An autoresponder is an email message which is sent automatically when someone enters their name and contact details on your website and clicks on the Submit button. It is one of those automated responses you'll have received yourself if you shop online, or receive online newsletters.

You need to subscribe to an autoresponder service so that you can send an automatic email response to all your website enquiries. By automating the process, you free yourself up, you make your business look a whole lot more professional and you enable the element of immediate delivery. The quicker your first follow-up message reaches them, the less chance there is of your website sign-ups forgetting why they were interested in you in the first place!

Although an autoresponder doesn't need to consist of anything more than a single message, you can choose to set up whole sequences of messages too. So if, for example, you want to offer a free four part mini-course, with one instalment sent every three days, you can programme your autoresponder account to manage that automatically.

* The double opt-in

As a result of the ever-increasing levels of spam on the internet, all email service providers have put measures in place to ensure that as little unsolicited email as possible actually reaches your mailbox. This means that when you become a sender of bulk email (which is what you are setting yourself up to be by building a mailing list), you need to make sure that you comply with the anti-spam regulations.

Your autoresponder service will, by and large, manage the compliance aspect for you. But one thing you do need to be aware of is the double opt-in. This means that every single person who signs up on your website must confirm their email address before it's okay for you to send them further messages. You don't have to verify your sign-ups this strictly, but I recommend that you do as it will greatly improve the chances of your follow-up messages reaching their destinations reliably.

Assuming you go down the double opt-in route, most autoresponder service providers will offer you some template 'please confirm your subscription' messages. But since the first message that your potential new clients will see from you is the confirmation opt-in email, I think it's important to personalise it.

* Composing your messages

I recommend preparing your messages in something like Word or Notepad before you enter them into your autoresponder account for real. This will give you a chance to think about the wording carefully and about the order in which your new sign-ups will receive information from you. With the double opt-in, they will start out by receiving two messages from you in quick succession.

The first message is the opt-in confirmation message. The bare bones of a typical opt-in message look something like this:

'Thank you for requesting my free introductory report: [report name]. All you need to do now is click the link below to confirm your request. If you have changed your mind or received this message in error, simply delete this email and your information will be removed by the system automatically.'

The second message is the one where you deliver the goods. It's usually either the first instalment of your free report, e-course or set of articles... or it contains a link to the document or audio file you promised on sign-up.

* Hey presto!

Set these messages up, get your website designer to link them through to the sign-up box on your website using the code provided by your autoresponder service, test it to make sure it works, and then you're done... Your first follow-up steps are now automated and you can put your feet up with the beverage of your choice!

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Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/getting-started-with-autoresponders-1086165.html

List building is the first and most important step in internet marketing. Everybody says "the money is in the list". What this means is that you have to have an audience to sell to. That audience is your list.

List building happens when people subscribe to your list by responding to one of your ads or give aways, or products. You have to use an opt-in form to capture the name and email address of the person. This is very important. Even if you are selling someone else's products, you should always use a squeeze page with an opt-in form, so that you not only sell the product, but you capture the information of the buyer who then becomes your subscriber on your own list.

This list becomes your most treasured possession in internet marketing. These are the people you are going to promote to over and over again. You can promote your own products if you have them, you can promote someone else's products as an affiliate, and you should also send them content and great information that will help them in their online business. This way they will be happy to stay on your list and will probably continue buying from you.

To start list building, there are a few simple things that work. You can sell your own product, if you have one. If you don't, you can buy a product that comes with private label rights or resale rights, and you can sell it and keep 100% of the profits. This is a very easy way to have your own product that you can start list building with.

If you can join giveaway events and contribute a product to give away, that will help you get sign ups. Sometimes you get products that have giveaway rights, and you can make a squeeze page and a download page to give them away at these events.

You can also go to Clickbank or PayDot.com and start promoting products as an affiliate. You sign up to their affiliate programs, and you get your affiliate link to promote any of their products. Or you can sign up to affiliate programs directly through the website of any vendors who pay affiliate commissions for the sale of their products.

A great way to get sign ups is by giving away something. At the beginning when people don't know you yet, you need to get their attention, and if you give out some good content for free, you will probably get people to sign up and they will return to buy from you, provided it is really good content.

You have to start with tiny steps, and be patient. It might take a little time to start seeing results, but the more content, links and products you have out there, the sooner you will start making money. As you know, the Internet is very viral. This means that content spreads on the Internet like a virus. You put your links out there and they will be distributed by others in many directions all over the Internet. The more content you build up and distribute, the more viral results you will have.

A lot of people wonder why they are not making any money online. Many of these people do not have a list. Well, that is really the first step. It is very good to have your own product, but if you have no one to sell it to, you will not make any money. So list building should be your number 1 priority. Once you amass a list of hundreds or thousands, you are in. Then all you have to do is keep your list happy, make them great offers, and enjoy the ride.

I am an active internet marketer. I sell my own products and other people's products as an affiliate. I am an Expert Author in Ezine Articles. Be sure to sign up to my free newsletter Here!Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/list-building-is-your-number-1-priority-1083227.html