What Do I Look for in an Email Autoresponder?

So you’ve heard this buzzword about email autoresponders.

A quick search will yield half a million responses to free autoresponder programs, but why do you need this? An autoresponder allows a user to automatically and immediately get messages out to a call to action. It then continues to send a progression of emails to a given address or address block, with a preset interval. An email autoresponderwill allow you push new content and also direct your readers to your previously written content.

So what tools are you looking for in a quality autoresponder?

A good autoresponder will do so much more than just send emails to your subscriber base. Let’s see a few tools that your autoresponder should have:

• Mailing list – the program should automatically store and track the emails generated from your CTA
• Interval setting – This allows you to send updates to your subscribers automatically. A correctly set interval will allow you to stay in a reader’s mind, without becoming an annoying distraction
• Click rate report – Tells you which messages are opened, and which are ignored. Ignored messages can be evaluated for improved actions such as modifying the time that the messages go out, and optimizing headlines.
• Targeted broadcasting – Allows a user to create new lists based on the links clicked from the email response. Targeting your audience enables your business to create and push content that is purposefully driven to driving more traffic to your site. 

Free vs. Paid services

Free autoresponder services seem like a good deal. One site may offer a full suite of tools for a limited time while others may offer tools with the price of including adware in your response. While it may be perfectly acceptable for a young startup who is offering a product on Kickstarter to use an autoresponder that brands their emails, that may not be the most professional tool on the shelf.

A good email autoresponder is an essential instrument for promoting your business. It requires little time to set up, and once it is in place, the tool allows you to stay in your targeted audience head. At 8 in the morning, 8 at night, and everywhere in between, a properly set up system will help you generate leads. It is up to you to create content that will attract, delight and ultimately close and delight!