Setting up autoresponder emails

You should contact your list every 7-14 days. Mix the free info with your sales emails. So free info-sales-free info-sales. You want to give value to your list.

I can comment as both the receiver of autoresponder email and a sender. First, the quickest way to get me off of an opt-in list is to send too many offers. I recently subscribed to a couple of high-powered and well-known contrarian financial newsletters. I wanted the information and was glad to get it. And boy, did they ever send it. At least one a day and some days up to three.

That's way too much. And as much as I enjoy the material, I opted out after a couple of weeks. When I opt in to any list I use a throwaway account just so I can see what the sender is up to. If the information is of good quality and valuable, I'll then subscribe with my primary email to be sure I get it in front of me when it's sent.

There aren't many who make it to my main email because most bombard their subscribers with offers without providing much in the way of quality.

I've only managed one list and that was several years back. The subscribers were interested in a health-related topic and I had a 200 - 300-word email go out once a week. The information was valuable and in each email there was always the option to purchase one of three products. However, the message wasn't built around the pitch, it was more of a soft sell.

Looking back, I'd do it differently. I would make one in four messages a high-powered pitch with bonuses, like a mini sales letter. That seems to be what the successful email marketers do.

I don't claim to be an expert in email marketing. Not even close. But I think all marketing comes back to a few foundational ideas. Under promise and over deliver is the main one. With email marketing you've got to find a balance between bombarding your subscribers with offers and delivering useful content that they look forward to getting.

You mention sending out free PLR articles. I'm not sure it matters that the material might be recycled as long as it fits the 'value' model. With PLR stuff you have the opportunity to tailor it to your audience, so that's probably what you should do. Personalize it by relating directly to your subscribers. Since it's generic material I doubt it's written specifically for your people.

Rewrite those PLR articles so they speak to your subscribers. Play on the benefits of owning your products. Again, deliver value and don't pound them with the stuff. I had very few people opting out while delivering fairly short message once a week. Testing will tell. Good luck.

Hi what you really need to do is give a quality info or free gift on your first follow up.

Then after a couple of days ask them how they are getting on and then give them some more valuable free info.

Leave for say 5 to 7 days and then send them some more quality free info or gift.

A few days after that follow up with another email with more quality info only this time put a link in to your product somewhere near the end that is actually relating to what they signed up for.

Then once in a while you can send them some more quality info but with a quality special offer added at a discounted subscribers price.

Then rinse and repeat this cycle.

The reason for this is that you are nurturing goodwill and trust with your list and on doing this it will pay you back a thousand times over.

The major ingedient in all of this is that it has to be related and of really good quality,

Yes this seems long winded but remember it is a Business that you are building not an instant "Get Rich Scheme".

Hope that helps

I would say a good rotation is for every 2 value laden emails, give them an offer email. The spacing of emails like mentioned can vary, and you have to figure that out by testing. I have some clients that touch their list every single day. The bulk of that is simply a quick informational email, just to keep them fresh in mind, with maybe 1 or 2 offers thrown in each week.

Other clients of mine send out only once a week, or once every 3 or 4 days. Keep in mind that most customers won't buy until you've touched them at least 7 times, so I would keep the bulk of those initial emails value laden, so that you are letting them get to know you, and trust you. Then start sending them offers, rotating as mentioned before.

Warm regards,
C

Great questions. I've got some free videos in the Youtube link at the left that should help (plus some goodies in my sig).

Every market would need to be tested, but I've found a frequency that works
very well for my clients and it's based on the recentcy, frequency, impression
principle.

The whole idea is that you want to start sending right away, then send frequent
at first and then taper off towards the end of the series.

The timing I suggest in my autoresponder series writing manual is:



As I say you'll have to test your market but after over 7 years of writing
autoresponder series for my clients this is what I find that works.

-Ray Edwards

Every test I have done shows daily outperforming every frequency less than daily.

Put them in the right order. Figure that out by:

1. Do a small test and check the CTR.

2. Each email goes to a page. Calculate the conversion rate on that page.

3. Adjust the conversion rate by the CTR of the email.

4. Put the emails with the highest adjusted conversion rate up front.

5. For as you put new emails into test, get the above numbers and insert them in their proper place so you push the poor performing emails out into the future... eventually far enough in the future that they will never be sent.

You definetly need to learn more about list building. Set up an ecourse for 5 days. One article per day. Then send a sales email to your product. Build trust with your list. Give and Give and Give some more. Then make an offer. Then repeat.
Keep in contact with your list at least once a week. Don't over do it or you will look like a spammer.

Hi Arek,

Autoresponder emails are GREAT tools.

In my experience, there is no one right answer. But here are a few strategic ideas to help guide you.

1. I have set up auto responders where there is only ONE autoresponder email. The rest are blasted out occasionally as needed.

It's one of our most successful campaigns. Why? Read on, and I'll share in a moment.

I have also set up autoresponders where there are as many as 365 emails. One for every day of the year.

That works well too. Drip, Drip, Drip.

Between the two scenarios, there is a world of opportunity.


2. The key thing and I think almost everybody would agree on this, the vast majority of your emails should be VALUABLE. I call them "keepers." Like when I get one, when I read one, I say to myself "Oh, that's a keeper!" There should be tremendous content conveyed.

Stated differently, kinda like Christmas, you want people to REALLY look forward to receiving your emails.


3. Now when I say "the vast majority should be valuable", it sounds stupid. Like why not all?

Because that would not have integrity. And psychologically speaking, people would lose respect for them.

It's kinda a like a winning pitcher in baseball. He has an amazing fast ball. But the batters are always looking for it.

So he does a change-up pitch.

In other words, it throws people off guard and keeps them guessing.


4. Your emails NO MATTER WHAT should TRAIN people to do the action you want them to do.

For most affiliate marketers, that means getting your subscribers to click the link embedded in the email.

Start right off the bat and train your subscribers to click, or call, or email or respond in whichever way you want.

5. Your emails should be laser targeted on one thing/offer at a time for a specific campaign. Do not be pinball bouncing from offer to offer. You will confuse your market and you'll lose whatever respect they had for you quickly.

Again, train your subscribers to do the action you want them to do. Repetition (with a bit of variety) matters.

I know all this might sound a bit contradictory the bouncing between repetition and variety. Again, you have to experiment with it and see what works best.


Now, let me share why the one autoresponder email campaign works so well.

Because one of the major points in the email is (and we tell people right up front) "We will never abuse the privilege of communicating with you. So when we do communicate with you, pay attention. It's important."

If you drip, drip, drip everyday and say that at the same time... that's inauthentic because timing plays a HUGE in terms of scarcity/value of the communication message.

Think about it this way: A girl gets roses or chocolates or a love letter from her boyfriend every day. In the beginning it's rather touching and it's appreciated. But after while... it becomes anticipated. It gets old quickly.

(Not to mention if she's eating the chocolates, she's going to resent him for getting her fat.)

That's doesn't mean you can't do a drip campaign and create huge value for people. YOU CAN. It just means you should ensure all your emails have integrity. And timing of your autoresponder emails is an important element to that integrity.

People look for "black and white" answers when it comes to stuff like this. The best marketers do not rest alone on "proven" principles. (That's what makes marketing and copywriting so challenging, fun and creative at the same time.) But the people on this forum thread who have contributed to you have given you some solid, actionable, consistently reliable advice.

- Rick Duris

you have to be careful not to over bother them.......and have great emails that gives them a reason to be excited........free info, free report, check out my video on the subject......I recommend no more than every 10 to 12 days for a email