Newsletters, helpful information, seasonal sales events like at Christmas, video trainings, product news, consumable product replacement notices, links to landing pages, free offers, conventions and webinars–all can easily be announced or broadcast via email auto-responder services.

Of course, an overload of information and spam each constitute their own barriers to getting through. What can be done?

One of the ways auto-responder services help get your emails through is by having strong anti-spam policies and enforced practices.

A second is to have opt-in or double opt-in procedures for those signing up for your email services. You only want people who are interested in you or your company anyway.

A third is to generate warnings when your email vocabulary raises flags in email servers, flags which might cause your emails to be thrown into spam files or not delivered. The warnings give you opportunity to alter your wording.

A fourth means is to have both html-friendly and plain-text emails so that people with all kinds of email services can receive and read your emails.

On the back end, while privacy rights of your subscribers must be respected, certain statistical information helps you monitor the popularity and effectiveness of your email campaigns. Edit accordingly.

The money is in the list you build.

Set-up may involve a modest knowledge and use of code placed on your website or blog, but online or live tutorials may be available to help. They are with Aweber, with which I am affiliated.

Peter Rubel