I use Aweber as my auto responder. This tip is specific to Aweber but similar features may exist with your service if you use something other than Aweber.
Two global fields are set up for you automatically. One is called the Contact Address and this is where your mailing address goes that is at the bottom of all your messages, both broadcast and followup.
The second is your signature message, which in most cases is blank unless you put something there. In addition to these you can create and name up to 25 additional global fields.
This post will describe how to make use of the Signature Message. Once you learn how to effectively use this one feature, you will know how to use the others. And I predict you will want to as well.
The global fields tab is fourth down under the My Lists Tab. Once you click on it you will see your contact box, your signature box, and a Custom Global Fields Creator form.
Anything you write in the Signature box will appear in any of your messages anywhere you insert the following: {!signature}
So when you are preparing follow-up messages, instead of putting your standard salutation and signature lines at the end of the message, you just type in {!signature}.
What ever you have in the signature box in global settings will appear in the email when you send it.
The advantage is that while your follow-up emails are evergreen, so they can be sent at any time, your signatures need not be.
This would permit seasonal messages, which is a nice touch. Or if you are a marketer like me, it could include not only a signature, but additional text including a mini pitch for the product of the day.
Currently, I am promoting a free call this coming Tuesday evening on Pay Per Click Advertising by Chuck Mullaney. It should be a good call, and the price is right.
So I changed the text inside my Signature Box to the following:
Best Wishes,
Earl Netwal
http://MicroBusinessSpecialist.com/blog
Free Traffic Seminar
Don’t be Intimidated by Pay Per Click
Tuesday 9PM EDT
Sign Up Now, as My Guest
http://www.cli.gs/NAEvnJ
=================================================
I start with my traditional closing salutation of Best Wishes, I follow with my name and a brief spiel or post script about the call.
I then added a dashed line underneath to serve as a demarcation. If I had a PS in the message I would put them under the dashed line.
This allows me to add a little pitch to each of the followup emails that may be going out to my various lists.
Now since I have several different niches that I am in contact with via email from my aweber account I can create a separate code and follow-up signature for each of my lists.
In addition to inserting the {!signature} tag into my broadcast messages, I have begun using it as a standard signature to many of my broadcast messages as well.
This is not the primary thrust of my messages, and in some cases I may not want any diversions from the main thrust of my main message. In those cases I would just use my normal signature as I always have. But in many other cases, its a nice way of keeping an upcoming event in front of your list even while you are primarily addressing them on another topic.
And as I mentioned earlier, it can be a great away to add seasonal flavor to your canned messages during holidays, etc.
Instead of having to change closing salutations on all your different messages, by altering the text in this one box, all your emails set up with the {!signature} code will reflect the new message. You could change it daily if you wanted.
By the way the call on Tuesday is at 9PM EDT and you should be on it, if you want to learn how to effectively use pay per click to drive low cost traffic to your sites. http://www.cli.gs/NAEvnJ
I welcome you to sign up for free as my quest. And if you don’t have an auto responder yet, you are missing out big time. If you are new to the game, you need to know that you need an auto responder more than you need a web site. Check out Aweber now.