Autoresponders automatically deliver pre-written messages or content when someone sends email to a special address. Here’s the general sequence of events for most good autoresponse systems:

1. A website visitor uses your mailing list subscription box to sign up. Alternatively, someone you meet in person can be directed to send an email to a special email address, which accomplishes the same result.
2. The subscription information lands in a database, either at an outsourced site (which I use) or on your own server, depending on the type of autoresponder you choose.
3. The arrival of the subscription request triggers an automatic email that’s sent to the subscriber, asking her to confirm that she did wish to join the list. This is sometimes referred to as “double opt-in” and is a way to ensure that the person who requested the subscription is the person who owns that email address.
4. Once the subscriber confirms his opt-in, he automatically receives an email from you, usually immediately. This is an email you wrote previously, usually includes “thank you for subscribing” content, and may include additional content such as a gift certificate or a special article.
5. You may also have follow-up emails scheduled to occur in a specific sequence and after a designated number of days from the last message you sent.
6. You may have occasional special notices that you can arrange to be sent to everyone on your list as they arise. These could include vacation messages, business announcements and the like.

Autoresponders help you build your mediation or ADR mailing list, enable requested content to be delivered instantaneously to your prospective clients, and help you manage your mailing database and email delivery seamlessly.

Making Mediation Your Day Job by Tammy Lenski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at MakingMediationYourDayJob.Lenski.com.