What would your business look like if you had a secret superhero at the helm, wielding a powerful tool to automate those repetitive emails that take up so much of your time?

If you’re looking for an easy way to simplify and systematize your marketing process – so you can focus on more important tasks instead – there is indeed such a superhero: Autoresponders.

An autoresponder is a type of business automation that can free up your time in BIG ways. That’s because it’s designed to automate your email processes, which is beneficial for many reasons, including:

• Improvement of overall communications process
• Increased engagement with your target audience
• More efficiently nurtured quality leads

Once implemented, autoresponders work quietly in the background to save you time and effort, streamlining your communications without the frustration of repetitive work on your part.

3 Major Reasons Every Business Should Use Automation

With benefits like these, automation is a proven tool that can transform your business – whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned pro in your field.

1. Save Time and Effort: This is what most business owners say is the #1 advantage. With automation, you can set up a series of emails in advance to send automatically. The endless hours spent on email replies, the frustration of not having enough time to follow up on your leads…are over! Autoresponders can also help expand your audience in a way that would be next to impossible on your own.
2. Cultivate Better Relationships: Once it’s set up, an autoresponder lets you provide your audience with a more targeted, personalized approach. You can send them a warm welcome introducing yourself & your business, share valuable tips they’ll benefit from, or offer exclusive discounts to increase engagement. Automation also makes it simple to segment your subscribers to offer a more tailored experience.
3. Increase Sales and Conversions: Building stronger relationships gives you the leverage you need to boost sales and conversions. Why? It’s simple: By delivering targeted messages, autoresponders help guide your subscribers through your sales funnel. From educating them about your products to triggering purchase decisions, autoresponders can positively impact your sales and revenue.

5 Ways You Can Use Autoresponders to Free Up Time

1. Thank You – a thank you message for subscribing or purchasing, sent immediately after an action is taken. It’s the most common type of autoresponder and an easy, yet often overlooked, way to make a great first impression.
2. Lead Magnets – if you are giving away a free gift to subscribers, then an autoresponder is a common-sense way to deliver it in a timely, professional manner.
3. Programs – if you provide any form of programs or training, autoresponders provide an automated way to deliver the material over a period of time – and to a large audience, allowing you to set it and forget it while you focus on sales.
4. Invitations – if you are holding an event, meeting, or presenting material, automating the scheduling and invitation process can be a smart time-saving strategy. It not only provides an invitation, confirmations, and reminders, but also a recording of the event can be sent out after the fact.
5. Purchases – many programs integrate seamlessly with your payment processing system to facilitate an automated sales receipt and delivery of the material purchased, which creates an opportunity to let others know you’re reputable and professional.

Many autoresponders are initiated through the use of forms that are completed by your clients and customers. For example, these forms may be integrated into your website via a shopping cart or newsletter subscription box.

A Real-Life Example Coaches and Consultants Can Relate To

More sophisticated autoresponder programs also allow you to customize additional responses, and follow-up or sequences that are based on a person’s actions.

For instance, do you send a message with a link inviting your audience to attend a training or workshop you’re hosting? Some programs will automatically send follow-up messages only to those who clicked on the link, and separate reminders to those who actually signed up.

These sequences can get quite involved with invitations, follow-ups, reminders, and other targeted messages – but they’re well worth the set-up effort because they’re so effective (and what a time-saver, too!).

Ready to Automate? Our Top 4 Recommendations for Coaches & Consultants:

1. Mailchimp – they’ve updated their use of the term “autoresponder” by explaining “Autoresponders were built for you to send a single email based on a contact’s action. Mailchimp’s newer marketing automation feature offers many more options, including the ability to schedule multiple emails based on many trigger activities.” If you’re wondering if you can still use legacy autoresponders, the answer is yes (for now).
2. MailerLite – another well-known email marketing platform that offers a generous free plan and affordable paid ones to accommodate a variety of business needs. Known for their simple Facebook integration and top-notch tech support, it’s consistently ranked as one of the best email marketing solutions.
3. Convert Kit – one of our preferred automated email marketing platforms, ConvertKit provides a user-friendly interface and allows for personalized email segmentation. Their drip campaigns and sequences help streamline your processes and guide contacts through your sales funnel, while their analytics and reporting tools make it easy to track performance.
4. Keap – Our favorite! This is a comprehensive, integrated marketing, CRM, and e-commerce solution, with advanced ‘sequencing’ and automation abilities. The level of sales and marketing automation you can achieve with Keap will take your business to a whole new level. This robust platform can be a bit more pricey, but when used properly it’s worth it! If you’re curious to learn more about this powerhouse, they’re happy to share how they stack up against the competition.
   BONUS: Click here for a 14 day free trial of Keap. And as Keap Certified Partners, we can help answer any questions you may have and get you a discount if you decide to invest in this software. 

Why it’s Helpful to Understand How Autoresponders Work

Because of the power automation offers, it’s important to understand how autoresponders work when choosing an email marketing service for your business. Of course, it’s as important to have a clear picture of what your business goals are, so you know what you’re looking for as you research the various platforms.

For instance, you want to be sure you can establish multiple autoresponders and even customize autoresponders according to list and group segmentation. Some of the basic programs allow you to accomplish this.

Not sure where to start? We’re standing by to help! 🙂 If you need guided assistance creating and setting-up your own autoresponders, schedule a call so we can chat about your goals together.

For more Easy Automation Tips to Increase Business Freedom & Productivity, check out this helpful article.