Autoresponders are email messages that can be scheduled in advance and delivered in a systematic manner.

As a business owner you likely already take advantage of this technology to send out newsletters and other business information.

Another effective way to make use of this email technology is to create a series of messages that all add up to one extremely useful package of information.

Each message adds on to the information you’ve already provided to your prospect. It helps establish your credibility as a reliable source of value and it offers benefits to your subscriber.

An autoresponder series also helps provide you with more opportunities to promote your products or services. Here’s how to create an effective autoresponder series.

Choose a Focused Topic

Choose an autoresponder topic that is focused and addresses a niche need. For example, “how to start an aquarium” is a fairly broad topic. Yet, “how to start a salt water coral aquarium” is more specific. A focused topic provides more value to your reader.

Tell Them What’s to Come

Let your reader know what to expect from each autoresponder. For example, you might end your message with, “keep an eye out for the next lesson in this series where you’ll learn….”

Remind Them of What You’ve Already Covered

You may want to include a few reminders about what you’ve already covered. Don’t get too heavy handed with this because you can end up with too many links.

However, it does make sense to link to past newsletters or and upload them onto your website so subscribers can refer back if they missed a message. It’s also a good way to drive traffic to your site.

Promote Yourself Strategically

The goal of an autoresponder series is to provide value and build your business. Readers expect links to your site and a certain amount of promotion.

Yet it is important to make sure that you promote strategically. For example, you probably don’t want to give a heavy pitch in the first message. However, it does make sense to make the last message more promotional.

Test and track your calls to action and promotional offers as your messages are delivered. You may find that promoting in every other message or every third message you deliver provides the best balance.

Have a Goal for Your Series

What do you want to accomplish with your autoresponder series? Not just theoretical goals but actual measurable goals? What’s your objective? Create a goal and build your autoresponder series around that goal. Without a goal your messages may feel disjointed and unfocused.

A single goal that you can measure will help you stay on track and provide your readers with the most benefit.

Finally, test and track your messages. Use the information to determine what tactics work best.

For example, maybe your subscribers open messages with numbers in the subject line or maybe they prefer messages delivered on Tuesday afternoons.

Most autoresponder services provide analytics so you can adapt your strategy and messages as you receive more information.