Tips To Build Your List Using An Autoresponder ( Part 2 of 2 )

Continuing from where i left off in my last post on "Building a list using an auto responder", here are the remaining tips that you might find useful.

(4) Structuring Your Messages.

(a) Personalize.

Write to your potential customers as though you are speaking to a friend or a family member.

Include their name in the messages as nothing attracts more attention than having your own name being called out.

All good auto responders like Getresponse and Mailloop have this function, so make full use of it.

 

(b) Formatting.

It’s imperative that you format your messages within 60 to 65 characters per line.

The reason for this is that everyone’s email programs are different, so with relatively long sentences, the format might go haywire and appear as un-formatted junk looking texts.

Try using a fixed width font like Courier to make formatting a tat easier.

Without proper formatting, all your efforts will be wasted as nobody ever bothers to read junk messages.

Remember to test it out by sending a copy of your formatted messages to popular emails services like Google , Yahoo and Hotmail .

It’s free to sign up, so no worries about incurring costs.

 

(c) Keep It Short & Simple.

The KISS concept applies here again.

Long paragraphs of texts can sometimes be scary, so always structure your messages in small paragraphs for easy reading.

Paragraphs should be no more than 4 to 5 lines.

Always include heaps of white space in between to make reading even easier and inviting.

Note that paragraph breaks do not need to be determined by content.

 

(5) Content of Your Messages.

For starters, it is advisable to begin by writing at least 5 to 7 intro messages about yourself or your online business.

Subscribers sign up to your list because they regard you as the "Expert" in your niche.

They want to know the latest information you got to offer and share on the niche they are interested in.

Do not attempt to "Hard" sell them anything before you are able to build trust and loyalty with your subscribers.

Believe me when i say that building "Trust" is the key to a responsive and interactive list.

Always remember to write in the tone of a friend with similar interests and hobbies.

By sharing your personal experiences, you will be more likely to "connect" with your potential customers because of the similar encounters you all experience.

And that, in my book, is the best way to establish trust and build strong bonds with your subscribers.

Remember, what goes around comes around, so be truthful about what you want to get across to your subscribers.

 

(6) Sequential Loading Of Your Messages.

In my opinion, the most effective sequence for loading the pre-written messages is to space them out over a period of 2 weeks.

This allows you to stay fresh in the prospects mind.

 

(a) First Message :

This should be send out on Day 0, the actual day your subscriber signed up.

This is where you can thank the subscriber for their interest and provide them with the link to the Freebies you promised earlier.

Be sure to include a link at the bottom of the message back to your site so they can take another look around.

You want them to be able to browse around at their own leisure and not rush them into buying anything.

 

(b) Second Message :

This should be send out on Day 1 from the day the your subscriber signed up.

Use this message to give them a bit of  background information about yourself or your online business.

Things like how you got started in this particular industry is always insightful.

Again, remember to include a link back to your site.

 

(c) Third Message :

Should be send out on Day 4 from the day the your subscriber signed up.

Here, you can let them know about your personal experiences and common difficulties and problems you previously encountered.

This is what i refer to as the "Bonding" phase, as the ability to connect and relate to common experiences will generally lead to greater customer loyalty and trust.

Share how you managed to overcome these problems by using certain products or services.

No hard selling here, just a brief and subtle introduction of the product or service you wish to promote.

Remember to provide that vital link, you can’t imagine how so many marketers forget to do that.

 

(d) Fourth Message :

Should be send out on Day 7 from the day the your subscriber signed up.

Use this message to ask "open ended" questions about your prospects so as to invoke further interest.

By "open ended", i mean intuitive questions that will make them try and find out more about the niche they are interested in.

Questions that will set them thinking and better understand what they are currently lacking and how you can help them solve their inadequacies.

This is part of your own branding as the "Expert" in your field.

Don’t forget to leave a include a link back to your site again.

 

(e) Fifth Message :

Should be send out on Day 11 from the day the your subscriber signed up.

Use this message to further re-enforce the benefits of the product or service you offer.

Give more concrete examples of how these products or services help solve your problems and how it could do the same for them as well.

Again, don’t hard sell, just a guided nudge towards the right direction and don’t forget to include that vital link.

 

(e) Sixth Message Onwards :

Messages should be sequentially spaced out 3 to 4 days apart from the last sent message.

Personally, i feel that after the fifth or so message, most messages one would receive in their in-box tends to tilt towards the "backend marketing" aspect if you get my drift.

But do try to mix it up a bit here and there, your subscribers don’t just want your expert "Recommendations", they want your expert "Advice" too.

 

(6) Option To Opt Out Of Your List.

A final point to note is that we need to provide your subscribers and potential clients the option to stay or opt out of your mailing list.

Joining is voluntary and so opting out should be too, otherwise your messages my be considered as SPAM.

A last word of advise before we conclude, always remember to leave a subtle description and a link to the product or service you wish to promote at the end of your message, kind of like a resource box one would use in article submission.

Have fun building up you list!

Tips To Build Your List Using An Autoresponder ( Part 1 of 2 )

How many times have you heard the phrase “The Money Is The List”?

Far too many times i believe.

Almost every internet marketing guru will tell you that building your mailing list is one of the most important aspects of building your online business.

Nothing can be further away from the truth.

But the only problem is that most internet marketing programs and e-books only stress the importance of list building but seldom dwell into the intimate details on how to go about actually doing it.

It’s like telling you where the gold mine is and forgetting to give you the shovel to dig for it.

List building is an integral part of any online business, but sometimes it can be a tedious process without the right tools.

Luckily, you can easily streamline and simplify the list building aspect of your online business through the use of an email auto responder.

Here are some simple tips that i follow that have helped me tremendously in my list building efforts.

 

(1) Get A Reliable Auto Responder.

Free auto reponders are a complete waste of time in my book.

And i learned that out the hard way, try using one and you will come to the same conclusion.

You are better off getting a 3rd party auto responder service like Getresponse or a self hosted auto responder program like Mailloop .

In terms of reliability and ease of use, i give thumbs up for both products.

But when it comes to pricing and technical support, there are some subtle differences but i will not go into that now.

Just keep an eye out for my next few posts where i will explain these differences in greater detail.

For now, if you are an absolute newbie, it’s better to stick first with a 3rd party auto responder service where the cutomer support is a more readily available.

 

(2) Setting Up Your Capture Form ( Opt-In Box ).

The main aim of the Capture Form or Opt-In Box is to acquire a visitor’s personal details so that we can rely important information through the use of email communications.

Usually this is achieved through the use of an “Ethical Bribe” a.k.a Freebies in the form of niche reports, e-books etc. in exchange for their personal information.

Capture forms can be easily customized for color and size so as to match your existing website design.

Collectible data ranges from the normal First Name, Last Name & Email Address to more specific details like Address, Telephone Numbers etc.

All good auto responder programs will provide 2 different options when it comes to setting up your capture form, namely the Static & Dynamic Capture Forms.

 

(a) Static Capture Form:

These are the small “Box-like” items with that most webmasters usually place on the top left or right side of their landing pages or websites.

When using a Static Capture Form, always ensure that the Capture Form Design is attractive or the Free Giveaway is enticing enough otherwise most visitors will tend to ignore or miss it completely.

 

(b) Dynamic Capture Form

These are the animated items that seem to appear out of nowhere and land right in the middle of your screen.

Some “Floats” slowly in from the sides, while other simply “Bounces” in and hits you right in the face.

Pretty annoying sometimes but it seems to get the job done in terms of getting your full attention.

I personally prefer the static one, but it all depends on the target audience you are focusing on.

Stay tuned for the concluding installation of my list building tips using an auto responder in my next post.

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