Despite having been around for years, many businesses still don’t understand what AutoResponders are or how they can be put to use as part of their overall marketing strategy.
Sadly, if you mention “email marketing” to the average business owner, they usually think of some of the more unscrupulous activities involving spam messages, bulk mailers, etc…
Fortunately, responsible email marketing is not only possible but actually very productive and quite cost effective.
Before we get much further in talking about effective email marketing strategies, it may be helpful to clear up some potential confusion about the terminology being used.
“AutoResponders” is a word commonly used to identify the tool used to conduct email marketing campaigns. To conduct any given email marketing campaign, you would typically log in to your AutoResponder, set up your message and schedule a date for your message to be sent out to your list of subscribers.
“Subscribers” is the term used to describe anyone who has requested information from you by way of filling out an online form, placing an order with your company, or even filling out a paper request form at your sales counter.
The possibilities for what type of business can use autoresponders and how those businesses can implement email marketing strategies is virtually endless.
Your business can use AutoResponders to generate new sales leads, follow up with current prospects, stay in touch with current customers, train and educate your sales force, communicate with your fan base, etc…
The cost effectiveness of using autoresponders as compared to traditional direct mail is remarkable. A typical direct mail campaign can easily cost thousands of dollars and more. By the time you factor in the cost of design, creation, printing, sorting, and then waiting for the mail to hit the streets while hoping for a decent return, your costs can become astronomical.
By comparison, an email marketing campaign to that same list can cost less than $20, doesn’t require expensive printing services, can be completed in a fraction of the time, and often provides virtually instant feedback in terms of how effective your promotion is.
•Online marketers report seeing sales come in within minutes of clicking “send” on their latest email marketing campaign. •Restaurants can often send out a coupon in the morning and have people redeeming the coupon by lunch time on the same day. •Car dealerships can begin receiving phone calls and new visitors to the showroom within hours of sending out a broadcast. •Dentist’s offices can begin booking new appointments on the same day that they sent out their reminder for teeth cleaning and checkups. •Realtors can instantly reach potential buyers for a new listing all with just a few mouse clicks. •Hotels can quickly fill rooms that would otherwise remain unoccupied by sending out a promotional offer to their previous guests. When you use autoresponders for email marketing, all of these can happen for a fraction of the costs associated with more traditional marketing methods: not to mention the time savings realized by using this powerful technology.
If your business isn’t using AutoResponders, you could be not only missing out on sales but spending far too much on slow and ineffective marketing strategies.
Maybe it’s time you look in to how this amazing technology can help your business boost sales, increase efficiencies, improve communications, and lower costs.
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