In the world of ecommerce, millions of sites are fiercely competing with each other to gain new clients. For any ecommerce site to succeed, it must capture the interest and the trust of its visitors. It is not enough that your site is impeccably designed or has the latest in animation or content. You should focus your efforts not only in attracting visitors but also in leading them to make a purchase. There are dozens of marketing strategies you can use to attract more buyers and pump up your sales. One of them is by establishing an excellent and professional reputation for prompt and efficient response.
As more potential customers visit your site, you should expect a flood of inquiries and requests for information. This is an excellent opportunity for you to capture more clients and lead them to buying from your site. Thus, it is important that you carry out an efficient and prompt response to every email you receive. The fastest and most effective way to do this is by utilizing Autoresponder services.
Autoresponder services use a computer program that automatically returns a prewritten message to anyone who sends an email to your site. It is widely used for responding to consumer inquiries and visitor comments and suggestions. Autoresponder services are also used by e-zines in responding to people who subscribe or unsubscribe to their online magazines. Companies, who send out their e-newsletters regularly, also use Autoresponder services.
How can effective Autoresponder services help boost your business The answer lies in its ability to return a prompt response to any e-mail the site receives. By responding rapidly and efficiently, you create a very good impression on your potential customer. Good Autoresponder services help you get important information back to these customers immediately. An effective Autoresponder service helps you communicate your message promptly, creating a sense of professionalism and efficiency that your clients will definitely appreciate.
Another very important advantage of Autoresponder services is that it saves time with multiple marketing tasks. Certainly, you do not have enough time to personally make and send all correspondence. Autoresponder services allows you to send thank you letters, newsletters, product information, brochures, orders etc. to hundreds of clients almost immediately and simultaneously. Autoresponder services are also indispensable in any email marketing campaign.
Choosing the right Autoresponder services is very important. What then should you look for in an Autoresponder service First, you should pick an Autoresponder service that is reliable and can give you 24/7 service. You cannot afford to lose a customer because your Autoresponder service failed to answer his query or request for information. The ability to respond promptly is the first thing you must look for in any Autoresponder services.
Another key factor you should consider when choosing Autoresponder services is flexibility. Good Autoresponder services allow you to customize unique responses that will have maximum effect on the customer. You should avoid creating an impression that the customer is communicating with a machine instead of a real human being. Excellent Autoresponder services lets you provide the information that is specifically targeted for what the potential customers are looking for. Because any email from potential customers essentially represent the customers intent on getting more information about your product, which can ultimately lead to direct sales, all emails are important. Thus, a top Autoresponder service must fulfill all these duties to help you boost your business.
Dirk Wagner is the CEO of and creator of the #1 IMO Marketing Toolbar with hundreds of secret resources.He is the publisher of the free home business online course at and also Author of several eBooks like Cure Myopia Naturally at
The importance of building an opt-in list over spamming (a.k.a., using unsolicited commercial email) is something that I can never stress enough. You must avoid it at all costs!
That and more can kill your business!
NEVER use your autoresponder for spamming in any way. You can lose your account, pay fines, get locked out from your ISP, lose your website and, above all, get jail time.
Its a serious matter that must never be overlooked. Sure, you may stumble onto someone who says they can help you spam without getting caught. But please remember this...
The reason you want a smart autoresponder is to expose your sales message more than once to your prospects in order to create trust, credibility and believability.
So, why would you do something that literally contradicts that very notion Spamming is good if its done once. That why spammers must keep spamming in order to stay alive!
Spamming is Like a Drug
Spamming is like a brief high... If it works (and it rarely does), it only brings a small cash infusion in the short term. Thats all. You have to remain unknown, cloaked, hidden.
Then you have to work, and work, and work... Non-stop!
On the other hand, if you build an opt-in list of eager, highly targeted prospects, you only need to work once... Thats it! You can spend the rest of your time growing your business.
Here are four seemingly easy ways of using your smart autoresponder that can kill your business really fast...
NEVER email a list of non-targeted email addresses picked at random (such as by using software to harvest email addresses posted on the web).
NEVER buy lists of email addresses from unknown list brokers or suppliers (many of them offer thousands of names on CD-ROMs, are often useless and are known as outright scams). Trust reputable ones only.
NEVER email any contact unless you have their explicit permission to do so (and that includes adding email addresses in bulk to your autoresponder database!).
NEVER share your own opt-in list to others, since their spam will kill your business even if it wasnt your fault! Spam can get in a lot of hot water, plain and simple.
Why Opt-in and Not Spam
As you know, using responsible email marketing to grow your business can help you save loads of time, fatten your bank account and give you an astonishing return on investment.
Instead of using spam, think about starting a legitimate opt-in list of targeted prospects, and then turn them into life-long customers by consistently keeping in touch with them.
Spammers usually dont care if the people who receive the message are really interested or not in their offer. Thats why they tend to send an inordinate amount of emails...
... All with the hope that they get a few bites.
Look at it this way...
If you shoot a gun in the air (or in the dark), you will seldom hit a target. Thats why you have no choice but to keep shooting and shooting... Until you finally do hit it (if ever).
With an opt-in list, however, look at it as your target... Its right there, before you, easy to hit (and hard to miss). Your chances of hitting your target are drastically higher. Right
The absolute best way to protect yourself from complaints and disgruntled email recipients is to build an opt-in email list and sending email to only those people who asked for it.
Spammers are often enticed to carry out their unethical (and illegal in some places) practices because email is free and fast. But if you remember, it lacks the third F: Focus.
If You Lack Focus, Be Prepared...
Spammers with such an attitude find out the hard way that its really very costly, even dangerous. In fact, some of the recipients can make the spammers life quite miserable!
From complaining to your ISP or web host, to sending mail bombs, nasty viruses and even significant threats from hacking into your computer to causing physical harm!
Plus, nowadays many recipients are members of a variety of anti-spam groups that arm members with tools for tracking, reporting, filtering and even stopping spammers attempts!
Of those, the most popular one is CAUCE (i.e., the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email). They have created a number of tools, such as blacklists, now used by most ISPs.
Finally, keep in mind that email software (and add-ons) are making it more and more difficult for spam to reach its final destination, from sophisticated filters to complaint reporters.
Less than a half-percent of people will get your spam!
Save Time, Effort and Money!
Building an opt-in list has a number of advantages. Sure, you can build trust with and sell a lot easier to a list of targeted people. But in addition, responsible email allows you to:
Send email offers to a group of people who know you, expect your emails and want to do business with you.
Achieve greater sales, even from a small list, since it is targeted (and will get through most email filters since your newsletter is added to the recipients whitelists).
Not upset anyone since they have given you their permission to email them, as well as not get in trouble with service providers since no one is complaining.
Not waste time, money and energy on buying and setting up email cloakers, spam-friendly servers, fake email accounts and useless bulk email software.
And, above all, not waste time constantly looking for a new ISP (and moving your website from host to host) because your last one closed your account!
If youre putting those people who asked for more information via an autoresponder into an opt-in list, make sure they know: 1) theyre subscribing and 2) their email is kept private!
Treat your subscribers like gold... Theyre your lifeblood!
Minimize complaints by making it as easy an as transparent as possible. In other words, tell them what they will get from you, how often and how easy it is to stop it at any time.
In fact, adding a privacy policy on your website or near your web form (or accessible near your autoresponder link) will increase the likelihood of getting people to join your list.
It can be as simple as this...
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PRIVACY POLICY: Your email address is safe with us. We promise never to
sell to or share with anyone, for any reason, your personal contact information.
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But if you want to create a more complete privacy policy web page (and perhaps have a link to it near your web form), heres some information you might tell your prospects...
WHAT information is being collected (such as email addresses, names, phone numbers, etc).
WHY the information is being collected (tell them that its for a free report, ezine or whatever, and if you plan on adding their information into an opt-in list for sending periodic announcements or special offers).
WHEN that information is being used (tell them exactly how often do you plan on emailing them).
WHO will be using (or accessing) that information (while you should be the only one, here you might include staff, service providers, partners, etc).
WHERE the information is actually stored (tell them that the information is also secure from hackers)
And HOW to remove or modify that information (tell people exactly how they can update or change their details, or remove themselves from your list). Bottom-line, make your opt-in list safe and secure for both you AND your prospects. The more you do, the greater your profits will soar! Be responsible and use commonsense!
Make it Personal!
Finally, try to personalize your email messages. Personalization increases trust and confidence. But more importantly, it also shows that your message was voluntarily asked for.
Personalized messages get the attention of readers and can dramatically increase the readership. In fact, readers will be more receptive and attentive to your marketing message.
Whether your message is a plain text message or HTML, you can easily add personalization tags in the message: like the readers name, address, email addresses or even website!
Personalizing your messages will increase your sales!
For example, put the readers first name in the subject line. First, it will show that the message is wanted and not spam. But second, studies show that it will actually be read first!
Next, personalize the message content! That way, you not only give the reader content thats relevant to them, but also give your message a more trustworthy and credible feel!
Ultimately, realize that personalization not only increases readership, response AND revenue, but it also increases the chances of it reaching its final destination in the first place!
Avoid being filtered out as spam!
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