By Mat GreenfieldIt's often suggested that companies give something away on their website. The reason is to provide a low-commitment next step, for potential customers that aren't quite ready to buy. Sometimes this 'give-away' is just more information, but it allows the site visitor to declare an increased level of interest, without the full commitment of a purchase. However, a critical step in this strategy is the follow-up. Just imagine having an assistant that would send out follow-up emails in a pre-set sequence, on a pre-set schedule to individuals that request information from your company. Sounds expensive, right? Not really - an 'autoresponder' will do exactly that for just a few bucks per month. An autoresponder service provides the technology to capture lead information and automatically send email follow-ups. They are most typically monthly subscription services, but are also available as installable (one-time payment) software applications. Autoresponders differ from enewsletters in the sense that they send out a finite number of emails as a part of a campaign. An autoresponder 'campaign' is a series of template email notes, programmed to be sent out on a pre-determined schedule. A campaign is usually triggered by some form of 'opt-in' such as completing a form on a website, etc. Here's how a simple three-step autoresponder campaign works: • Immediate - "Thanks for your interest" • First Follow-up (three days later) - "10 reasons to buy widgets from us" • Second Follow-up (four days later) - "Special offers for first-time widget buyers" Of course, your campaign can be more elaborate than that, but here are a few ideas of what might be included in each of the follow-up notes listed above. • Immediate note: -Express appreciation for their interest -Provide the 'give-away' download link (if applicable) -Re-state your unique value -Recommend how they should evalulate your products or services -Offer to answer any questions -Provide full contact information • First Follow-up: -Explain why your existing customers value your products/services -Provide additional product information -Provide case studies and/or customer testimonials -Ask for the sale with specific information on how to purchase • Second Follow-up: -Provide information to overcome common objections -Spotlight package deals or first-time buyer special offers -Ask for the sale with specific information on how to purchase You should also consider creating an autoresponder campaign that goes out to new customers to offer add-ons, up-sells and new models. Most of the autoresponder providers handle the crossover from lead to customer list with some level of automation. There are a couple of key considerations when putting together an autoresponder campaign: • Permission - make sure that your list is opt-in. Otherwise this is just an automated form of spam (which could land you in plenty of legal trouble) • Frequency - don't burn out your recipients with too many emails. • Focus - make each individual note about something, otherwise they won't get read. This article is used with permission from Practical eCommerce magazine, copyright 2006. Practical eCommerce is a printed an online resource for ecommerce businesses. For tips, tools and advice to improve your ecommerce business, click here. To use your autoresponder, log into your vDeck account. From there, select the "Email" icon, click "Account" and select the auto reply option. |
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