More Clients (7): Nine Ways to Use an Autoresponder & Why You Definitely Need One (!)

Depending on who you are listening to, we learned that our message needs to be heard 5 to 7 times before our prospects will notice us and consider taking action and invest in our product or service.

The simplest way to accomplish this without seeming salesy or pushy, is by effectively using the power of you autoresponder. Einstein was believed to have said that “the power of compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe.” Your autoresponder can be the same powerful “force” in your business, helping you attract more leads, more clients, and helping you with many many other crucial tasks…

Today I want to encourage you to invest at least one hour into studying Autoresponders. In the long run it can save you $10,000s and make you $10,000s; and Save you 100s of hours in productive time that in turn you can spend on serving clients & on marketing to get new clients…

In a moment I’ll give you the web addresses of the most reputable autoresponders out there; but before I do that, let me tell you What is an autoresponder (in case you are not familiar with them), and 9 Ways You Can Use Them….

Simply put, an autoresponder allows you to communicate with your prospects or clients instantly OR throughout an extended period of time. Your autoresponder will accomplish this by sending out emails at regular intervals set by you (weekly, bi-weekly… 2-times per week… every 2 days… etc.)

2 Types of Autoresponders

There are two main types of autoresponders:

1. Simple Autoresponder(A) – delivers a one-time download from your website
2. Sequential Autoresponder – can deliver an “unlimited” number of emails. Set it up once and it’ll deliver that sequence for as long as you want; all on auto-pilot). This is the one you need to set up your drip-campaign or deliver of a series of email messages (!).

5 Main Reasons to Use an Autoresponder

1. It is your #1 Way to Capture Leads! All you do in your prospecting and lead-generation efforts can be Exponentially enhanced by effectively using an Autoresponder
2. It’s the most effective way to grow a list of 1000s of followers  – or “Tribe of a “1000 True Fans,” as Seth Godin calls it – (read that a list of potential clients / prospects)
3. Save time by automating your communication with new prospects
4. Put your relationship development on auto-pilot (while also engaging your prospects into real-time conversations, e.g. you can add at the end of each of your message something like “Got questions? Hit reply to this message and hit me…!)
5. It allows you to show website visitors that you have content they need – an irresistible offer / FREE Offer – and that they’ll trade with you in exchange for their email address

Here are 9 Ways to Use Your Autoresponder:

1. Let your potential client request a free report, eBook, video, etc. and deliver it automatically for them (and you get their name and email address in the process… OR only their email address, if that’s all you want… OR get more info, such as Phone #, Address, etc. – the sky is the limit… just keep in mind that the more info you request, the fewer people will sign up for your offer)
2. Automatically send out a thank-you notes when someone signs up to any of your offers or downloads any document, video, etc. from your website
3. Automatically deliver a whole series of content to your prospect, such as an eCourse, video-course, multi-part course, etc. – This is the most effective way to become known and trusted by your prospects, as well as build a relationship with them (!)
4. Deliver (automatically) a paid eCourse, video course, or home-study course – your customer can pay and instantly get access to the first part of the course; then have the rest of the course delivered into their email inbox without you lifting a finger
5. Send out regular reminders of monthly or weekly webinars
6. Automated reminder of expiring (annual, etc.) membership
7. Send out a series of emails, delivering great value, and inviting your reader to sign up for your membership site, hire you as a coach/consultant/etc., or invest in your paid home-study course
8. Send out a follow-up message – or series of messages – after someone invests in your product or service

 

Here’s one example of how I use my autoresponder on my website:

 Attract More Clients with the Help of Our Step-by-Step
Coaching/Consulting Business-Growth & Client-Attraction Blueprint! 

The above is on a page dedicated exclusively to my opt-in offer – or Irresistible Offer as we also like to call it… And here’s the one that you’ll see on every page of my website (FREE 12 Weeks eCourse – top right):

! It’s important to have your irresistible offer/opt-in offer on every page of your website (or have it as a exit pop-up on each page), as you never know on which page your prospect will land. Most people will find your website through search engines, hence you want to make sure that you capture the contact info of everyone who might benefit from the great value that you offer on your website. 

! Notice that I have a catchy image on both my dedicated page AND on my “irresistible offer” that appears on every page. It is the “eye candy” that will attract your ideal client’s eyes when they come to your website, and it as the piece that will keep them reading and staying on your site.  Make sure to use one that’s designed professionally; and use a title that talks directly to your ideal client’s needs(!)

Fact is, you can have a million visitors to your website every month, but if you don’t capture their contact info – that is, the contact info of those who have an interest of what you have to offer – then all that traffic is wasted, as most people will not return to your website. This strategy (giving away value in exchange for contact info) is the most under-used marketing strategy by most businesses; yet it’s the most effective way to connect with your ideal clients and grow a relationship with them…

Sample Autoresponder Service Providers

Here are some of the most reputable Autoresponders on the market today*:

• www.aWebber.com – used by many successful coaches, authors, marketers, etc. (also great if you need to import a large database into it — I tend to recommend this service most of the time – a bit pricier by about $5.00 than some of the other providers, but there must be some reason why most serious entrepreneurs use this one)
• www.MailChimp.com – I know several new business owners who use it and are satisfied with it (HOWEVER, if you can afford it, I highly recommend using one of the paid solutions, as you usually get what you pay for. FREE often will mean either lower quality, poor tech support, or advertisement-supported…>> Has a FREE version; however the Free account does not allow setting up a sequential autoresponder (and that’s exactly what you need); and even if you upgrade, there can be glitches if you have multiple autoresponders.However, the FREE version is great if you only need a redirect to a Thank-you page or a Download page)
• www.MadMimi.com – provides both beautiful newsletter formats and an autoresponder. It has a FREE version – without the autoresponder/drip campaign feature.  I know a few clients and friends who use this service and they are really pleased with it.
• www.1ShoppingCart.com – Complete solutions for online business – includes shopping cart and many other services (this is what I use – starts at $57/month for the basic package)
• www.ConstantContact.com – provides a beautiful newsletter format(personally I did not find it easy to use — great customer support, though)**** ConstantContact DOES NOT PROVIDE A SEQUENTIAL AUTORESPONDER! For our purposes – to help you save time, stay in touch on autopilot, etc. – that feature is crucial. So… if you have the discipline to send out your newsletter yourself, ConstantContact will work, but you always have to come up with new content… for years… (!) When you have a sequential autoresponder, you set it up once and forget it; yet you can still send out updated info as well whenever you need to or want to… (!)

***** Any of the above are great Autoresponder solutions; however, based on 100s of clients’ and business partners’ feedback, I found that www.aWeber.com is the most reliable and user-friendly service out there!  And you can Test-Drive it for only $1.00 – can’t beat that! (ok, yes, you can beat it, as others provide you a FREE Test-Drive; however, if you do your thorough research, you’ll find that aWeber is far the most reliable and easiest to use)

***** If you want to Explore Other Outoresponder Solutions, Click HERE to view aComparison Chart of More then a Dozen Autoresponders (includes price, features, and lots more).

 

As far as How to Use An Autoresponder – that is, how to technically set it up – each of these service providers have some great Step-by-Step training videos and Excellent Phone Technical Support. Don’t hesitate to call them – they want your business and they’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you might have…

Bottom line is, your Autoresponder will be your #1 money-maker and productivity-enhancement tool – Invest time into learning about it and Use It!

 

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Do you need one-on-one support? Do you feel stuck or need help with planning 
your marketing activities?  Visit www.vcita.com/v/getmoreclients and book 
a time with E.G. or one of our trained marketing coaches!

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E.G. Sebastian is a Marketing & Client-Attraction Coach and the founder of myClientAttractionAcademy. He specializes in helping service-business owners (coaches, consultants, insurance agents, real estate professionals, chiropractors, etc.) market their business, develop and implement a sales funnel, and with business-growth support. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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