Title: Autoresponders – An Online University Word Count: 452 Summary: One of the ways I process marketing ideas is to visit as many sites as possible. By doing this I get to see some of the best and worst in online marketing. Recently I discovered a unique way to use autoresponders. The premise is brilliant in execution, successful in gaining membership, but somewhat vague in overall information. The site owner purchased a second web address that spoke to one facet of their online business. This information was knowledge based and execut... Keywords: marketing,internet marketing,site promotion,autoresponders,email marketing Article Body: One of the ways I process marketing ideas is to visit as many sites as possible. By doing this I get to see some of the best and worst in online marketing. Recently I discovered a unique way to use autoresponders. The premise is brilliant in execution, successful in gaining membership, but somewhat vague in overall information. The site owner purchased a second web address that spoke to one facet of their online business. This information was knowledge based and executed much like a visual teaser to a really good movie. Applicable questions were asked and bullet points were added to let visitors know some of the things they could learn from this company. Interestingly there was no link on this secondary website to indicate who the company was or how to contact them. The only contact information was a sign up form for a free five-part ecourse. The site featured an almost university type design leaving the visitor feeling as if the information would be quality and worth their time. It was emphasized that the email information would never be sold or shared with a third party. The added touch was noting that the course started today. For most online users there may not be an understanding of how autoresponders work, so there is a sense of urgency in filling out the form so they can take advantage of the ecourse before it was too late although the website will always indicate the start date as today, which is the beauty of the way autoresponders work. This site might not provide significant link or contact information in the first email, but they will provide quality content that will allow this opt-in ‘university student’ to keep in the loop. Sooner or later the contact information, and primary website, is revealed and supplementary products or services are offered to help the student take full advantage of the information they have taken in through the Autoresponder University. Essentially what this site has done is maximized Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies that ultimately allowed the site owner to lay claim to a highly specialized niche. The high ranking results in a more motivated knowledge consumer who already views high-ranking websites as more trustworthy. This consumer has a better chance at learning greater trust in the business as applicable knowledge based material is delivered by autoresponders. By the time these individuals finally gain access to the priamry site they are not only familiar with the product or service, they know how to use it and what common purposes the product or service may assist in. Autoresponders can be a perfect compliment to your marketing strategies. What creativity can you express in the use of this strategy?