Autoresponders are one of the top promotional tools available online today. They are also known as mailbots, automatic email and email on demand. They were derived from the very popular fax on demand and designed to automatically respond to any email message sent to it with an automatic response.

Their popularity most likely stems from its vast variety of uses as it eliminates the need to manually answer every response. Subsequently saving hours of valuable time. Your information can be available to your prospective customer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Get your best ad copy ready, load it to your autoresponder and your business is set to autopilot. When your prospective customer sends a message to your autoresponder address, your information will be instantly delivered to their email address.

There are many ways of utilizing the power of autoresponders:

? Free course
\r ? Articles available for publication
\r ? Free reports
\r ? Product list
\r ? Price list
\r ? Welcome letters
\r ? Thank you letters
\r ? Order confirmations
\r ? Advertising Rates

Advantages:

There are many advantages associated with the use of autoresponders. Not only do they automate the daily task of manually replying to requests for information, but they provide instant gratification for the recipient. They also enable you to track your ad responses and gather the email addresses of potential customers.

A good autoresponder service will automatically send you an email notification informing you each time someone requests your information.

Selecting a quality autoresponder service:

When selecting a autoresponder service, there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration to ensure maximum performance.

? Personalized responses - This makes the recipient feel that the letter was sent specifically to them.

? Automatic follow ups - Studies have shown it may take up to seven contacts before closing a sale.

? Unlimited text length - If you are inhibited by the amount of text your autoresponder may contain, you may be forced to revise a successful sales letter, ultimately costing you business.

? Free unlimited updating - It is imperative to provide your customers with accurate, up to date information on your products and services.

? Automatic notification - You must have the ability to track your ad's performance. You should be instantly informed each time someone requests your information.

Advertising Tips:

? Include your autoresponder address in your signature file
\r ? Opt in email discussion lists
\r ? Guestbooks
\r ? Business cards
\r ? Letter head
\r ? Your web site

You can obtain free autoresponders with all the amenities mentioned above from the following sites:

http://www.getresponse.com/
\r http://www.fastfacts.net/

Autoresponders can assist you in putting a lot of your day to day tasks on autopilot. Use it to your advantage.

Copyright ? Shelley Lowery

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, "Web Design Mastery" (www.webdesignmastery.com) and "eBook Starter - Give Your eBooks the look and feel of a REAL book" (www.ebookstarter.com)

Visit www.Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to eTips and receive a copy of Shelley's acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies."

You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author bylines are included.