You hear about people running home businesses and how much free time they have to do the things they want to do. You hear all this hype about how a home business is such an automated, time freeing process, but how does it work? How is it so automated? There are actually many things that are available to you to help your business run smoothly, and be more automated; one of these is an autoresponder.

What is an autoresponder? For starters, an autoresponder is a group of emails that go out automatically on your behalf to people that have subscribed to your website. The initial email goes out immediately following the prospect logging into your website, so there is no time lost and you have communicated right away with this person. I am sure you have gone onto a website and typed in your name and email address to subscribe to whatever newsletter or information they might be offering. Then, you receive these newsletters and emails on a regular basis from this website.

How will an autoresponder help me with my business? You probably spend a lot of time following up and touching base with prospects who have visited your website. Either that or you don't get business from these prospects because you can't find the time to follow up with them like you should. As you know, you want to keep your brand and product in front of your potential clients at all times. It typically takes most prospects 3-4 times of reviewing the details before making a decision. Any lost time, can be a lost sale. So, an autoresponder will immediately do all of this follow up and touching base for you, bringing in more revenue and saving you lots of time.

Where can I get an autoresponder? There are many autoresponder websites that you can join, and many programs that you can purchase to download to your computer. If you are looking for a referral, I personally use a company called AWeber. You can log into their website and take a free tour to see how they work. They have excellent tutorials to help you get started, and pride themselves on their customer service.

Behind the scenes with an autoresponder... You sign into your autoresponder account and type in whatever newsletter, memo or piece of information that you would like to go out to your prospects. You can create multiple lists containing unlimited emails for different purposes. You might have one list for those who have subscribed to your website but have not made a purchase, and one for your current clients to provide them with customer service. You decide what goes in your autoresponder, and what increments your messages will go out in. With an autoresponder, you will also have the option to track your emails performance, keeping you up to date on what method is working and what is not.

Whatever website you decide on for an autoresponder, it is definitely a wise investment for your business. Your autoresponders will go out whether you are home running your business, or off on vacation! So, what are you going to do with your free time?

April Alva