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If you thought autoresponder messages were just for sending those ‘Out of Office’ replies to emails, we’d like to introduce you to some much more interesting uses!
Autoresponders are a great way to automate some of your marketing online. They are a series of email messages you write in advance and then schedule to be sent out at intervals you determine.
In order to set up autoresponder messages you will need to sign up to an email service such as AWeber or MailChimp.
4 Uses for Autoreponders in your Business
Communicate with prospects after they’ve signed up to your list and downloaded the freebie you tempted them with. If you offer a monthly newsletter, it can be a long time between when people join your list and the date of your next issue. A series of carefully written short emails will keep their interest and hopefully result in more serious enquiries.
Send out an E-course. Sending out a series of lessons by email is a popular way to deliver the sign-up freebie. In many ways it can be better than one huge and overwhelming free report type of download.
As a replacement for an Ezine. If the thought of writing a regular email newsletter fills you with dread, then writing a series of ‘evergreen’ articles may be the answer. Most autoresponder providers enable you to set up messages at least one year ahead of time.
Keep in touch with clients after a purchase. All too often communication grinds to a halt when customers have made a purchase. Setting up a few special follow up messages will make sure they continue to feel appreciated, enable you to suggest other products/services they may want to consider, and can also reduce the number of refund requests you receive.
As with all low-cost online marketing tools, it can be easy to get carried away! Spare a thought for the people receiving your autoresponder messages and make sure you’re not bombarding their inboxes too frequently. You’ll soon know if the number of ‘unsubscribes’ goes up!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief introduction to autoresponder messages and will be revisiting the subject again soon. If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments below 
About Louise
Louise Barnes-Johnston has been working in social media marketing since 2007 after realising that it was a powerful marketing tool which would enable her clients to raise the profile of their businesses on the internet, even when working to a limited budget. Her specialism is in researching social media practices; trying out the most effective online tools and then sharing the best of them with her clients.
