An email autoresponder system lets you reach out and contact your subscribers in two ways. You can set up a series of follow up emails that get automatically dripped out over time. Or, you can blast out what’s known as a Broadcast email to your list at any time you’d like!
Keep in mind that these people have given you their trust. They handed over some very valuable information to them – their name and email address at minimum. So you want to treat that information with respect, not go filling their email inbox with dozens of messages each day. That’s a quick way to whittle down your subscriber list.
Broadcast emails should be used sparingly if you already have a follow up system in place. You don’t want your customers getting two emails per day from you. One is about the most your subscribers will want (and some won’t even want that many).
What goes into a broadcast email? Several things are appropriate. You might be the kind of person who has zero follow-up emails, so your daily broadcast can be less urgent – something where you simply touch base with your readers and discuss topics of your choice within the niche.
If follow ups are already in place, then choose to use your broadcasts for items of a more urgent nature. For example, if you have a sale that’s going to last for 48 hours, go ahead and blast your list to let them know about it.
Perks are always welcome, too. If you have a special code or coupon your prospect or customer can use to receive a freebie or discount, then by all means go ahead and blast that out!
The same goes for any freebies you have to offer in the form of immediate downloads. You can tailor your message to say you didn’t want them to have to wait for this amazing gift, so you’re sending it out ASAP.
Important news can be blasted out in a broadcast message. For example, if you discover something alarming that could have a detrimental effect on your target audience, it would be seen as a courtesy to rush the news to their inbox.
Broadcast emails are often preferred by email marketers because follow ups have to be tended to over time. If you have a follow up email that includes a link that goes bad, or even content that becomes irrelevant, and you have hundreds of follow ups in your queue, it can difficult to prune those from your communications.
If you use broadcast emails only, make sure you do set up at least one follow up email – your welcome message. You don’t want someone to subscribe to a bimonthly email newsletter the day after yours goes out and have to wait two weeks before they ever hear from you. So get the greeting over with and reiterate which days they will be hearing from you.