This week we are going to discuss setting up your autoresponder.
Part 3 - Setting Up Your Autoresponder - The Important Stuff
While it would be nice to include the step-by-step instructions for setting up your autoresponder it's simply not possible with all the different administration control panels being used. I've personally seen 6 different admin panels and doubt that I've seen them all.
So rather than walk you through setting yours up, I will list the important things to administer.
The 4 Basic Things You Need To Administer On Your Autoresponder:
- The Message Sequence:
Whether you're doing a multi-part mailing or just the thank-you message to those who join your list, you must edit your message sequence.
The first message may be numbered 0 or 1, depending on the system your using, and it is the message sent immediately after someone has joined your list. (If you're using a double opt-in system it's sent after they have confirmed their request to join your list.) This is the message where you thank them for joining and send the link to the gift you've promised. (On single opt-in systems you can give your gift on the thank-you page however, I suggest you don't. If you do give the link on your thank-you page, it's a good idea to repeat it in this message.)
After the first message you may add content to other messages as you desire. Just remember to always put in a "Subject" for every message. Also, if you add additional messages after you've started getting subscribers, the subscribers you already have may not get the new messages.
Most autoresponder systems allow you to control how close together the messages are delivered. So if you want your messages to be sent 1 day apart, enter a 1. If you want the message to be sent 2 days after the last message, enter a 2 and so on.
Also, most systems will allow you to personalize your messages with things like the name and email address of the person your sending the messages to. This is done by inserting a tag in your message where you want the persons information. Again, the format for these tags is different depending on the system your using but you should be able to find how yours should be formatted easily. - From Email Parameters
Most paid for autoresponder systems allow you to enter both an email address and a name used as the "From" for the messages from your autoresponder. It is recommended that you do not use the autoresponders email address. Use a valid email address and the name you want your subscribers to become familiar with. (A free autoresponder system may not allow you to administer this information and will use the email address you entered when you signed up for the service.) - Thank-You Page
This is another item you may not be allowed to administer with a free system because they will use 1 standard page for everyone who uses their system. (FreeAutoBot does allow you to administer this page. Read the Help for "Add Lead.")
The Thank-You page is the page seen immediately after someone submits the form to join your list. If you're using a double opt-in system it's a good idea to remind them to check their email and confirm their request. For a single opt-in system you can deliver your gift, tell them to check their email or anything else you decide to do like make them a 1 time offer. - Set Personalization
Many autoresponder systems will allow you to select how some things like dates are formatted and what name to use when no name is in the database for a subscriber. (Because many systems allow people to subscribe by sending an email, the subscribers who have joined this way may not have a name in the database.) While the default may be acceptable for things like dates, you need to make sure that you have an acceptable value for missing names.
Depending on the autoresponder system you choose, you may have many other items you are allowed to administer. Things like: Email Reject Filter where you block users from certain domains or email addresses from joining your list; modify the remove link provided in your mailings; the header and/or footer information that is to be added to all your messages; tracking links; and set up and share campaigns. All of these are advanced features and you can learn about them after you have your system going.
After you have your autoresponder set up you need to start getting people to sign up. Many systems allow people to join by simply sending an email to your autoresponder (some require certain words in the subject line of the mailing.) If your system has this capability you should be able to easily find it either within the administration area or in the email the system sent you when you created your autoresponder account.
Another way to get people to sign up is by submitting their information via a form. Every autoresponder system will give you the code for this form. The free systems may give you the generic code and identify what you must modify before you use it while the paid for systems will create the fully functional code for you automatically.
The last way to get names onto your list is by entering them yourself either 1 at a time or uploading a list. Because online autoresponder services need to protect themselves from those who would use their system to send spam, they have all implemented some restrictions on how this can be done. In the event you decide to enter names into your system you'll have to read the policy and restrictions for the system you're using. (A word of caution, if you enter someone's information and they report back to the service that you sent spam, you may get your account deleted.)
One last thing about using an autoresponder - To send out fresh content to your list, you will use the "broadcast" or "email all" feature. With this feature you get to enter a message and then send it to everyone on your list. (Great for sending out newsletters.)
The 2 biggest things to remember when setting up an autoresponder are:
- Read the tutorial they give you and use their online help. Every system tries to make it as easy as possible for their users.
- Test. Once you have your system in place and your form created, sign up and see what happens. If it doesn't do what's expected then go back into the system and fix it.
Setting up an autoresponder may sound like a big, scary task that you're not ready for but it doesn't have to be. You can sign up for a free one and play with it for awhile to become familiar with how it works. You don't have to know anything about programming to use the free and paid for online services and they all provide enough help to get you started.
The hard part of setting up an autoresponder isn't learning how it's done - it's finding the time to set up all the messages you may want to have automatically delivered.
To Your Success,
Susan Carroll
FriendsWhoCare Newsletter
http://www.friendswhocare.us
PS This tip was written for the use of online autoresponder services. And while many may choose to purchase and use their own system on their site, I didn't cover the additional things you need to know to use your own system (loading scripts, modifying scripts, splitting your list to avoid hogging all you hosting provider's bandwidth, how to avoid being blacklisted by email providers, etc.) Until you're ready to either learn all the things just mentioned or hire someone else to load and maintain your system I suggest you use one of the online services and let them take care of the really big and scary stuff.
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