A visitor
clicks on the link to your site and starts reading. She's intrigued
and nearly ready to buy -- but at that very moment, the kids come back
inside and she leaves the computer to tend to them, meaning to go back
later to make a purchase.
Chances
are, you just lost a sale. There are countless reasons why an interested
prospect may not buy right away. Even if they intend to re-visit your
site later, 'later' may never come -- they might not even remember your
URL!
By capturing
your visitor's email address, you can follow-up with them and increase
the likelihood of catching them at a time that they're ready to buy.
Here are a profitable ways you can use autoresponders to help convert
more of your visitors into paying customers:
- 1. Distribute
a Newsletter.
Most good
autoresponders have two important features that are perfect for distributing
newsletters: a personalisation feature, and a broadcast feature. Wouldn't
you be more likely to read something that's directly addressed to you?
- 2. Automate
Your Sales Process.
Repeated
exposure to the same message has been shown to increase sales. In an
short ezine ad, for example, where you only have a limited amount of
space, why not publish your autoresponder address instead of a website
URL? With short ads like these, your objective is to generate leads,
not make a sale. By directing readers to your autoresponder, you have
multiple opportunities to convert your leads into sales.
- 3. Use
Them to Distribute Your Articles.
Writing
articles and making them freely available for reprint is an excellent
way to build credibility, drive more traffic to your site, and increase
sales. In return for providing content-rich articles, editors will print
your 'resource box': a short description of you and your product or
service. Within your resource box, you can direct readers to write to
your autoresponder for a free nemail course, free story, or whatever
is appropriate for your line of business.
- 4. Send
Advertising Information.
If you
sell advertising on your website or in your newsletter, you can set
up an autoresponder to send this information automatically to a prospect's
email box. This does a few things: first, it's convenient for your visitor.
Second, she'll have it available whenever she wants to refer to it (instead
of trying to remember your URL). And finally, you can set up your autoresponder
to follow-up with her. Plus by capturing her email address, you can
send her notifications of any special advertising deals you have available.
- 5. Distribute
Free Reports.
Free reports
give your visitors a taste of the type and quality of information you
can provide. People who like your report will be more inclined to purchase
something from you in the future.
Do NOT
make your free report a disguised sales pitch for your product or service.
People will easily see through this and you'll have lost a potential
customer by not providing what was promised!
- 6. Distribute
an Email Course.
Why not
offer a mini-course by email? Every day or two, send another chapter
of your course. Once again, the key is to provide content -- not a sales
'pitch'! Let your content help you do the selling. At the end of each
message, include a paragraph or two tying it into your product, and
invite your prospect to make a purchase.
- 7. Offer
a Trial Version of Your Product.
If you're
selling an eBook, software, course, or website membership, you might
offer trial versions to interested prospects. Many people prefer to
"get a taste" of what they're buying before they pay for the
full version. In this case, you can capture their email addresses by
offering them a free trial from your site. Your autoresponder provides
them with instructions on how and where to get their free trial ...
and then follows-up with them at appropriate intervals to try to persuade
them to purchase the full deal.
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR:
Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, a practical guide to
building a business on a beginner's budget. It's a real hit with beginners,
who love the down-to-earth style nand loads of instantly useable tips!
For details,
visit:
http://onlinebusinessbasics.com/article.html
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