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My auto-responder series

by AdamJ85
12 replies
Hi all,

I'm putting an auto-responder series together for my website. This is something that I've never done before, so I'd appreciate any comments.

My website is in the pet care niche and I want my emails to be a mixture of content-led and sales-led messages.

I'm thinking of emailing twice per week and following this structure (more sales-focused emails in bold).

EMAIL 1 - DAY 0: Welcome & free ebook link
EMAIL 2 - DAY 3: Common mistakes to avoid when caring for your cat
EMAIL 3 - DAY 7: Cat care basics (summing up the key points to remember)
EMAIL 4 - DAY 10: Cat care essentials (linking to a blog page with affiliate links)
EMAIL 5 - DAY 14: In-depth look at one element of cat care
EMAIL 6 - DAY 17: In-depth look at another element of cat care
EMAIL 7 - DAY 21: Focus on one piece of cat care equipment (again linking to affiliate blog page)
..etc..

Following the pattern of two content-led emails then one more sales focused message, etc.

What do you think? Does this make sense? Are there any other kinds of email that I should be dropping in? Is the frequency ok?

Thanks in advance for any comments.
#autoresponder #series
  • Profile picture of the author prbarton
    Looks pretty good AdamJ85. I would send more often. You might consider adding some more personal emails that help your subscribers relate on a personal level. Maybe some personal stories about you and your cat(s).

    Maybe convey your content emails by telling a personal story??

    People open emails from people they like. If they like you you will be able to get away with a less structured/professional approach.

    Main thing is to not over think it. The sooner you get started the sooner you will learn what works best for your customers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ben Holmes
    Originally Posted by AdamJ85 View Post

    Are there any other kinds of email that I should be dropping in?
    You might pop a survey on your website, and collect info...

    What sort of information are your subscribers looking for?

    You never know when someone might key you in to a great new avenue ...
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Jones
    What's going on, Adam?

    I think the intervals for your messages are pretty good. 3-4 days between messages is the same general guideline I use.

    That said, I wouldn't make 1/3 of the emails sales emails. Unless, as you say, you are linking to a relevant, informative blog post, and that blog post just happens to contain affiliate links. That's okay, I think. It's a very passive form of selling.

    But if you are actually going to send sales offers by email, I'd space them out a little more. If 1 in every 3 times I opened an email it was trying to sell me something, I'd unsubscribe from that list pretty fast.
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    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      Hey Adam,
      I think in your Niche you do not need to be emailing them everyday.

      But after while ( say after they are on your list for two weeks, this is what I do) you could send maybe a Broadcast once a week just to talk to them in a more time relevant fashion.

      Just a thought


      - Robert Andrew
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by AdamJ85 View Post

    What do you think? Does this make sense? Are there any other kinds of email that I should be dropping in? Is the frequency ok?
    It all sounds a pretty good starting-point (at least), to me.

    I suspect that how well it will work out for you will depend quite a bit on the extent to which the "free report" you offer in exchange for people's email addresses serves these purposes, because that's going to determine the open-rate for the first few emails you send out, and everything else kind of follows from that, really. Given that it's "all about continuity", you want to start from the highest point you can.

    .
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  • Profile picture of the author usemyteam
    It's a good sequence for your autoresponder. Also if you have more to write in the future might as well schedule some for once a week aside from the one you already have regarding a topic that is helpful to your audience.
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  • Profile picture of the author fulfilledlife
    Looks ok, the only thing I would add to your sequence is the introduction.

    If you want them to like you and trust you, then they have to know who you are and how your information going to make a difference for them and their pets.
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    • Profile picture of the author AdamJ85
      Thanks all.

      I really appreciate your tips and positive comments.

      I've added a bit more of an introduction to the first email. My site isn't very personal - I try to present my site as the authority, rather than me as the authority, if you see what I mean - but I do see the importance of building a relationship with subscribers.

      I'd say the sales messages are very soft sell. E.g. "Here's why you need x for your pet. The x we recommend is y", linking through to a blog post about our recommendation, which then links to Amazon.

      Hopefully one in three messages being like that might not be too bad..? I will keep an eye on unsubscribe rates though.

      I'm up to nearly 600 subscribers and have 5 messages in my series now. So early days, but I'll keep plugging away and see how it goes!

      Thanks again.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ben Holmes
    Keep adding to your email series... 5 messages is just about worthless.

    Think about when you're looking to make a purchase, you don't buy on the first review... you look around, and when you see the same sort of review multiple times, that's when you decide.

    Your subscribers are the same... you can spend 5 emails on just a single product!

    Also, use your emails to drive traffic back to new posts on your website. This works particularly well for higher priced items, where you need to go into more detail than would be practical for an email. (as well as graphics...)
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  • Profile picture of the author Zak L.
    Yeah, looks good how you've set it up.

    I don't know if you're already doing this, but it might help to also have a blog where you could send your list from time to time - with content right articles or videos, providing value, and then pitching at the end.
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  • Profile picture of the author markeeter
    I think you're doing good. Arrange something so that if your customers have questions then they can ask you about that too. It will prove to be a good opportunity for customer engagement as well.

    Perhaps to make the post more interesting add a funny cat video, or picture with every email. People will like that, or if I was your customer I would love that!
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  • Profile picture of the author Kingshouse
    Originally Posted by AdamJ85 View Post

    Hi all,

    I'm putting an auto-responder series together for my website. This is something that I've never done before, so I'd appreciate any comments.

    My website is in the pet care niche and I want my emails to be a mixture of content-led and sales-led messages.

    I'm thinking of emailing twice per week and following this structure (more sales-focused emails in bold).

    EMAIL 1 - DAY 0: Welcome & free ebook link
    EMAIL 2 - DAY 3: Common mistakes to avoid when caring for your cat
    EMAIL 3 - DAY 7: Cat care basics (summing up the key points to remember)
    EMAIL 4 - DAY 10: Cat care essentials (linking to a blog page with affiliate links)
    EMAIL 5 - DAY 14: In-depth look at one element of cat care
    EMAIL 6 - DAY 17: In-depth look at another element of cat care
    EMAIL 7 - DAY 21: Focus on one piece of cat care equipment (again linking to affiliate blog page)
    ..etc..

    Following the pattern of two content-led emails then one more sales focused message, etc.

    What do you think? Does this make sense? Are there any other kinds of email that I should be dropping in? Is the frequency ok?

    Thanks in advance for any comments.

    I would go for mailing more often however it depends on how much stuff you have presently.

    That said, test, test and test some more and see what works best for you. It's definitely not a one size fits all.

    I hope this helps

    Will Kingshouse
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