Create an Autoresponder Sequence

An autoresponder is one of the fundamental tools of email marketing as it allows you to automatically send an email response to a mailing list subscriber or lead. But sending just one email automatically is a waste of a good opportunity and so a sequence of emails is typically created and send to every subscriber, according to defined intervals and other parameters.

An autoresponder sequence can be abused and should be used wisely to avoid annoying your subscribers and getting your domain blacklisted. When used properly, such a sequence can automatically build a relationship with your leads by sending them engaging and informative emails on a regular basis. A lead or subscriber who has appreciates your quality emailed content is one who is far more receptive to your commercial offers, when the time is right.

In the article you will learn how to create an autoresponder sequence.

 

Requirements

To create an autoresponder sequence for your list, you will need:

Note: the same messages can be used with multiple mailing lists.

 

How to Create an Autoresponder Sequence

Add Messages to a List

  1. On the left menu, click Audience and then click Lists (see Figure 1).
  2. In the Lists box, select one list to add your message to.
  3. On the Messages tab, below the Lists, any existing messages in the selected list will be shown.
  4. At the bottom left of the Messages tab, click the + button and the Add Messages form will pop up which will list ALL messages you have created in your account (or project).
  5. Select the message you want to add to the list and check the Add as Sequence.
  6. Click the Add button.
  7. Repeat steps 4 to 6 for each additional message you want to add to the sequence.

Note: in the Add Messages popup form, you can select multiple messages to add at once by holding the [Ctrl] key while selecting.

create-autoresponder-sequence

Figure 1. Create an Autoresponder Sequence.

 

Change the Sequence Order

  1. In the Lists box, select the list you want to re-order.
  2. In the Messages tab, select a message.
  3. In the right column of the messages, click the up or down  buttons to change the order.

 

Add or Remove From Sequence

  1. In the Lists box, select the List.
  2. Select a message on the Messages tab.
  3. In the right column of the messages, click the empty circle button to remove from list or the solid circle button to add to the list (at the end of the sequence).

 

Create a Custom Delay in Sequence

This feature allows you to add a message into the sequence which for the following message, changes the default delay between mailing. For example, if you have 10 messages in the sequence and a 7 day delay between each mailing, you could have the fourth message go out just 1 day after the third message, perhaps because it contains a sales pitch related to the content of the third message.

  1. Go to Campaigns > Messages and either create a new message or edit an existing.
  2. At the bottom of the message edit popup, check the Custom Delay-After? box and specify the required delay.
  3. If it is a new message (or not currently in the list), make sure to Add to List in the required position as described above.

Note that this delay will apply to the message AFTER the one you just edited, in other words the NEXT message in the sequence will be sent after the delay you just specified and it applies ONLY to that next message while all others in the sequence keep the default delay.

Important: be aware that the entire autoresponder sequence will wait until this custom delay has been used, so if you add one message in the sequence with a ONE YEAR delay then no subscriber on your mailing list will get any more emails after that message until the year has passed – so use carefully!

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