To some business owners, creating this series can be a daunting task – but it doesn’t have to be! With a bit of planning, everyone can create an autoresponder series that communicates important information and offers to subscribers, no matter what industry you are in.
For example, let’s look at some easy autoresponder ideas for a specific type of business – a beauty salon. These examples are specific, but you can apply them to all kinds of campaigns.
A Welcome Email
Subject: Greetings and Thanks for Signing Up with A Cut Above!
The welcome message should thank subscribers for visiting our salon (or the salon website) and reiterate what subscribers will receive (in this case, promotions and exclusive offers). It can also give subscribers a reason to return to the site – for example, to view our full range of services.
While a welcome message should be simple and to the point, we shouldn’t forget that this is a great place to begin branding our series. Including a simple logo, or working with an HTML email template, can really give our campaign a professional edge and help subscribers recognize us.
Offer a Discount on a Variety of Products!
Subject: 15% Off All Products at A Cut Above
In this message we can include links to the product pages on our site that we are offering at a discounted price, making it easy for our subscribers to click through and eliminating the search for the products they are most interested in. Let’s say our products fall under the following categories:
- Styling Tools (brushes, hair dryers, curling irons, etc.)
- Shampoos and Conditioners
- Styling Products (gel, hairspray, pomade, etc.)
- Accessories (headbands, hair clips, etc.)
With click tracking enabled, we can see exactly which link/s each subscriber clicks. Then we can segment our list later on and send tightly focused messages only to those subscribers who clicked on “Styling Tools” or “Accessories.”
Drive Traffic With a Freebie
Subject: Complimentary Manicure for All Visits Next Week – A $30 Value!
Weekends are normally hectic for beauty salons, so our third email in the series provides incentive for clients to make appointments during the business week.
By offering a free manicure, we are more likely to book appointments with clients who are watching their wallets and would otherwise not come into the salon at all.
Send a Time Sensitive Autoresponder
Subject: Buy a Gift Certificate at A Cut Above and Get a Second at 25% Off – Tuesday Only!
To have this message go out on Tuesdays at a specific time, we can use autoresponder send windows, which enable us to automatically send this message only on a certain day of the week.
Sending our subscribers a “one day only” promotion lets them know that they have to take immediate action. Plus, the savings offered here is significant, so this will really drive Tuesday gift certificate sales.
Things All Businesses Should Consider When Creating a Campaign
- Provide real incentive for subscribers to keep coming back. Whether you send a free gift or advertise incredible sale prices, continue to send specials through email and refer to these offers when speaking with your customers.
- Pick a style and stick with it. Your subscribers will grow to learn your branding and recognize the emails that you send. Once you find your voice and choose a template, your emails will be an extension of your business – you want them to look professional.
Ideas for Other Businesses?
What types of businesses would you like to see examples for? Share your ideas below!