One of the key tools for anyone wanting to do business on the World Wide Web is an autoresponder. It also is one of the most misunderstood tools among those new to the effort – and sometimes even for those who have been online for many years.Autoresponders are far more versatile, however. Even the basic autoresponder that comes with your e-mail account can be set up to send a document or photo, even an audio or video file to anyone contacting that address. This is the most basic form of using an autoresponder for delivering a product, but it is not recommended for products you are selling because of the lack of control. Basically, whatever you are selling will be delivered to anyone sending an e-mail to that address – whether they paid for it or not.

The possible uses for an autoresponder at this level are legion. For example, you can set one up to send out a newsletter to your mailing list on a regular basis, another to send e-mails advising your list of special sales, upgrades, new releases or other such information. Still another autoresponder can deliver your digital product, along with future patches or upgrades.Anyone who thinks they may someday want to have a mailing list or sell any kind of product – especially digital, such as downloadable software or e-books – should make investigating autoresponders one of their first and most important tasks. The more you know about them in advance, the more prepared you will be to quickly and efficiently get your business online.