By:
Nicki Jennings
Autoresponders benefit your business in many ways. If you have your own business then you know there is just not enough hours in a day to get it all done. You have meetings, emails to reply to, create products or deliver a service, and you have to take care of your customers and talk to suppliers. The list goes on. No matter what you do, there never seem to be enough time to get it all done.
One of the most important functions of a business is to stay connected and follow-up with your customers. Without your customers you wouldn't have a business. However, many business people focus on creating the product, delivering it, getting the money and repeat the process. They just don't take the time to build the relationship with them.
When you build a relationship with your customers they are more apt to want to work with you. This is where the profit is made. It costs money to attract customers, however not many people focus on the area of renewable sales, return customers.
One of the best ways in which you can build a continuing relationship with your customers is through email. Sure, email isnt as effective than speaking with your customer face to face but its the most efficient, affordable way to look after your customers, especially if you have many of them located all over the world.
Imagine if someone continually contacts you once a week by checking up on you, making sure you enjoyed the product, and bascially just letting you know that they are there if you need them? That would be useful wouldnt it?
They say that if you simply email your customers or send them a card on their birthday, they will be grateful and will remember that small gesture. Just that little extra goes a long way.
One of the best ways in which you can build an automatic relationship is to use an autoresponder.
An autoresponder is simply a piece of software that automatically sends out emails to people. Its a bit like an automated message when you are out of the office. If someone sends you an email, they receive an out of office message.
The Benefits Of Using An Autoresponder
Using an autoresponder has many benefits, such as:
Being able to communicate with customers using a prewritten message
Being able to send emails when you are not around
Being able to deliver information as needed
All of these things allow for easier email marketing campaigns, as they will all be automated. The biggest benefit of using an autoresponder program is that once you set it, everything else is done automatically without your input. This frees you up to focus on other areas of your business.
How To Use An Autoresponder
Once you get the hang of it, autoresponders arent very hard to use at all. The first thing you do is write up a message you want your autoresponder to send. When you finish that you put that message into the autoresponder and tell the autoresponder when you would like it to send and to who. For example, you may tell the autoresponder to send this message to any customer that signs up to your mailing list. You may also tell them to send this message only after theyve been signed up for a week. Once you have set up the settings you require you choose to run the autoresponder and thats it, any time your settings are met your autoresponder is sent.
Autoresponders Can Be Used For A Number Of Different Things:
Using An Autoresponder To Deliver An Online Course:
You can use a autoresponder to deliver an online course. Once someone signs up to your mailing list they will be receive your lessons via email over a set amount of time. You could provide 7 day courses whereby at the end theyll know everything they need to, or you could send an email once a week for as long as you want.
Deliver Seasons Greetings To Customers With Autoresponders:
You can set up autoresponders to message people yearly whenever an occasion arrives. If you want to make customers feel like you remember them (and to let them know you are still there), you could send them a message when its their birthday. So every year your autoresponder sends your customers a personalised birthday message automatically (If you decide to do this remember to take down their birthday when collecting their subscriber information).
Using Autoresponders To Build Relationships:
If you don't have much time on your hands but you want to keep a good relationship with your customers, you can set up your autoresponder to build a relationship with your customers. You also want them to know you are still out there. You can do this by sending your customer weekly emails. The key is to write up these emails before hand (Say three months worth of emails or a years worth), put them into the auto responder, and get on with your other work. Now whenever someone new signs up a large part of their customer relations is automatically taken care of.
Selling With Autoresponders:
A lot of companies use autoresponders to sell to their customers. If you have a product which compliments one the customer has already bought for example, you may have a autoresponder message that shows them about this other product too. Similarly, if your product or service has a shelf life (E.G. three months), you can get your autoresponder to messages all customers who bought this product or service when three months is almost up. In the message you can remind them that what theyve got is running out and should they want to buy a new one they can come to you.
So as you can see using an autoresponder in your business can help you in many ways. Imagine trying to keep all of that straight! This all happens and you don't ever have to worry about it. You can focus more on the other aspects of your business.
About the Author
Nicki Jennings is constantly trying to find ways to help others find ways to build their business without spending a lot of money. For more information that she has posted visit her blog at http://athomebusinessmom.com/. You can also visit her website at http://www.athomebusinessmom.com/mlmtraining.php
Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com
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