John Galianos

Tracking Autoresponder Responses

As an Internet marketer, it is vitally important to know how well your advertising campaigns are doing.
Advertising campaigns cost a lot of time and money, and campaigns that are not doing well need to either
be changed or scraped. When using autoresponders for purposes of Internet marketing, you will be able to
tell how well your autoresponder messages are doing by using response tracking.

Autoresponder response tracking is usually easily set up with the higher quality paid autoresponder
services. Using the tracking set up tool, you simply enter the web site address that you want your
readers to visit, and the software generates a brand new URL. This URL is used track the number of
clicks that you have from the autoresponder message to the website that you are promoting.

When a person clicks on that special URL, the click is captured, and they are automatically redirected to
the website that you intended them to arrive at. The visitor does not know that they have been redirected
in most cases. You can monitor the results through the control panel of your autoresponder
service account. The control panel will tell you how many messages were delivered, and how many
clicks were received. Most quality autoresponders will even include a feature that allows you to track
how many of the emails were opened. This is a great marketing research tool for mass email marketing.

Not all autoresponder services offer tracking abilities such as this. If tracking is important to you, you
need to make sure that this is one of the features of the autoresponder service before you sign up. This
feature gives you the ability to know whether the message you are sending out is effective, or if
changes need to be made. It also allows you to see if the sales copy on your website is effective, in
a ‘round-about’ way. For instance, if you are getting thousands of clicks from the autoresponder
message, but very few clicks from the sales page to the order page, you know that the
autoresponder message is working, but the sales copy is failing.

If you have never tracked your autoresponder responses before, you should definitely consider it.
Again, this information allows you to find out what is working, and what is not working. It will essentially
make your autoresponder marketing much more effective and profitable. You will most likely be very
surprised at the results of the tracking!

The Difference Between Autoresponder Programs and Autoresponder Services

Many newcomers to the Internet marketing arena are not aware that there is a vast difference between an autoresponder program and an autoresponder service. Not knowing the difference, they often purchase the wrong type of autoresponder, and find out too late that they have wasted money on a program that is useless to them.

An autoresponder program is a program that is set up on your web server. This is usually a free autoresponder that comes with your web hosting account. Many people don’t like to use autoresponder services; so instead, they use an autoresponder program that they have more control over. Some of those people don’t like the autoresponder programs that come with their hosting accounts either and purchase autoresponder programs or scripts that must be installed on their web server.

Other people are quite happy with using an autoresponder service. This is a service that is usually paid for on a monthly or yearly basis. The fees are ongoing, and everything is browser based. In other words, you can set up your autoresponder messages and manage your opt-in list through your web browser – just as you can with an autoresponder program that is installed through your web hosting account. The difference is that the service runs on the autoresponder service’s web server – not yours or your web hosts.

Beginners are usually better off using an autoresponder service. These services are very easy to understand and to use, and no technical knowledge is needed to set things up. As a newcomer to the field, however, you might be concerned about the costs of an autoresponder service. If this is the case, you have the option of signing up with a free autoresponder service.

Free services make their money by placing advertisements in each autoresponder message that you send out. Sometimes these ads appear at the top of your messages, and sometimes they appear at the bottom. Some of the free services are simply an enticement to purchase the professional version, and have many of the more advanced features, such as tracking, disabled.

More advanced users often choose to use autoresponder programs, simply because they have more control over the autoresponder, and they don’t have to follow some of the stiffer rules imposed by autoresponder services, such as sending confirmation to each and every person who is entered into the autoresponders list.

The autoresponder that you choose is strictly up to you, but in most cases, an autoresponder service should suit your needs. If you are unsure, look for a service that offers free signups, with the option of upgrading to the professional paid version at a later date.