How to choose an Autoresponder
. . . The marketeer's most important tool

What is an Autoresponder ?

It is simply an Email address that can distribute information automatically to any online user worldwide who requests it.

The email document is usually returned within a minute.

Where can you use an Autoresponder ?

You can use an autoresponder to respond to enquiries with any information you wish such as a sales letter, price list, catalog, ordering information.

How does an Autoresponder work ?

When someone sends an Email to your autoresponder they receive the document that you have placed in the autoresponder and you will receive an Email receipt showing this person's Email address, time and date of their request, and any information that was entered into that email message.

The advantages of an Autoresponder

The autoresponder takes away the whole hassle of you having to personally respond to enquiries. If you have ever had to reply manually to 100 responses to an ad you will realise how indispensable an autoresponder is to any business.

The enquirer will then have his information immediately and not experience the delay while you wait to receive his message and send a reply. Also there is no cost to you in Email transmission time.

The autoresponder operates 24 hours a day sending information directly to people's mailboxes. This compares favourably with a web site where the enquirer needs to go online and spend time (and money) reading the information. Further, once it is in his mailbox it can then be printed, filed, copied, faxed, mailed and more.

If you already have a Web Site it makes sense to include your autoresponders on it as this will allow you to capture the Email address of your visitors, which is not possible with a web site alone.

You can learn more about the benefits of an autoresponder for marketing purposes in the article ' 7 Steps to Online Success'

How do Autoresponders vary ?

These are the main features to look for when purchasing an autoresponder:

Technical features

You can change the content of the message instantly
There is no limit on the size of the message
There is no limit on the number of requests
The response to a request should be very quick (just a few seconds)
E-mail receipts can be forwarded to any address you choose.
You are notified of Email receipts within minutes of the inquiry, not in an edited summary form days or weeks later

Charges

No charge for initial set up
No charge made for changing the content
No long term commitment, pay month-to-month if you wish
Payment can be made by credit card with no surcharge
Discount for multi-month purchase

Warning: beware of suppliers who offer very cheap prices or want you to agree to a minimum 2-year rental period. You have no guarantee that they will stay around for long and there will be the high cost of suddenly having to change the Email address of your autoresponders in all your advertising, web sites, stationery etc.

However, it also possible to get Free autoresponders. These are paid for by the inclusion of a sponsored ad in your message. An exciting new variation of this allows you to benefit from your own ad every time someone requests your own message. All for free. Click here for details.