Setting Up An Autoresponder

Setting Up An Autoresponder

In order to collect email addresses and send out messages to those addresses, you'll need what's known as an autoresponder. An autoresponder is simply an advanced mailing list management program.

The reason you need to use an advanced tool should be pretty obvious: imagine you have 1,000 subscribers to your list. You don't want to manage all that email from your desktop email program, right?

Autoresponder software comes in two flavors:

* Remotely hosted

* Hosted "in house" on your site


An "in house" solution is a script you install on your own web host. The benefit to this is that you control your list at all times. You don't have to worry about a third party service going under and taking your list down with it. On the other hand, these stand alone solutions usually require a large, one-time investment in the software licensing fee. Also, you need some degree of technical competence to install the software and troubleshoot any problems that arise.

Remotely hosted solutions allow the budget marketer to leave the details in someone else's hands, and they are often more cost effective. Just keep in mind some of the drawbacks mentioned above and perform your due diligence before investing in a third party service.

Once you've chosen a solution, list set up is straightforward. You'll get a piece of html code automatically generated for you to cut and paste onto your web page. This will create the "subscribe" box where visitors enter their name and email in order to join your list.

All of your additional list management tasks will reside in an administration area where you can compose messages, format them for personalization and set the timing for when you want them delivered.

There are a lot of advanced features in an autoresponder that you can use to customize your messages, but these vary. Your best bet is to contact your autoresponder hosting service or the software developer if you've purchased a stand-alone solution. Most vendors are happy to help you get started and may also provide set up and installation services for an additional fee.

That's it for today's lesson!