What to Write in Your Autoresponder to Get More Traffic
Your autoresponder is that invaluable system in your email marketing platform that will allow you to send a series of pre-written messages to customers and subscribers over a set period of time. This system will save you a ton of time and energy. It can only serve you, though, if you know what to write. Here, you will learn exactly what to include in your email autoresponder messages to get the most traffic to your website.
Welcoming New Subscribers to Your Mailing List With an Unexpected Bonus
There is a right way and an old way to welcome new email subscribers to your mailing list. Here are the differences. The old way to say thank you to new readers is just that. Consumers on the web are accustomed to seeing that boring email in their inbox that says something along the lines of “Thank you for subscribing, we look forward to future communications with you,” or, “Please click here to confirm your subscription,” then the latter.
On the same note, read Practical design tips for Email Templates.
Readers don’t want to be bored. There’s already too much of that online. Messages like this will get your emails deleted instantly without ever generating a single view to your content. The right way to welcome a new subscriber is to give them a tangible gift, redeemable on your website, as a token of your appreciation. Note: I’m not talking about the free ebook that got them to subscribe in the first place, since they are already expecting that. Your initial message is a great place to include an unexpected bonus for your new reader.
Depending on who your reader is, there are different routes you can take with this to begin building a relationship. Assuming you have a general idea what your readers want, you can send them to your most valuable blog post, a new quiz to help with professional introspection, or include a discount code for your products and services. Small gifts are fine, and great gifts are even better.
What do Your Readers Really Want to Gain From Your Newsletter?
Aside from a bonus piece of content or coupon code, the introductory email is a great place to ask what your reader is looking for. You can simply ask what their greatest challenges are. Readers will appreciate the thoughtfulness, and many will respond right away, giving you powerful insight about what to include in following autoresponder messages and future articles. Just ensure that reader responses are sent directly to your inbox, so that you can send personalized responses, letting people know you’re listening. Then, follow through with creating the content that they request.
This is What to Write to Personalize Your Messages
Leads and customers require different information, so you’ll need to ensure that your autoresponder messages are personalized for subscribers at different levels of the sales process. You can do this by segmenting your lists. A customer relationship management (CRM) platform can help you with segmentation and other aspects of the sales process. Your mailing lists should reflect this. Maintain separate lists for new subscribers and those who have purchased
your products. Send leads to your landing pages, and customers to new and promotional products and services.
5 Things to Include in Every Autoresponder Message
1) The recipient’s name– Use the recipient’s real name in your messages to create a sense of belonging. You can set this up to automatically happen using your automation platform by asking for subscribers’ names as well as email addresses at signup. If you’re only asking for an email address in your subscribe form, you’re missing out on a very valuable sense of personalization. If you’re not already asking for names, start now.
2) A personalized, valuable message – Know where the receiver is in the sales process and reflect that in your messages. What problems are you solving? Is your customer in a place where they’re just becoming aware of your brand? Is he/ she considering what to do about the problem? Or are they potentially ready to make a decision? Construct your message accordingly, depending on where in the buyer’s journey your reader is.
3) An outbound link to your content – Make sure that there is a link to some piece of content on your website. This way, you ensure that traffic is generated. Without links, there is no traffic. The content you link to should also be relevant to your customer: a landing page reflecting the reader’s awareness, consideration, or time to make a decision (see the buyer’s journey above).
4) A call to action – Ask viewers to take action by reading, clicking, or purchasing something. Clarity is key. At the end of every message, there should be a clear direction that the reader can take. If you want them to read an article, say so. If you want them to shop your store, ask them to. The call to action at the end of each of your emails is crucial to web traffic.
5) Your contact information – By including your personal contact information or that of your company, you show that you are a real person who can be reached when needed. Let readers know your name, email address, and a telephone number to reach you personally or the customer service department, if relevant. By doing so, even if a reader doesn’t reach out to you at any time, there is still a sense of availability that this established in their mind.
By including each of these five elements in your messaging system, along with targeted and valuable information, you are sure to see gains in traffic.
Conclusion
Your autoresponder is one of the most helpful tools that you will use in delivering information to your audience. Make sure you’re sending the right messages: Welcome subscribers with an unexpected bonus, find out what readers what and follow through on delivering, personalize your messages with list segmentation, and include the five elements of a well-constructed autoresponder message. If you don’t yet have an autoresponder system setup, look into starting one today, and use what you’ve learned here for guaranteed website traffic.
You should also check out How to write an effective Blog Series.