help you with thedecision.When NOT To Use an Auto ResponderIn general, if you're selling a single product, something that'snot really that complicated, only requires a limited amount ofinformation to stimulate interest, or you are using theexcitement of the moment to make the sale, do NOT use an autoresponder. Just direct people straight to the site.For example, ebooks. Generally, any information you need tostimulate interest can be done on a single page site. You don'twant to give away too much either, and if you are setting upmultiple messages in an auto responder, what are you going totalk about?When You SHOULD Use an Auto ResponderA more complicated topic, products or opportunities that requirea somewhat larger investment, or plans to cover multipleproducts or multiple benefits, require the use of an auto responder.Auto responders give you more time to explain your business orproduct. Or, you may just need to keep in touch while yourprospect considers a way to come up with the money for what youare offering. In these cases auto responders are excellent. Yousimply provide more information or feature different benefits ineach message and then direct prospects to your site to learnmore or to make a purchase.ExceptionsNo rules are perfect, so we should all learn to put what we readinto perspective when considering our own businesses. So, evenif your product is expensive or complicated to understand, ifthat's better 'shown' at a web site than 'told' in an email,send people directly to your site.As well, you can use email information courses to keep referringpeople back to your site for just one simple product.Ways To Complement A Site With an Auto ResponderI've had quite a few hits on an auto responder I placed on mysite. I simply ask, "In a hurry? Want more information byemail?" and provide a link. That way, even though everything isright there on my site, if they are intrigued but don't want tospend much time right then, there is a way they can get moreinformation later, and I still get to keep in contact with them.Also, you can offer different information courses through autoresponders and put them on your site. This way, even ifpeople don't buy from their initial visit, you'll get repeatcontact and get multiple chances to convince them to return.Auto responders are extremely useful. There's no replacing them.It's just a matter of considering your product or opportunity,and your options when deciding how best to use them.
Kunjungi www.investasi-saham.com untuk investasi saham dan bermain saham. Panduan Lengkap dalam Berinvestasi di Pasar Modal, Bursa Efek Indonesia, Saham, Obligasi, ORI, SUKUK, Reksadana, Derivatif, Investasi Syariah dan Produk Investasi Keuangan lainnya serta Belajar Menjadi Investor/ Trader (Main) Saham.
Autoresponder Basic
If you’re in business on the Internet, you already know the importance of e-mail automatic responders, or e-mail autoresponders as they are commonly known. In fact, autoresponder e-mail marketing is the primary method of doing business online. They automate the process of following up e-mail marketing leads, giving them another common name - follow-up autoresponders.
If you aren't familiar with the concept or importance of e-mail autoresponders, this introduction should help to get you started and pointed toward choosing the free autoresponder, autoresponder software or autoresponder services that fit your business.
If you aren't familiar with the concept or importance of e-mail autoresponders, this introduction should help to get you started and pointed toward choosing the free autoresponder, autoresponder software or autoresponder services that fit your business.
In way of the briefest of introductions to their function, email autoresponders are special email addresses that return a previously-stored message or set of messages in response to any email sent to the autoresponder address. It is obvious that the email address you get from your ISP doesn't have this function, so the question arises as to where autoresponder addresses come from. A more proper question is, who provides the special function that makes an address operate as an autoresponder?
Web Host Autoresponders
Virtually all paid web hosts and many free ones provide unlimited autoresponders as part of the hosting service. They are unlimited in number but quite limited in function (only one message with no follow-ups, no mail list capability, etc.). The email autoresponder function is provided by special software resident on the web host server. Any address which the web site owner declares as an autoresponder address, such as name@yourdomain.com, where 'name' is the name you select for a particular autoresponder, is interpreted by the server as being an autoresponder address. It responds by sending out the message (if any) which has been stored for that autoresponder.
Autoresponder Software
If you want more capability than the web host autoresponder can provide, one choice is to purchase autoresponder software. Such software is available from several sources, and is divided into two main types. One type is installed on the web host server. The second is installed on the user's computer. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Software installed on the server may complicated enough to require the services (and cost) of an installer, and may be limited to providing a single autoresponder address on that server. Server-based autoresponder software maintains the list of autoresponder addresses and is backed up with other web site files, taking that burden off the user. Also, the process of sending emails to a large list is handled by the server. PC-based autoresponder software, on the other hand, is generally easy to install, but imposes extra burden on the user to back up the list. Sending broadcast emails to the list may strain the capabilities of the ISP, or may simply exceed the allowable limits of messages the ISP imposes. PC-based software can provide the feasibility of integrating the email list with other marketing functions on the PC which would be difficult or impossible with server-based software.
Autoresponder Services
The autoresponder function is most commonly provided by autoresponder services provided by companies hosting the function on their own servers. Access to the functions is over the Internet and has many advantages. None of the issues of installing software, being responsible for backing up the list or dealing with ISP message limitations apply when autoresponder services are employed. Autoresponder services are usually provided for a monthly charge, and may consist of one, several or an unlimited number of autoresponders.
Best Autoresponder?What is the best automatic responder? There is no single answer. Your needs are different than that of the next business. And what you choose today may be quickly outgrown as your business grows. Beside the choice of autoresponder features, costs vary from free to expensive. You need a continually updated product comparison to see what fits your business and your needs. Fortunately there is a product database that is the best guide to the perfect e-mail autoresponder for your business
Web Host Autoresponders
Virtually all paid web hosts and many free ones provide unlimited autoresponders as part of the hosting service. They are unlimited in number but quite limited in function (only one message with no follow-ups, no mail list capability, etc.). The email autoresponder function is provided by special software resident on the web host server. Any address which the web site owner declares as an autoresponder address, such as name@yourdomain.com, where 'name' is the name you select for a particular autoresponder, is interpreted by the server as being an autoresponder address. It responds by sending out the message (if any) which has been stored for that autoresponder.
Autoresponder Software
If you want more capability than the web host autoresponder can provide, one choice is to purchase autoresponder software. Such software is available from several sources, and is divided into two main types. One type is installed on the web host server. The second is installed on the user's computer. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Software installed on the server may complicated enough to require the services (and cost) of an installer, and may be limited to providing a single autoresponder address on that server. Server-based autoresponder software maintains the list of autoresponder addresses and is backed up with other web site files, taking that burden off the user. Also, the process of sending emails to a large list is handled by the server. PC-based autoresponder software, on the other hand, is generally easy to install, but imposes extra burden on the user to back up the list. Sending broadcast emails to the list may strain the capabilities of the ISP, or may simply exceed the allowable limits of messages the ISP imposes. PC-based software can provide the feasibility of integrating the email list with other marketing functions on the PC which would be difficult or impossible with server-based software.
Autoresponder Services
The autoresponder function is most commonly provided by autoresponder services provided by companies hosting the function on their own servers. Access to the functions is over the Internet and has many advantages. None of the issues of installing software, being responsible for backing up the list or dealing with ISP message limitations apply when autoresponder services are employed. Autoresponder services are usually provided for a monthly charge, and may consist of one, several or an unlimited number of autoresponders.
Best Autoresponder?What is the best automatic responder? There is no single answer. Your needs are different than that of the next business. And what you choose today may be quickly outgrown as your business grows. Beside the choice of autoresponder features, costs vary from free to expensive. You need a continually updated product comparison to see what fits your business and your needs. Fortunately there is a product database that is the best guide to the perfect e-mail autoresponder for your business
Kunjungi www.investasi-saham.com untuk investasi saham dan bermain saham. Panduan Lengkap dalam Berinvestasi di Pasar Modal, Bursa Efek Indonesia, Saham, Obligasi, ORI, SUKUK, Reksadana, Derivatif, Investasi Syariah dan Produk Investasi Keuangan lainnya serta Belajar Menjadi Investor/ Trader (Main) Saham.
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