Making the Most of Feedblitz: Creating a Basic Autoresponder

So, you’ve taken the time – and possibly spent the money – to create an ebook that knocks the competition out of the park. The marketing and social sharing of the ebook was a success.

Hundreds of people (fingers crossed!) have downloaded your free ebook – or even better – have also signed up to your blog, and in doing so, have provided their email addresses, as is the norm in the digital marketing and blogging space.

What do you do now?

Enter, the autoresponder. The FeedBlitz autoresponder ensures you’re keeping your audience interested, yet not ‘over spamming’ them. It allows you to touch base with your audience with targeted emails, and keep them interested. And it allows you to do this without adding a ton of extra work to your plate.

Get Started!

To set up an autoresponder that starts when a subscriber joins your list, select the list from the navigation, click the “Autoresponder” button and follow the steps. Add and sequence your articles, and then publish them. You can also pick from any existing autoresponders you’ve already set up in your account.

Your first email should contain a link to any incentive you promised, or alternatively offer a reward “ possibly previously unannounced for a little “surprise and delight” “ to your new subscriber. While that’s great “ why stop there? Think about what you might add to the sequence, every day or two or three (don’t overwhelm your new subscribers; if you get a lot of unsubscribes with the “too many updates” message, consider slowing down the delivery pace).

Don’t Stop at Hello

Examples of topics you can cover in later messages in the series include:

?? Thanks for subscribing.
?? Here’s a special offer for new subscribers.
?? Check out our top ten most popular posts.
?? Survey: How do you like the site?
?? Here are the first three chapters of my e-book.
?? Join the e-book affiliate program.
?? Here’s a coupon on a product or service.
?? Join these other lists we offer.
?? Links to some partners.
?? Ask a question: How are we doing? How can we help you?
?? Etc.

Be creative, think what might appeal to your audience, and deliver!

Also…

It’s worth mentioning that this kind of autoresponder is great for (a) Large sites with lots of content, where you can use the series to guide the new subscriber around; and (b) sites where mailings are relatively infrequent. In the latter case, a well-constructed autoresponder sequence can keep you front and center in the new subscriber’s inbox, even if you typically don’t mail for days or weeks.

In fact, it’s essential “ mailing too little and not following up with the new subscriber is a sure way to get increased unsubscribes and spam complaints when you eventually do. An autoresponder is a great way to deliver timely, relevant emails even when you’re not.

Finally, if you’re launching a new incentive for people to join your list, what about those who are on the list already? Consider sending a newsflash to your current list, linking to your new incentive. Reward their wisdom, surprise them with your generosity, and ask them to spread the word. They’ll love you for it.