When you are promoting online, the importance of autoresponders cannot be overemphasized. Youd be hard pressed to find a single successful marketer who doesnt use this powerful tool as the foundation of their entire online business. Why? It all comes down to the fact that the average customer never buys the first time they hear about or see a product - in fact, it can take up to seven exposures before a customer decides now is the time to crack open the wallet. And since getting a prospect to your website seven times is extremely difficult, the importance of autoresponders becomes clear: they put your message in front of your prospects again and again, in a way that is welcome and appreciated by them.

Why Are Autoresponders So Effective At Driving Purchases?

Autoresponders are simply automated mailing systems that send the message of your choice to your prospects at intervals chosen by you. A typical use for an autoresponder is for a series of related emails containing free content - for example, a five part mini-course on a topic of interest to your prospect. While you could technically make that mini-course available on your website, you would miss out on the importance of autoresponders ability to condition your prospects to welcome your emails.

This conditioning comes from repeatedly sending your prospects valuable content that they are interested in (such as the mini-course mentioned above). As your string of emails becomes longer, your prospects associate your emails with massive value to them. Soon enough, they will actually look forward to your emails and increase their trust of you. At this point, you can incorporate links to the products you are promoting in future emails, and prospects will be more willing to click on them. The importance of autoresponders here is to first warm the prospect up, and then make purchasing easy for them.

What Else Can You Use Autoresponders For?

The importance of autoresponders isnt limited to sending sales emails; there is much more that you can do with them. For example, you could send surveys to your mailing list asking them what kinds of issues they need help with, and that can give you valuable insight on what to promote next time. You could also use your autoresponder to deliver bonus content to subscribers at certain intervals, such as every 30 days, to give them motivation to stay on your list (and increase their trust in you at the same time).

The importance of autoresponders can go even further than that; it can help make you a better marketer. Many autoresponder programs allow you to split test, or send slightly different versions of your messages to segments of your list. This is useful because you can adjust your subject lines and message body and discover which version converts better. These free marketing lessons will help you become better at turning your prospects into paying customers. So dont let another day go by without using a good autoresponder to increase your sales.