Building a network marketing business is not unlike building a house.  You won’t get far without the right tools.

Autoresponders

Autoresponders are the essential MLM marketing tool if you have any intention of building a network marketing business online. Having people opt into receiving emails from you can increase your bottom line by leaps and bounds.

What exactly does an autoresponder do?

An autoresponder, when loaded with a series of emails, will send messages to your list over a predefined time frame (1/week for 12 weeks, for example). These emails are automatically sent, so once it’s set up, it runs on autopilot.  Such a time saver!

So, lets say someone joins your mailing list.  The autoresponder can be programmed with a initial email, welcoming that person to your list.  Then, this person will continue to receive your messages as often as you program the autoresponder to send them.  If you need to send a message that has not been pre-programmed, there is an option to send out a special broadcast mailing whenever you have the need.

Thankfully, many network marketing companies give you a prewritten series of emails that you can load into your autoresponder using a certain code.  These are personalized in the autoresponder to have your contact info, links, and signature.

So, not only are potential customers and downline introduced to you through your website, but you are also able to build a relationship with them when they become the recipients of carefully crafted sales emails. With good autoresponder messages, you can turn their initial “no, thanks” to your primary MLM offer to, “yes, please!” with a secondary offer or product.

Remember, make sure they opt in to your list, to eliminate any SPAM complaints. It’s also a good idea to start any mailing with a reminder that, “You have opted in to the subscriber list at ___.”

• AWeber has been around for quite a while. They offer a good, reliable and easy to use interface. You can send emails to your list, set up a preloaded set of messages to your autoresponder, make opt-in forms for your website, and you can jazz up your mailings with email template for that professional look. You can get this for free, for a very small opt-in list, but you will probably need to upgrade to handle a bigger list.

• GetResponse is another big player in the autoresponder field. Tracking feature lets you monitor click-throughs, sales, and revenues, so you always know how you’re doing.  This one has video email marketing – GetResponse Multimedia Studio lets you record and store up to 100MB of audio and video files, right from your account. Deliver high-impact customer testimonials, product demos, and event videos − no added software required. This one is free for a very limited list, and is priced as your subscriber list grows.  UPDATE:  I would warn you that if you are considering GetResponse, that you need to know that this company has some strange policies in regards to their billing practices.  If you opt in for a year’s term for the savings, you can count on the fact that they will NOT refund ANYTHING should you decide that the service is not for you. I would steer clear of these guys.

There are lots of other autoresponders as well, such as:

• Interspire – lots of gadgets and options. Starts at $495, so its pricey.
• SendFree gives you stats on the performance of your autoresponders and ads. You also get to place free targeted advertisements on other people’s autoresponders in return for every 2 you host on yours.
• FreeAutobot is a free (obviously) autoresponder service, with no advertising. I have not heard how reliable the delivery is though.

There’s a ton more out there, running the gamut of bells, whistles and prices. Setup isn’t difficult, and most companies are good with giving you a hand getting it going.

The bottom line is – once you have build a list of your own, hard-won business leads, you need to build a relationship with them. An autoresponder does a ton of work for you, and gets the job done easily.