The Autoresponder - The Most Effective E-book Marketing Tool on
the Internet
About six years ago the Internet fascinated me. Someone told me
that I could place a billboard on the World Wide Web and forty
million people would go by and see it every day.
I was completely entranced with the idea that my information
could be delivered anywhere in the world in less than a minute!
Immediately dialed the telephone number shown on a vacant
billboard on the freeway and asked how much it would cost to put
my face on that billboard. The reply was "ten thousand dollars a
month."
I decided that the Internet was a cheaper option and set out to
place my banner in view of 40 million people. Boy, was I in for
a surprise. In over three months of exposure on the "net" I
received only a hand full of hits. The only e-mail I received
was from other people like me who had shelled out lots of money,
only to find that no one was viewing my home page.
I paid a price but learned a valuable lesson. "The potential of
the Internet in book selling is fantastic, but you have to learn
the tools of Internet marketing or you will never make any money
regardless of the product or service you offer." Fortunately,
the same tool that so entranced me six years ago is the same
tool that I find to be the most effective in selling over the
web.
That tool is called an "autoresponder."
An autoresponder is an e-mail service that works something like
a fax- on-demand. For an author or a publisher, it works like
this. You create an article or sample chapter of your book. You
load that chapter into your autoresponder or e-mail on demand.
You publicize the e-mail address of your autoresponder in your
e-mail signature file, your web site, your business cards, order
forms, and in any printed advertising about your books.
The potential buyer sees that he/she may sample a chapter of
your book. He types in your autoresponder e-mail address or
clicks on it if he is on-line. As soon as the e-mail is sent
three things happen. 1. The document is found stored on a web
server and delivered immediately to the potential buyer. The
process takes less than one minute and is operational 24 hours a
day. The buyer may read your article or chapter in e-mail or
print it out and read it offline. He/she may forward the article
to other people.
2. You (the author or publisher) get a receipt e-mail that gives
you the name, e-mail address of the potential buyer and any
comments that he/she may have wanted you to see.
3. You collect a valuable e-mail address of a potential
purchaser of your books and other products.
How effective is this tool? I receive a book sale from
approximately one out of every four requests. To compare that
with web page hits, I only receive one or two sales for every
3000 web hits each day!
Why is its so effective?
I think autoresponders give the potential buyer time to read and
absorb what you have published. Most visitors on the Web are
looking for free information. They are not looking to purchase
anything. If they have a chance to download a sample chapter,
print it out and read it while they are away from their
computer, they don't feel pressured to buy. A reader is making a
more informed and objective buying decision.
If you already have a web site, ask your webmaster for
autoresponders. They should be free of charge. You should be
able to add, edit or delete text any time you choose.
If your webmaster's eyes glaze over when you ask about
autoresponders, then you have some free options. I recommend
these options to authors and publishers that have no web site as
well. All you need is an e-mail address to take advantage of the
Web's most effective marketing tool for authors and booksellers.
Try a couple of my autoresponders and check out how easy they
are to use.
For a free relaxation exercise send e-mail to:
mailto:relax@wayneperkins.net
For an excerpt from my new e-book, "A Cheap And Easy Guide To
Self- publishing E-books" published by the 1stbooks Library,
send e-mail the following autoresponder address:
mailto:easy@wayneperkins.net
The following services offer autoresponders at no charge.
Whether you have a website or not, you can take advantage of
autoresponders.
http://www.sendfree.com
http://www.fastfacts.net
http://www.getresponse.com
http://www.myreply.com
Once you have set up your autoresponders, you may want to list
your offerings with Autoresponder Central at:
http://www.web-source.net/
This is a website where you can list your autoresponder in an
on-line autoresponder catalog.
I wish you the best in promoting your books on-line with the
most effective Internet marketing tool.