Owning your own online business is a lot of work.
Don't let anyone tell you that it's not.
Daily tasks can include reading emails, handling
orders, advertising, promotion and the list goes on.
Very often at the end of the day you could have just
as many projects as you started out with and quite
possibly the list grew in the process.
Typically, on a day to day basis, many business
owners end up putting most of their time and efforts
into performing these mundane, every day tasks
leaving little or no time for the things that can help
them grow their business such as marketing or
promotion.
Of course, growing your business is a big part of
how you acquire customers and make sales; but
how can you focus on marketing and sales if you're
constantly tied up with the daily tasks that consume
so much of your time?
The key is automation. Particularly if you promote
electronic products, however automation is important
for any type of products you market. It automates such
routine tasks of responding to emails and customer orders
allowing you to focus on the things that help bring in
customers and make sales.
Here are just a few of the benefits :
- Customer questions can be instantly responded to creating
satisfied customers who will be impressed with your
fast, professional service.
- Automated follow-up e-mails will allow you to keep in contact
with our customers allowing you to notify them of other
products you sell which can boost your revenue.
- Automating your ordering process will allow you to sell your
products or services at any time of the day or night allowing
for more sales, and more profits.
-Instantly confirming orders and fulfilling your
customers' orders for electronic products like software
and e-Books can produce happier customers who are more
likely to buy from you again and again.
The two biggest time consumers for online businesses are
customer response and order fulfillment. Think for a moment
how much more time you would have to promote your business
if these daily tasks could be automated.
What's the best and easiest way to automate this process?
By using Autoresponders.
Autoresponders are automated e-mails that are pre-written
to respond to incoming emails that you receive from customers
or visitors to your site. The beauty of autoresponders is that you
can use them to respond to a variety of questions or information
that your customers or viewers may have. They can assist you
with most any email needs you have simply by setting up
different email response addresses.
Here are two of the best ways to utilize autoresponders:
1. Automate your customer emails
Customers can generate a lot of email on a daily basis and many
of the questions and information needed can be the same. Email
autoresponders can help because you can develop a
comprehensive email, write it once and your process is
automated.
For example, autoresponders can help you set up a
'frequently asked questions' email by creating an email address
such as 'faq@mysite.com'. Here you can invite viewers to ask
questions about your products. You can then automate a response
email that contains answers to the most common questions you're
likely to receive about your products, services or ordering process.
You can save yourself countless hours of responding to questions
and at the same time, increase the chances of a sale immediately.
Autoresponders can also help you gather email addresses for
your weekly news or sales letter. Simply set up another email
address such as 'newsletter@mysite.com' that will capture
email addresses through a form on your website. Now you have
email addresses that you can sell to each and every week.
You can set up endless email addresses for whatever information
you want your viewers to receive and their responses will all be
automated.
2. Automate your customer service
Autoresponders can also help with order fulfillment. This is where
you can find yourself spending lots of your time because, after all,
orders are the bread and butter of your business It's also a very
critical part of your business so automating it can help reduce the
amount of error and confusion, particularly if your business is
growing at a rapid pace.
Depending on your products, order fulfillment systems are an
excellent idea but autoresponders can also help out particularly if
you sell electronic products such as e-books, software or online
services.
- Confirming Orders
When a purchase is made online, buyers need confirmation.
They want to know that their order was successful and that
payment was received. Autoresponders can reply automatically
to all orders and can include all the pertinent order information
that you wish to send.
- Provide shipping information
If you are shipping your products to your customers
autoresponders can notify buyers that their products have
shipped, how they were shipped and when they might expect it.
- Follow-up
This is your opportunity to provide that bit of extra good will.
A follow-up message is a great promotion gesture. It's a way for
you to provide a little extra customer care by following up on how
your customers enjoyed their products and, most importantly,
thanking them for shopping. It's also an excellent way for you to
announce new products or information so they'll think of you again
next time they're shopping.
Once you've implemented autoresponders into your online
business, you'll never look back. Emails can be written once
and sent automatically. It's the easiest and most efficient way
to help grow your business, allowing you to spend your time
more efficiently and make more sales.
About the Author
Elizabeth McGee has spent 20 years in the service and support industry.
She has moved her expertise to the world wide web helping businesses
find trusted tools, enhance customer service, build confidence and
increase sales. Visit Elizabeth's websites at:
http://www.pro-marketing-online.com
http://www.homenotion.com