Introduction to Auto-Responders

Advanced Auto-Responders
This is either a web-based program or a standaloneprogram running on your website server or your localcomputer that enables you to collect & store emailaddresses of the people who visit your website andrequest information from you (opt-in). It automaticallysends the pre-programmed email messages. You canstore a series of emails and program them to be sent atspecified intervals. Occasionally you may also sendmessages (any special offers or announcement) to thestored email addresses.
Usually you will have a special email address to accept membership to your site or subscription to your newsletter. You will have a ‘form’ at your site. Those visitors who are willing to subscribe, enter their nameand email address at your site. Your Autobot will send areply to their email address asking them to confirmtheir willingness to subscribe (this is also called doubleopt-in. If they confirm within stipulated time (usually 7days) their email addresses would be stored, otherwise the program will remove the email address from thedatabase. Once the email is stored in the database, theAutobot starts sending messages as you programmed earlier.
Web based FormThis is a simple CGI or PHP program that is incorporated in your webpage, from where you collect information from your visitors at your website and onclick of a button your website will email the information to one or more email addresses automatically. If youplan it properly, you can make it a powerful tool bycombining it with the auto-responders.
To take advantage of the full power of Email Marketing, you need to subscribe to a good autoresponderservice or you must have your own email management software (with auto-responder).
Now you will learn how to use them for marketing.
Basic Auto-RespondersThis is generally called out-of-office autoresponder. However, you can use this for marketing also.First you need to setup multiple email addresses,each for a purpose (like faq@domain.com to answerfrequently asked questions, ebook@domain.com to explain about the ebook that you are selling, etc.).If you want to promote an e-book through advertisements, you will first have your auto-responder message (sales copy) setup for the email id. Then you will advertise the email id using various methods. When someone sends a message to the advertised email address, he/she will automatically receive thepreset message without your intervention. And you will have all the incoming email addresses stored for thefuture follow-ups. But the limitation here is, you canonly setup one message per email id.
Advanced Autoresponders (Unlimited)
An unlimited autoresponder service will cost yousome money every month. Logically, when yourdatabase is bigger than 5000 subscribers, you will earnmuch more than what you pay per month.Typically a paid autoresponder service, allows youto have unlimited autoresponders. That is if you havehundred websites and one or more lists (database) perwebsite, still you pay only for one service.You can predefine hundreds of email messages per autoresponder or per list. That means if you really planvery well, you can automate your website to handle your subscribers for the next 2 or 3 years!You have no restrictions for attaching files to youre mails. That is you can attach a huge file (that can bepractically transmitted on the internet) along with your messages.You can link two or more lists and automate yourlist. For example, someone comes to your website andsigns-up for your free newsletter. When he/she makes a purchase, they become your customer or client.You can program your autoresponders to automatically subscribe the buyers to clients’ database and unsubscribe from the free subscribers list on receiving intimation from your payment processor (likePayPal).Typically, a good autoresponder service (whocomplies with CANN SPAM law) will not allow you toadd the emails without confirmation from the subscribers.You may think this as a disadvantage. But it is goodfor you and for other users of the autoresponder. Beinga user of a paid service, you cannot spam and everyonein the field knows that too. This is the biggest advantage in using paid autoresponders.Some reputed autoresponder companies work closely with the email service providers (like Yahoo,Outblase, AOL, etc.). They do all that is needed todeliver your emails to your recipients. This one serviceitself is a big relief for you. For your information, not allpaid service providers do that.
Free Autoresponders (Limited)

A free service will limit you to use one list(database) per subscription. If you need more list to becreated, you need to subscribe again with another username.Since you have two different subscriptions, youcannot link two lists, when you need to do so. You willbe limited to a number of leads (subscribers).In addition, there is no guarantee that yourmessages will reach your subscribers. To make it clearto you, let me explain:Usually spammers cannot use a paid service (due toCANN SPAM law). They can easily use a freeautoresponder service, because the free service doesnot use double opt-in method.When the pre-programmed messages are sent fromthe free autoresponder’s website, your subscribers willreceive emails with your email id in the “from” address.But the originating IP address will be of the freeautoresponder’s server, which is the same as otherspammers.I hope you are aware of the consequences ofspamming. If not, please learn:If an email service provider (like Rediff or Yahoo)finds someone spamming to their clients, they willblacklist those email ids (of spammers) and thewebmaster of the website from where the emails areoriginating from, will be intimated of the same. If thespamming is not stopped, the IP address from wherethe email ids are originating (that is the website itself)will be blacklisted.
Hence it is most likely that the IP address of thefree autoresponders is already blacklisted, because ofthe spammers. If you are subscribed to a freeautoresponder service, though you are not a spammer,it is highly possible that your emails will also be blockedby the email service providers. Hence, most of yourmessages will not reach your subscribers.The size of the file (if) you attach to your email willalso be restricted to something around 20 Kb or 50 Kb.That is not sufficient if you plan to transmit your ebookusing an autoresponder.You may also be restricted on the number ofmessages you can predefine, usually to 10 or 20 email messages.
In addition, a free autoresponder service is availableto you free of cost because, they get money for advertisements they display on your email messages.That means you are going to send their advertisementsto your subscribers free of cost! When you are just starting your online business,with a low budget you may be tempted to go for a freeservice. But the money you invest in paid autoresponder service will give you more returns thanthe money you would have saved with a free service.
If you are determined to earn money, subscribe to a paid unlimited autoresponder service. It will help yousucceed faster.