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Our Autoresponder Mailing List Service
What is An Email Autoresponder?
An email Autoresponder is basically automated email that is PRE-WRITTEN and HOSTED ON A SERVER and setup such that it is AUTOMATICALLY EMAILED to
Subscribers (or Members) of an email Mailing List.
Subscribers or Members are customers of a business or general visitors to the business
website who join the Mailing List willingly. Subscribers of a Mailing List can UPDATE their email addresses (should they change) or LEAVE
(Remove Themselves) the Mailing List. Each autoresponder email has a Remove/Update link at the bottom of each email. This is all
HANDS-FREE for a business owner as the Subscribers do all this themselves by visiting a web page with the business's Mailing List Subscription
Form.
It's a FULLY AUTOMATED process by which a business owner builds a large mailing list of CURRENT customers and POTENTIAL Customers to
which the business can send emails promoting the business's products and/or services.
Below, as a typical "living" example of application of Autoresponders, we use a Restaurant Business. We also use
other types of businesses as examples. Remember - ALL businesses CAN and SHOULD use Autoresponders to automate their email communication with their
customers (and potential customers).
PRICING: How Much Does This Service Costs? Pricing
HOW CAN A RESTAURANT USE AN AUTORESPONDER?
Before we look at how a Restaurant can use an email Autoresponder, let's first look at the General Use of Autoresponders by businesses.
The most general use of an Autoresponder is that of sending regular emails to the subscribers of a Mailing List or Ezine (Electronic Magazine). The regular emails can for example be about the following:
- New Products the business is launching
- Discounts on goods
- Articles about relevant topics to the Subscribers or Members of the Mailing List
- General Information about the operations of the business to help customers (Subscribers or Members) better understand the business and maintain a good relationship with customers
- Remind Subscribers/Customers about the Due Date of a Payment (e.g. a school can send an Autoresponder Email at the end of a School Term reminding parents about the due date for schools fees for the next Term. So, parents receive about 4 such emails per year!)
- A Veterinary Clinic can send out autoresponders to remind pet owner customers about the regular vaccination date of their pets.
- Etc
Please note that Autoresponders are mostly PRE-WRITTEN - for example, a retailer can write in January a general autoresponder email, reminding customers about end of the year specials, in December. When the date and time comes, the autoresponder email is sent to all subscribing customers of the Retailer! When customers receive these emails they think they were written on the day they were received! Also, because the autoresponder email addresses each subscriber by name (personalization), e.g. "Dear Robert" OR "Dear Robert Smith", the Subscriber feels good about it! Personalisation increases the open and read rate of email by the recipient of an email. We all like the sound of our own names!
Below we answer the question - How can a Restaurant use an Autoresponder?
HOW CAN A RESTAURANT USE AN AUTORESPONDER?
There are TWO main ways a Restaurant can use an Autoresponder:
- To Deliver Menu by Email 24/7, 365 days a year!
- To Manage a General Subscribers List (as discussed in the previous pages)
1. USING AN AUTORESPONDER TO DELIVER A RESTAURANT MENU
It's actually amazing that restaurants, especially in South Africa, don't understand this VERY SMART application of email Autoresponders.
One thing wanted by all restaurants is to have their Menus seen by as many potential customers as possible. There is no CHEAPER and SMARTER way of having
a restaurant menu delivered 24 HOURS, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, 365 DAYS A YEAR than by using an email autoresponders!
The other important thing about email autoresponders is their "VIRAL" nature! They can spread the message about your Restaurant and Menu VERY FAST!
HERE IS A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE:
Suppose a Senior Executive of a company is about to host a number of guests from various parts of the country and wants them sent the
Menu of a Restaurant before they even arrive in town. What's the best thing the P.A. (Secretary) of this executive can do? Well, if she can find one
restaurant which can INSTANTLY email her their Menu she can be able to forward that menu to ALL the guests!
The restaurant that will win this business is the one that runs a Menu Autoresponder!
You can see for yourself how this works by visiting some of the Restaurants listed on our South Africa Restaurants Menu website. You can actually test it
for yourself by entering your Name and email address and see what happens!
Check for example the Menu Autoresponder of Africa Café, a Cape Town Restaurant here:
Africa Cafe Menu Autoresponder
Click the Menu-by-Email icon to go to the Menu-by-Email web page.
Our Autoresponders use a DUAL FORMAT: HTML (Graphics) and Text.
With an HTML (Graphics) email the email comes with images, e.g. the Logo of the Restaurant and any other images, WHILST a Text email is only made up of just text and no images.
When we setup a Menu Autoresponder for a restaurant we upload BOTH versions of the email to the mail server - WHY? Because some people use ISPs (Internet Service Providers) that don't allow Graphics email. Our Autoresponder Emails are intelligent enough to deliver the RIGHT format according to the recipient's email manager capabilities [so, if the recipient can't receive Graphics (HTML) email, the autoresponder automatically delivers the TEXT version of the menu email]
Our Autoresponders also use DOUBLE-OPTIN - meaning they double-check with the recipient if she/he indeed requested the Menu before actually delivering the Menu. This avoids the sender (business) being accused of sending SPAM (unsolicited) email to recipients.
THIS IS HOW THE EMAIL AUTORESPONDER WORKS:
ONE: Your restaurant potential client enters her/his name and email address on a Web Form and click the SEND/MENU button (a typical form is shown below).
TWO: On clicking the SEND button (in the above Form it's labeled "Menu !") - a web page pops up informing the Potential customer that an email has been sent to his/her email Inbox and must open it and CONFIRM that she/he is indeed the person who requested the Menu. When the recipient opens her/his email she will indeed find an email requesting a confirmation. On clicking the Confirmation link in the email message another web page pops up thanking her/him for confirming the Menu request.
THREE: The Menu email is delivered listing the Menu of the Restaurant, Contact Telephone Numbers, Opening and Closing Times etc.
At the bottom of each of these Menu Emails there is a REMOVE/UPDATE link which the recipient can click to REMOVE his/her name from the Menu Mailing List. Most people who request the Menu email will remove their names from the mailing list although it is really not necessary as no more emails will be sent to them UNLESS they request another Menu email.
Now it is easy for anyone to forward the menu email to friends, colleagues, visitors etc
(in the previous example we made in the previous pages, the Secretary/P.A . can then forward the Menu email to her boss's business clients).
CAN ANYONE NOT SEE HOW POWERFUL THIS CAN BE FOR A RESTAURANT BUSINESS?
As we mentioned above, many restaurants in South Africa don't even do anything close to this - sad indeed!
THEY ARE LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE!
PRICING: How Much Does This Service Costs? Pricing
2. USING AN AUTORESPONDER TO RUN A CUSTOMER MAILING LIST
This is obviously the most general use of an Autoresponder - to run a Mailing List of Subscribers. These Subscribers will mostly be the patrons of the Restaurant BUT there will also be some who are just Potential Patrons of the business.
The following are some of the typical messages that can be sent to the Mailing List Subscribers by a Restaurant:
- Menu Specials for the week - sent weekly to Subscribers
- General News about the Restaurant (New Staff, New Restaurant, Awards won by the Restaurant. Births, Deaths etc)
- Discounts - if a Subscriber brings a copy of the email to the Restaurant on particular date(s)
- Promotions by business partners of the restaurant (here one needs to be careful that the promotions are seen to be relevant by Subscribers otherwise they may lead to a mass exodus of subscribers (meaning they REMOVE themselves from the mailing list because they feel they are being sent junk or even offensive material!)
- Etc
Again, it should be noted that each and every email sent to Subscribers has an embedded link at the VERY BOTTOM of the email to give a chance to Subscribers to REMOVE or UPDATE their contact details (email addresses). Mailing Lists that send out emails that don't give Subscribers an opportunity to LEAVE the mailing list are in violation of international email regulations (e.g. CAN-SPAM ACT).
A MAILING LIST HAS THIS EFFECT ON A BUSINESS: IT TURNS CUSTOMERS INTO FANS OF THE BUSINESS!
That's what all business should aim for. Fans bring more other fans to the club!
PRE-WRITTEN MESSAGES
As mentioned before - most Autoresponder emails are pre-written, sometimes months before the recipients receive them! For example, if a Restaurant serves a very popular Seafood Platter on a Friday every week, then about 54 emails representing all the Fridays in a year can be written at the beginning of the year to be sent throughout the year!
Also, if there is an urgent message to send to Subscribers - it can be sent right away on that particular day.
PERSONALISATION
We all like the sound of our names!
The autoresponder emails address the recipients by name (e.g. Dear John or Dear John Smith). This also makes the email looks very professional.
How do you feel when you receive an email or letter that just addresses you as "Dear Customer"?
Not very exciting - you are likely not to act on it!
Our Autoresponders address your customers by name - make them think you are dealing with them at a personal level!
OUR AUTORESPONDERS ARE HANDS-FREE!
Sometimes a restaurant owner won't even understand why the restaurant is so full on a particular day - it's because of the Autoresponder message that was written at the beginning of the year informing the customers of the great Prawn Stew on Friday nights!
Autoresponders, when done right, can help you run your business in a very efficient way without you even feeling you are doing anything additional to your old work routine!
Competitors are amazed - as they are left in the dust (by the other restaurants that uses autoresponder email)!
FOLLOWUP AUTORESPONDERS AND BROADCASTS
In any Mailing List there are TWO types of Autoresponders:
- Follow-up Autoresponders, and
- Broadcast Autoresponders
1. FOLLOW UP AUTORESPONDERS are automated emails that are sent periodically to a Subscriber as a series, BUT STOP COMPLETELY after a certain number of deliveries (e.g. after 60 emails have been delivered). All Subscribers to a list receive these emails. Each Subscriber receives them sequentially. The number of days between deliveries is pre-determined and is usually the same BUT it doesn't have to be (e.g. 2 days, 10 days, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly etc)
2. BROADCASTS AUTORESPONDERS can be sent to the Mailing List anytime BUT as mentioned before they can also be pre-written. Unlike Follow up autoresponders, Broadcast Autoresponders are only received by current Members of the Mailing List (at the time the broadcast is sent out). So, you can write a broadcast weeks/months/years before delivery OR on the very day you want it delivered. Most businesses pre-write the Broadcast Autoresponders at the beginning of the year (to be delivered during the rest of the current year.)
Some businesses actually set up autoresponders to be delivered even 5 years into the future! They just revise and update them yearly to make sure that they stay relevant. When subscribers receive these emails they think they were written on the day they received them!
YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE A WEBSITE TO GET STARTED WITH OUR AUTORESPONDER SERVICE
You don't need a website to get started with Autoresponders - we host the Subscription Page of your business on our Autoresponders website: Smart-Mailing-List,com
For Example: If a client's name is Nico's Restaurant, then this business's Subscription Page will be: www.smart-mailing-list.com/nico.html
The Subscription Form for joining Nico's Restaurant Mailing List will be on that page.
If the owner of Nico's Restaurant wants he can register a Domain name and ask the domain registrar to point it (redirect it) to the Subscription page address given above. If Nico Registers www.nicos-mailing-list.co.za, when his subscribers type this website address they will be redirected to www.smart-mailing-list.com/nico.html, where they can Subscribe to Nico's Restaurant Mailing List.
WE WANT TO STRESS AGAIN THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO PURCHASE A DOMAIN NAME OR OWN A WESITE TO BE ABLE TO ABLE TO START USING OUR AUTORESPONDER SERVICE - WE HOST YOUR BUSINESS SUBSCRIPTION PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE.
PRICING: How Much Does This Service Costs? Pricing
HOW TO GET STARTED (IF YOU ARE INTERESTED)
Depending how you want us to go about it - we can send you via email a Microsoft Word Document with examples of typical Autoreponder email messages so you can use them as a guideline to write your business's autoresponder email messages OR we can come to your business on a Saturday or Sunday and do it with the business owner (or other relevant person in the business). This can take about 30 to 60 minutes initially.
It's very important for us to know what a business does so that we can also give the business owner good and relevant advice and ideas as to how autoresponders can be used as a way of communicating with the business customers.
Once we have all (or some) of the messages to be sent to the customers during the year, we simply setup the messages on the Autoresponder Messages server, with the dates and times at which they are supposed to be delivered.
We then give the business an email address to use to send us messages they want Broadcasted to their mailing list. Remember, a business can send a message to their mailing list anytime they want to (besides the messages sitting on a server ready to be sent out during the year).
We also encourage the business owner and other employees of the business to Subscribe to their own mailing list so that they know exactly what messages their customers are receiving during the year, so that there are no surprises! Imagine Customers receiving an email that says a special dish is going to be served by a Restaurant (for example) only to find it not on the menu because management forgot about the autoresponder message telling customers about the special dish. So, if the business owner (and other employees of the business) subscribe to their own Mailing List such a disaster can be avoided. Also remember, the business will have a copy of the document with all the pre-written messages on the autoresponder. So, every week the business owners can check in advance to see what emails are to be received by their customers in the coming week (or month/quarter etc).
The document with the Autoresponder Messages gets updated at the end on the current year or beginning of the New Year. The messages on the Autoresponder server are then updated with new dates and times, ready to be sent in the New Year.
REMEMBER: EACH AND EVERY TYPE OF BUSINESS CAN AND SHOULD USE AUTORESPONDER EMAILS!
HOW IS THIS SERVICE PRICED?
Please visit the Pricing Page for Information: Pricing
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