Autoresponder: Follow Up OR Broadcast

7 replies
I regularly consult to offline business about how to fully utilize their online strategies to reach the potential of their marketplace and compete with the best.

A big part of this, and to be honest I haven't seen a business or market that can't use these tools, is the autoresponder.

Now I'm on quite afew 'lists' and sometimes receive a mind boggling amount of information that eventually lead to the sale of a clickbank product or some sort of CPA and mostly I choose to ignore the majority who aren't providing really relevant info on their back ends.

My question to you is, do you prefer receiving email that is blatantly part of a sales funnel i.e. an automated follow up sequence, OR, do you prefer the Frank Kern method of just sending out a big broadcast email when something cool happens i.e. a new blog post, new product etc ?

My subscribers receive massive amounts of info from the follow-ups I send out, I could actually probably charge for this stuff, but I get the feeling that if I were on my own list, I'd want something a lot more personal.

Thoughts ?

M
#autoresponder #broadcast #follow
  • Profile picture of the author JamesPenn
    I usually have a 5-10 message follow up sequence which I stretch over two weeks.

    In these messages I provide the best content I've sent as broadcasts before so that new subscribers can get access to it as well, and also the most profitable products I've promoted.

    James
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  • Profile picture of the author jaiganeshv
    Those that are timely and updates kinda, those needs to be broadcasts, i thi9nk all others can be follow ups.

    If you wanna launch countdown then go for broadcasts. Better to mix both.

    I everytime when I create a new letter first broadcast it and then put it in my follow up queue..


    Thank you.
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    • Profile picture of the author Melodican
      Originally Posted by jaiganeshv View Post

      I everytime when I create a new letter first broadcast it and then put it in my follow up queue..

      Thank you.
      Nice tip man

      I get kinda paranoid knowing that my subscribers are about to receive, say, message 5 of my follow up sequence on the same day they receive the broadcast. If I receive too many emails from someone blatantly trying to sell me something in one day, I usually un-subscribe.

      In my niche businesses this is very rarely a problem due to the fact I don't send out broadcasts, but why waste good email content by not putting it in your follow up... ?

      I guess it comes down to the quality of your information
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      • Profile picture of the author iSoftware
        The best advice I've gleaned from one of the best list builders in the business is to help not sell. I call it the "death of sales" and it's actually quite liberating.

        Have you had this experience? Let's say there's something in the store you REALLY, REALLY WANT. Let's say you get it from a local store. Call it your local tailor. There's a fantastic tie or suit that you've looked everywhere for (your problem) and only one person hase it.

        Now the question is, imagine how you'd feel if you got an email from this guy? You would skip over the other 100+ emails that you saw in your inbox and quickly go to that guy's email.

        You'd be filled with anticipation and glee by the mere thought of opening that email because you KNEW it had A SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM you REALLY WANTED an ANSWER for. Notice I said "WANTED" NOT "NEEDED".

        The trick is to get your subscribers feeling that way about you. Every time they open an email from you, they should have the feeling that you are going to suggest a SOLUTION to a PLOBLEM that they have.

        And good solutions, IMHO, should be:
        1) addressing a problem people really want an answer to
        2) give specific step by step strategies
        3) have a deadline
        4) have a suggested payoff benefit.

        An example would be let's say you have a list of florists. Most florists sell roses.

        There's hardly a florist out there that doesn't sell roses. How abut a list like this:

        Florists' Newsletter - 101 5-Step Tips & Tricks to Boost Your Roses Sales by at least 5-10% in 60 Days or Less

        Can you imagine that? What Florist wouldn't be interest in that!

        Now you have 2 regular reasons and points of contact each week. Twice a week your list can look forward to very specific strategies to help them sell more of the world's most popular flower (I'm just assuming it's roses, but it could be daisies or whatever). Here you can very demonstrate how whatever product or service you are affiliate with (or that you created) can help them GET THE SOLUTION THEY WANT. And it's all very transparent.

        I think the biggest problem with the old mentality alot of us may have had is that the subconscious premise is that selling involves convincing people to do what they may not want to do.

        But if a person wants a solution and you've showed them one, they're almost always happy to pay. If you give them logical reasons why your product or service gets the job done and the price is reasonable, most people don't feel bothered by a "sales pitch".

        That's why they say the "riches is in the niches". If you haven't done so, check out Jimmy D. Brown's work - he's a pure genius.

        As I said before, people are very reasonable. If someone's invested their time and energy into creating a solution to a pressing problem they have, MOST PEOPLE ARE HAPPY TO PAY.

        Another excellent strategy to follow up any kind of sales pitch is to compare the solution to the problem to SOMETHING TRIVIAL. As an example, let's say you develop an info product around a specific problem. Let's call it the Florists Online Marketing Ebook. The ebook costs $9.99 and is designed to give florists 10 tips to help them boost their sales online in 30 days - following 3 exact steps.

        Alll you have to do is say to them this:

        "What's more important to you...buying a fast food meal that will make you fat at $9.99? OR, getting more sales and more income and the freedom to provide for your family and enjoy life?"

        <----This stuff works....
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  • Profile picture of the author Melodican
    Cool, Thanks Wham.

    I reckon there are benefits to both. If we are looking for that Golden Nugget off total auto-pilot, follow up sequence is probably the best way to go. If you can have a years worth of content (an email every 3-4 days) and laden it with links to A: your other products B: Clickbank Affiliates and C: Other lists within your niche, you truly have a hands-off, profitable business.

    I guess the skill really lies in the fact that you have to make your Follow Sequences camouflage themselves in the clothing of the broadcast emails.

    Interested to hear your results Wham :-)

    M
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  • Profile picture of the author DogScout
    Good to have several email courses with free content delivered automatically by AR

    for more timely information, and blog posts, etc, broadcast works better, of course.
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