Having a free autoresponder when you are just starting out in an internet business can be a real blessing. Most of us start out on a shoestring budget. Anything we can get for free can really help.
To use Gmail, of course, you’ll need to have an account. If you don’t have one, just go to Google and get one. The best part is that it’s totally free!
If you have your business set up to receive a lot of emails with the same subject line, you can set Gmail to answer them for you.
For example, if you’ve conducted a survey about an Oster dog clipper you’re offering, ask your people to email you at OsterClipper@YourGmailAddress. You can then set up Gmail to act as your free auto responder.
To set up Gmail, you need to enable ‘canned reply’.
- Click the settings tab at the top of your Gmail inbox window
- In the new window, click on the ‘labs’ tab
- Scroll down and search for ‘canned response’
- Click ‘enable’
- Scroll down further and click ‘save changes’
Now go back to your inbox. There click on the ‘compose mail’ tab on the left of the window. You can now type the email you want to send in response to OsterClipper’s email.
You can say something like:
“Thank you so much for giving me feedback on the Oster Clippers. Your feedback will help me keep my site up to date with what you want. I’ve received many, many emails so please excuse me if I don’t reply immediately. Thanks again, _____ “
Then, just below the subject line of your email, you’ll see a new option.
- Click on ‘canned response’
- In the drop down menu
- Go to save area
- Click on ‘new canned answer’
- Name it using the subject line you want your customers to use
- Click OK
- Return to the top of the top of your inbox
- In the configuration area:
- Click ‘create filter’
- In the filter box, enter the subject that the emails will contain. (It’s not case sensitive, so don’t worry about that.)
- Click ‘next step’
- In the options that appear, you want to choose ‘send a canned response’
- Then, from the dropdown menu, select the subject line you entered.
- Click ‘create filter’ at the bottom of the box
Now whenever you receive an email with the subject line you told your customers to use, the reply email will be sent to them. Don’t forget to keep track of the emails yourself.
