Autoresponders are great marketing tools providing you with an instant connection between you and your prospects. This step-by-step guide will show you how to create a marketing and promotion kit using your autoresponder. 
This will not only help you attract visitors and gain subscriptions, it gives you and your website value. You will have something that NO one else has which gives you the edge, and you never know - Yours could be the next big hit!
 
 

Step 1 - Get An Autoresponder.......

You want to get an autoresponder that will send multiple messages. Most will send 7-10 messages and can be set to deliver the messages at certain times. Here are a few places you can get a free autoresponder account: 
 

If you are unsure of how to use autoresponders, each service comes with it's own help files and instructions.
 
 

Step 2 - Planning it Out......

Keeping in mind that your autoresponder will send 7-10 separate messages, you want to create 7-10 different text files using a simple text editor program. Each of the text files you create will represent a message your autoresponder will send. Below is an example of some different text file topics you can create using your text editor.

1 - Initial welcome message / Contents
2 - The power of email advertising
3 - How to get high rank in the search engines
4 - How to triple your ezine subscriptions overnight!
5 - How to draw 1000's to your site with free stuff!
6 - How to create your own high-profit marketing products
7 - Using e-books to promote your website
8 - Tactics, tips, tricks, and tools 
9 - 100 Resources and Free services
10 - Final message 

You can customize each of the topics to suit your own ideas but you should make sure that you have a good opening welcome message.
 
 

Step 3 - Building on your topics and arranging messages.....

Each topic should contain a title, contents, links, and brief description of the next message they will be receiving. If you have little content to work with, or not very good at writing articles, here are some sites that provide free content you can use to build on your topics.
 
 

Keeping in mind that each topic represents one message your autoresponder will send, you now need to arrange each so that they effectively integrate into one package.

Here is a table outlining the message layout of each topic. Notice how each message leads into the next.

By now, you should basically see how it works. If you're still a little confused, think of it as a book - that has a title, introduction, chapters, and an ending.
Imagine if you took out each section and copied and pasted them into your autoresponder. Provided the autoresponer is set to deliver 1 message a day, when your visitors send a request to the autoresponder, it automatically starts sending each of the "chapters" in order once a day for 7 - 10 days.

This is exactly what you do with each of the topics you created as individual text files. 
 
 

Step 4 - Testing it out......

Once you have everything compiled and organized, you're ready to test it. To make it easier on yourself, simply set the autoresponder to deliver all of your message at once to you and then once you are statisfied with it, you are ready to promote it and can set the autoresponder back to delivering 1 message a day.
 
 

Step 5 - Promote your new marketing kit!

There are many ways to promote your new marketing kit in much the same way as websites. One place in particular however - Autoresponder Central, is a directory excusively for free stuff by autoresponder - so you'll want to add your listing there. For more resources on getting the word out about your new kit visit ImcTools which covers everything from promoting with mailing lists, ezines, multi-submissions, and more...

Announcement Sitese / Links
 

*Tip* You may want to even create a special page focusing just on the kit or create a simple but eye-catching mailto form to add to your website.
 
 

Some things to Consider...

- Layout. Make sure your messages are fresh and easy to read. Make it appealing to the eye, keeping it in an easy-to-follow format.
- Think Big! You're goal is to create something that people will flock to, so think big and include as many useful tips, tricks, resources, and links as you can. 
- Integrate your affiliate programs into your messages. This is the perfect opporunity to claim more exposure for your money-makers. The key to this is to slip your associate program url's into the articles.
- Create a killer name for your marketing kit. What's in a name? Everything!
Be creative and bold. Let people KNOW how valuable it is, and it will be.

Carole Nickerson is the webmaster of ImcTools Power Marketing and Promotion. Subscribe to the ImcTools Free Ezine or visit ImcTools for 1000's of articles, reports, ebooks, marketing tools, freeware, resources and more including the world-famous multi-submission center - Now providing over 1 MILLION Free ads! You can also contact her by sending an email to sienna@ns.sympatico.ca