Information marketers are real winners with the enhancements to this technology. We are seeing all kinds of multiple-week courses being delivered through autoresponders. My six-week Secrets of Search Engine Success is delivered through autoresponder technology. When someone purchases this course, the first lesson is received immediately and then a subsequent lesson arrives each week for the duration of the course.

Things like Golf Tip of the Week for golf courses or Featured Destination  of the Week for travel agencies or Flaxseed Recipe of the Month for an organic foods merchant are all examples of the types of ways these autoresponders can use this technology to stay in front of the eyes and minds of their target customers. You can incorporate viral marketing messages to encourage recipients to tell others about the information they are receiving or provide a copy to their friends. Whenever you use viral marketing, make sure you provide the recipient easy  access to the opportunity to subscribe to receive the same information.

All successful viral campaigns are personalized. The recipient’s first name is incorporated throughout the e-mail—in the subject line, in the salutation, and throughout the body. The sender’s name is also incorporated into the message as well, to reinforce the recommendation from a trusted source. The more innovative and interesting, the higher the uptake. On April Fool’s Day Workopolis offered all MSN.ca Web site visitors the opportunity to send a fake press release to their friends. There were a number of templates provided to choose from—things like announcements of the sender’s new job as CEO, TV news anchor, or supermodel. The viral campaign was a resounding success, far exceeding Workopolis’s expectations.