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Sequential AutoResponder

A Sequential AutoResponder sends a series of e-mail messages at a specified interval (once a day, once a week, etc.) to your visitors after they successfully submit a form.

Use Sequential AutoResponders to deliver a 5- or 7-installment e-course, or any other series of e-mail messages that require multiple installments. This type of repeat exposure is a great way to keep your site and your offers in front of your visitors.

The key is to be creative in combining...

• high-value content
• a natural reason for delivering content over several "installments"
• subtle PREselling so that you can achieve your Most Wanted Response. As an example, see how this SBIer monetizes his e-course.

An Overview of the Process

Creating a sequential series of e-mail messages is very similar to building an e-zine in SBI!'s Mailout Manager. In fact, if you're already publishing your own newsletter, you'll find this a very simple process indeed.

Here's the process...

1) Set up your Sequential AutoResponder's name, number of messages, and interval. Then click the "Create First AutoResponder" button.

2) Set up your basic L&F.

3) Review/change three mail settings.

4) Build the main body of the first installment.

5) Repeat steps 3 and 4 to build each subsequent message. Remember, your AutoResponder will not work until all messages in the series are built.

FBI! uses the Look & Feel from the first e-mail message as a template for the rest of the e-mails.

Tips

• Identify your Most Wanted Response before you begin so that you know what and how you want to communicate.
• Although you'll be able to return and edit the content of these e-mail messages at any time, you will not be able to change the number of e-mail messages associated with this AutoResponder, nor the dates when they'll be mailed (the number of days apart). So "map out" your entire sequence of installments now.
• Create the content of all of your sequential e-mail messages in text files before you begin with FBI!. That way, it's a simple matter of cutting-and-pasting your text into the appropriate blocks to create each installment quickly and easily. See this Tips and Techniques article for more on this.

• FBI! inserts an opt-in link in the first e-mail message to verify that your visitor wants to continue receiving the remaining installments of the sequence. Double opt-in safeguards you from a potential spam report or black-listing of your e-mail address. This is how it looks...

  

• If you use Windows, use Firefox to build your AutoResponder. Some SBIers have noted issues when trying to build an AR with Internet Explorer.

Set Up Your Sequential AutoResponder

FBI! inserts the name of your sequential e-mail messages into their related L&F templates, so make it descriptive.

For example...

Let's say that you're creating a 5-installment course about finding a vacation home on the island of Anguilla. Enter something like...

5-DAY Anguilla Vacation Home Locator Course

The rest of the set-up process is simple, especially if you "mapped out" the course ahead of time.

Tips

• It's your visitor who starts the ball rolling. After s/he submits that initial "Submit" form, the sequence starts according to your directions.
• The actual mailing may vary by a few hours, depending on the number of e-mails in the system at that time.

Design the Look & Feel of Your Message

The Look & Feel section sets up the way your AutoResponder e-mail will look when it arrives in HTML format. Your e-mail, looking more like "mail" and less like your regular Web page, will have a sort of "paper-on-a-background" style.

The net effect of the L&F should be one of "professional corporate stationery."

Tips

• If you're not sure what the "paper" and the background will look like, select a white foreground and a black background and then click on the "Preview Look and Feel of this E-mail" button. Change the colors until you find a combination you like.

• The logo of your AutoResponder message will appear at the top of your e-mail. Keep it simple and conservative, 500 pixels wide exactly. There are two building options...

  1) Use your own software (ex., PhotoShop). There's no Upload button here because the graphic will be uploaded automatically when you finish creating this e-mail. Just click the "Browse" button ("Choose File" in Safari) and navigate to your AutoResponder's logo in your computer. Then click "OK" ("Choose" in Safari) to confirm your selection.

  2) Use FBI!'s logo tool. Enter the text you want on your logo and then style it according to your preferences.

• If you do both of the above building options, your typed logo text will take precedence over your uploaded graphic.

Check/Change Three Mail Settings

These settings are important communication components...

• Subject -- Enter the subject of this AutoResponder message. Keep a consistent format for all of your AutoResponder messages (whether these are follow up messages or messages for a different campaign).

  A good e-mail subject identifies the message and coaxes your subscriber into opening and reading... instead of deleting.

• Reply-to Address -- Enter the address that should appear as the reply-to address for this AutoResponder. When people click on the "Reply to" button for this e-mail, replies will go to this address. Enter whatever you like.

  You must have a reply-to. If you do not enter one, the name of this AutoResponder will automatically be inserted.

  The reply-to must end in "@" your domain name. This is to keep spammers from "spoofing" addresses.

• Salutation -- In general, salutations are best used if you're writing a letter. They are not generally used in AutoResponders. However, if you have a good reason for using one, do so, provided that you've obtained your visitor's first name in the form that's associated with this message.

Tips

• Personalize your message by inserting this tag...

  <<FIRSTNAME>>

  The <<FIRSTNAME>> tag allows you to customize each e-mail for each specific subscriber. It's a great way to build rapport/familiarity with your visitors and increase the e-mail's open rate.

  Whenever you paste the <<FIRSTNAME>> tag into a text entry box (ex., subject, salutation, text block or a text link block), AutoResponder Builder replaces that tag with a subscriber's first name.

  However, in order to use this tag effectively, you must first collect each visitor's first name through your form (i.e., your form has the Use and Req. checkboxes selected for the First Name field). If you use the <<FIRSTNAME>> tag without having a visitor's first name, the AutoResponder Builder replaces it with a blank.

• Keep a constant format across all installments of the sequence of e-mails. Add a new "teaser" in each issue to create some anticipation for the next one.

Build the Main Body of Your AutoResponder

Provide the promised information to your visitor with a minimal amount of distraction.

The first e-mail message in the series is the most critical one. Based on its presentation, your visitor will decide whether or not to receive or open future e-mails from you. So avoid excessive upselling during the initial contact. Deliver high quality content and respect your subscriber's time.

Once you've established the quality of your course (this may take an e-mail or two), some gentle promotion may be added to later installments.

Regardless, always keep your visitor in mind. S/he is time-pressed and has plenty of e-mail to read.

How can you make your e-mail his or her priority? By OVERdelivering great content!

Your Sequential AutoResponder serves two masters -- your visitor, who wants relevant information, and your business, which must grow and generate a profit. Balancing the needs of both requires a delicate touch.

Tips

• PREsell first and establish your credibility. Start selling too soon and your visitor may use the Delete key for the next issue... without even opening it.

• Your AutoResponder must have at least one MWR, although most will have several. Here are some examples...

  1) Generate e-zine subscribers. People who sign up to your e-course are not necessarily subscribers to your regular e-zine.

  2) Encourage repeat visits to your Web site.

  3) Promote your products or services (your own or those that you represent). Use your e-course to introduce your audience in a subtle way to related products that they'll find helpful.

• Follow the rules of good newsletter writing. However, only provide the information requested, using a minimal number of text blocks, headline blocks and so on. Stick to the basics!

Now that you have the "big picture," it's time to stack blocks.

Let's go...

AutoResponder Headline Block

Always start your AutoResponder e-mail with a headline. Your "top-of-the-e-mail" headline is the first thing that people will see as they preview your message in their mail software. So make it good! Draw them into the rest of your e-mail... and into what you have to say!

Tips

• Your AutoResponder message isn't archived, so there's no need to worry about pleasing the Search Engine spiders.
• If your headline is longer than one line, "break it" so that the two (or more) lines are about equal length, especially if you choose the "centered" alignment. You cannot do this with a Line Break block; it has to be done with HTML code. Insert a single line break by typing in the <br> tag wherever you want to break the headline.

AutoResponder Text Block

If you're sending a sequence of AutoResponder e-mails, your subscriber is expecting certain, specific information.

Unlike a newsletter or e-zine, which may address several topics related to your site's central theme, each of your e-mail messages should be tight and focused, providing the information your subscriber is expecting. For example, if your 5-installment e-course is called...

5-DAY Anguilla Vacation Home Locator Course

... keep each message short and sweet. You have the luxury of 5 installments to develop a relationship. So plan and build your content carefully, dividing the material into five neat installments.

Since most subscribers are not yet customers, show your respect for their time. Deliver the appropriate relevant data as efficiently as possible. Of course...

Gently introduce your Most Wanted Response progressively during the five days.

Tips

• Use active words to form short sentences.
• Use two or three sentences to build a short paragraph.
• For the first few e-mails in a sequence, focus mainly on the delivery of quality content, not on selling your products and services. PREsell first and establish your credibility. Your visitor, who is now fully committed to reading all of your e-mails, will be more likely to heed your recommendations and offers.
• Start selling too soon and people will use the Delete key on future installments... without opening them.

AutoResponder Text Link Block

Links belong right in the flow of the copy. Text links to other pages, other sites, your order page, etc. must flow naturally within the context of your e-mail.

Use links primarily to...

1) Entice contacts to return to your Web site for more information, related offers, a free download, or whatever is most relevant to this discussion.

2) Provide a click-through directly to an appropriate partner's products or services that you believe will deliver great value.

3) Encourage visitors to contact you directly for more information about the service or product you provide.

Tips

• Be tactful. And focus on your visitor's needs first. Monetization comes second.
• Since this e-mail is not archived, there is no need to worry about including your keywords in your link text. Just make sure your link text describes the final destination clearly.

AutoResponder E-mail Link Block

Want to encourage your new visitor to contact you? Add an e-mail link. Depending upon your business, this may be your #1 Most Wanted Response.

Suppose, for instance, you're using this e-mail to deliver more detailed information about the specialty service you offer. Provide some great information, and encourage them to take advantage of a one-on-one telephone consultation.

Anyone who supplies a phone number is a "warm" (pre-sold) prospect, interested in your service. Phone them back! Bingo -- the beginnings of a new client.

AutoResponder Graphics Block

Graphics do have their place in your messages. But use them sparingly -- graphics will increase the load-up time in your client's mail software. You don't want people to hit the delete button. Keep in mind...

Before you add a graphic, make sure it fits these specifications...

• It's small (under 20KB; 10KB is better).
• It adds to the content; it's not gratuitous.
• And it looks high-quality.

AutoResponder Divider Block

Dividers are useful for giving your e-mail's content some structure. They break it up into blocks, making a longer e-mail seem more "digestible" for your visitor.

Add a Headline block after a Divider Block if the e-mail is especially long -- it will introduce the major thought shift, and pull the reader ever more deeply into your page.

Tip

• Organize groups of paragraphs by Divider Blocks for maximum readability.

AutoResponder Line Break Block

Line breaks allow you to change the length of a line while keeping a paragraph together. Or use them to add more white space before a headline.

General Building Tips for the Main Body

• Try to put your most compelling info at the top of the message so you'll capture your visitor's interest even if she's only scrolling through her e-mail.
• When you have to write more than a few words, it's best to do it first in a plain text editor. Then copy-and-paste the content into the appropriate block. See this Tips and Techniques article for more on this.
• You can add HTML elements, such as bold or italics, to your AutoResponder message if you want. If you're not familiar with HTML, review this Tips and Techniques article for some simple formatting tags you can use.
• To prevent typos, copy-and-paste the URL when you enter a new URL. When you preview, test the link to make sure it goes where you want it to go.
• You can wrap text around graphics, both on the left and right. See the SiteBuilder section of DAY 6 of the Action Guide for details.
• The divider line that's created is rather plain. If you prefer to have a line with more character, create one using a graphics program or download from a clipart site (review the Design section of SBI! Resources). Upload that line-graphic into your Graphic Library. Then use the Graphic Block rather than the Divider Block.
• Use as few blocks as possible, especially if your bandwidth is slow or computer RAM or CPU is a bit low.
• As you build your page by adding blocks, the block-stacking page automatically loads to the bottom, showing you the last block, since that is usually where a new block would go. So if you inserted a block higher up on the page, scroll up to find it.

Special Additional Tips

• Do not add attachments to your e-mails. Viruses make them too dangerous. Most people do not open attachments they did not request, and many do not open the e-mails that carry them.
• If your AutoResponder message includes a link back to your Web site, or to some other promotion, measure the response to that link by creating a tracking link in the Tracker Library. Then use that link in your AutoResponder message.
• There is no "Analyze It!" button. AutoResponder messages are not archived or submitted to the Search Engines, so there's no need to optimize them.

Preview and Test Your AutoResponder

Preview your e-mails at any time by clicking on the Preview and Test It! button. This will show you both the HTML version and the "text translation" (for those who still have e-mail software that cannot read HTML).

On that same page, send both the HTML and TEXT versions to yourself, as a test, before doing the full mailing. We highly recommend you do this so that you know everything works as it should.

Review the two e-mails that you receive. Check for typos, broken links, and readability. Is everything OK? It's time to check its spam score.

SpamCheck It!

E-mail is a vital communication link between you and your visitor. SBI!'s SpamCheck It! module ensures you will never inadvertently be "flagged" as a spammer.

View your SpamCheck It! score. If your score is too high, edit your e-mail message until the score is low enough to be acceptable.

Then click on the Build It! button to do exactly that. This action saves your e-mail. When a visitor submits the form, it sets the sequence into motion.

Tips

• SBI! lends a helping hand by structuring the ending of each of your e-zines in such a way that you won't get "blacklisted."
• Avoid any of the "telltale" triggers such as excessive use of ALL CAPS in the subject line and message body of your e-mail, the use of words like "free," "sex," "XXX," "spam," "$$$," "checks," "money orders," etc., and excessive use of punctuation ("!!!").
• Include good triggers in the subject line by using words like "news," "newsletter," or "list," giving an indication of publishing frequency (weekly, daily, monthly, issue #1, etc.), and adding the date.
• Use your own common sense. You know what spam looks like. Do not make your AutoResponder e-mails look like spam.

Repeat the Process

Once your first message is built, previewed, tested and spam checked, it's time to complete the remaining messages in your series.

For each message, build the main body (no need to change anything in the Look & Feel). Then preview and test the message, checking for typos and broken links. Use Spam Check It! and make any needed revisions. Then build the page.

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