Trying to stay on top of every customer interaction with your brand can be a real challenge, especially if you’re handling things manually. It might be manageable to respond to each email individually if you only have a handful of customers, but what happens when your audience grows to 100 clients? Or 500? Or 20,000?
One solution many brands use is email autoresponders. But what is an email autoresponder?
An email autoresponder is a tool that sends a pre-written message whenever someone takes a specific action on your website. It’s automatic and instant, providing your clients with a positive brand experience and saving you valuable time in your email marketing efforts.
Understanding the uses of email autoresponders
Email autoresponders are helpful in a variety of situations, for businesses of all sizes.
Double opt-in processes
Whenever a new customer signs up for your email marketing list, it’s best to follow up with an opt-in message to confirm they want to receive your emails.
Most companies include a link within the opt-in message that the user clicks as a form of “digital signature.” Opt-in messages help you comply with email marketing regulations and verify the customer provided an accurate email address.
Welcome emails
It’s good practice to thank new subscribers for signing up for your email list and use the opportunity to introduce them to your brand and what it offers. Because this information will be the same for everyone, you can handle the process automatically with an email autoresponder.
Onboarding emails
An onboarding email sets the stage for future engagement. You can use it to inform subscribers about your brand and encourage them to share additional information so you can personalize future messages. Since most onboarding emails are generic, they’re ideal for email autoresponders.
Transactional emails
A transactional email is a receipt or confirmation for a specific customer event. You might use transactional emails to confirm a sale, provide shipping updates, or remind customers of an upcoming appointment.
Advantages of implementing email autoresponders
Email autoresponders can offer a number of benefits to your email marketing campaign. Here are a few upsides to keep in mind if you’re considering implementing one.
Enhancing customer experience
Customers expect to hear from you when they interact with your brand, especially if they provide you with something of value — like their contact information or payment details. When you set up email responders, clients instantly receive brand communication based on their actions. It’s a simple way to confirm you’re paying attention.
Improving email response rates
Since customers’ actions trigger email autoresponders, they’re more likely to see, open, and act on your email. Better response rates mean higher return on your marketing investment.
Strengthening marketing efforts
Email autoresponders are one component of a healthy, comprehensive email marketing strategy. They demonstrate your attention to subscribers and help you move your leads through your marketing funnel.
Comparing top autoresponder software
Several email marketing platforms offer autoresponder tools. However, not all platforms provide the same features, so it’s a good idea to compare your options to find a suitable fit for your brand.
Constant Contact
Constant Contact is the go-to platform for your email marketing needs. Every plan includes drag-and-drop templates you can create and customize, plus helpful AI content recommendations to save you time.
Other features include:
- Automated welcome emails for new subscribers
- Ability to resend unopened emails and integrate predefined automation path templates
- Custom automation paths, which you set based on defined customer trigger actions
The Lite plan starts at $12 monthly for up to 500 subscribers. The Standard and Premium plans start at $35 and $80 monthly.
HubSpot
HubSpot’s email marketing tools are geared toward large organizations with significant subscribers.
While HubSpot offers starter email marketing plans for small businesses, the features are minimal. For instance, its Starter plan doesn’t include custom reporting tools or A/B testing options. You’ll need to upgrade to a Professional plan to access those.
HubSpot’s Starter plan includes up to 10 automated actions. It starts at $20 monthly for 1,000 subscribers. The professional plan is $890 monthly for 2,000 marketing contacts, with tiered pricing as your list grows. Discounts are available for annual plans.
Brevo
Brevo’s email marketing service includes a drag-and-drop editor, an email template gallery, and automated transactional emails on all plans. It also contains a workflow editor and customizable marketing automation for up to 2,000 contacts on its Free and Starter plans.
Brevo’s Starter plan starts at $9 monthly or $21 monthly if you want to remove Brevo’s logo from your messages. The Business plan is $18 monthly and automatically removes branding. You’ll also receive full access to customizable email automation workflows with no contact limitations.
GetResponse
GetReponse is a good choice for small businesses in the early stages of email marketing. Its free plan supports up to 500 contacts and includes essential features like an email editor and custom HTML.
The real benefits start with the $15.60/monthly Email Marketing plan, which provides A/B testing support, predesigned templates, and analytics tools. Email Marketing includes basic automation templates like welcome and birthday emails.
To access all of GetResponse’s email automation tools, you’ll need to upgrade to the $97.60/month Ecommerce Marketing plan, which includes support for drip campaigns, customized automation workflows, and abandoned carts. A middle-ground Email Marketing plan option is available for $48.40/monthly, which provides for all automation tools except abandoned cart notifications.
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign offers multi-step marketing automation with all of its plans. You can establish multiple triggers to trigger your automated messages. Its Plus, Pro, and Enterprise plans also support omnichannel marketing automation, which is helpful if you use multiple advertising channels.
ActiveCampaign doesn’t offer a free plan. Prices start at $15 monthly for the Starter plan, $49 monthly for Plus, $79 monthly for Pro, and $145 monthly for Enterprise.
ConvertKit
ConvertKit specializes in connecting creators with their fans. Its Newsletter plan includes support for one automation sequence for up to 10,000 subscribers. Upgrading to the Creator plan gets you unlimited automation and sequences for up to 300 subscribers, and tiered pricing is available for larger mailing lists.
AWeber
AWeber is another email marketing tool geared toward creators. Its Lite plan supports up to three email automations, with no subscriber limitations, for $12.50 monthly. Upgrading to the $20/monthly Plus tool gets you unlimited email automations and custom segments. AWeber integrates with Canva design tools to help you create professional-looking messages.
Choosing the right email autoresponder tool
So, how do you know which email marketing software is the best option for your business? Keep these tips in mind.
Customizability and ease of use
Some email autoresponders offer few automation options besides a welcome email. If you plan on designing a fair amount of automation workflows, you’ll want a platform with unlimited automation options that don’t require a steep learning curve to get started.
Integration with other tools and systems
Ideally, your email marketing platform will integrate with other marketing channels and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Check each platform’s integrations to see if it works with your existing tools.
Quality of customer support
If you run into issues with your email marketing software, it helps to have assistance at your fingertips. Consider each platform’s customer support options, including personal support, articles and how-to guides, and community forums.
Price point
Your budget is a major factor in choosing email marketing software. You don’t want to overspend on features you don’t need. You can always start with an entry-level plan, then scale up as your list grows.
How to set up an autoresponder
Once you decide on an email marketing platform, follow these steps to set up your first autoresponder message.
1. Establish an objective
What do you hope to accomplish from the autoresponder? Do you want to confirm a new email sign-up? Welcome subscribers to your brand? Send a discount on a special day, such as your subscriber’s birthday? Knowing your purpose can help you draft your email copy and create a workflow.
2. Design an automation workflow
The automation workflow kicks off when a subscriber takes a specific action. Outline the steps to trigger a message so you can ensure a seamless customer experience, and a clear process for your team.
In some cases, you may include multiple triggers. For instance, maybe all new subscribers receive a welcome email. If they click on specific links in your message, their actions may trigger follow-up emails related to their clicks.
3. Time your messages
Some automated emails may be instantaneous, such as when a client subscribes to your mailing list. However, you may want to schedule other follow-ups at different times. For instance, maybe you send an abandoned cart message two days after a customer visits your website and browses your products. Pacing your messages helps prevent customers from feeling rushed or overwhelmed, and adds a layer of authenticity to your communication efforts.
Best practices for autoresponder emails
When creating an autoresponder email template message, follow these best practices to get the most out of your campaign.
Follow basic design principles
Setting up a few templates beforehand can save you time while making sure all communications match your brand’s colors, style, and logo. Maintaining the same format in your messages keeps them consistent and easily recognizable among your subscribers.
Customize content for different audiences
Some email marketing platforms include segmentation features that allow you to send communications to specific subscriber groups based on their characteristics. If you have a broad audience, tailoring your messages to suit each customer category can improve results.
Maintain compliance with email regulations
The U.S., EU, Canada, and other countries have regulations concerning marketing emails. While the laws differ, they each have one thing in common — you must get written consent from a subscriber before sending them marketing emails. Ensure you have a clear documentation process to keep your organization compliant and learn about other laws that may apply to your marketing efforts.
Optimize for mobile viewing
Not all subscribers will view your emails on a laptop or desktop computer. Some may read them on smartphones or tablets. Choose flexible templates that automatically resize to fit your subscribers’ devices to avoid readability issues.
Address user privacy preferences
When subscribers sign up for your email list, they’re trusting you with personal contact details. Make sure you don’t break their trust by sharing your email list with third parties — or, even worse, selling their email address. If you send a variety of different messages, such as newsletters, promotional information, and company updates, give clients the option to opt in or out of messages they don’t want.
Evaluating autoresponder performance
Your email marketing platform may provide analytics to help you evaluate campaign performance. Examine the metrics available so you understand what each one means.
A few critical metrics email marketers usually track include open rates, click-throughs, and conversions. You can set benchmarks for each metric and aim to achieve them in your email marketing campaigns and autoresponder messages.
If your results fall short of your expectations, try tweaking small elements of your message, such as your subject line or copy, to see if it improves results. You can send different versions of your autoresponder messages to small groups of subscribers to see if changes boost your metrics. If there’s a clear winning combination, use that email in your future autoresponder campaigns.
Finding the best autoresponder email platform for your needs
Many email marketing platforms offer autoresponder capabilities, but not all of them will be a suitable fit for your business. Before deciding on a platform, write down your goals and how you plan to incorporate autoresponder emails into your marketing campaigns.
If you believe autoresponders will form the bulk of your email marketing efforts, it may be worth investing in a platform that offers unlimited automation and workflow customization features. However, those features come at a cost, so be mindful of your budget. If you’d like inspiration for your first automated email workflow, check out “7 Ideas for Your First Automated Email Series.”
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