If you have an autoresponder account then you have the option to be able to set it up so that your subscribers can not reply to your autoresponder messages by hitting the reply button.
In other words you have it set to no-reply.
Let me ask you a question.
Have you ever wanted to contact someone and hit the reply button and then found out you couldn’t?
How did you feel?
When I have experienced this I have tended to feel a little annoyed because it means I have to go searching for the support desk link or the support email address. It costs me time.
Have you ever considered how your own subscribers might feel if you use the no-reply option?
4 Reasons Why You Should Never Use No-Reply
1. You Don’t Value Your Subscribers.
It makes it look as though you don’t want people contacting you or you want to make it difficult for them. This sends a message that you don’t value subscriber feedback. Whether this is true or not that is the message you convey.
2. Potential Spam Complaints
It has been shown that using no-reply leads to an increase in spam complaints. The reason is that often people will hit reply when they want to remove themselves from your email list rather than click on the unsubscribe link.
This is particularly the case when you are building a list with people who are not “autoresponder savvy”.
3. Less Trust
Missing out on building valuable relationships and trust. Any interaction you get from your subscribers is a bonus! It means that they are engaged with you and therefore you are far more likely to develop a lasting relationship with those who email you.
My own analysis of this points firmly to an increase in customer retention from those subscribers who take the time to reply to my emails.
4. Self Centered Approach
It makes you look self centered. Its fine for you to send emails to other people but you don’t want to have the hassle of receiving emails yourself! That just looks bad.
What To Do Instead
If you want to keep your subscriber replies separate then create a specific email address that those emails are sent to. This is very easy to do in your autoresponder account.
You will need to add this new email account to your autoresponder account and then confirm that it is your email. Then you can select that specific email address to be the one that replies are sent to.
It is important that your subscribers feel valued and are able to contact you easily. Having an interactive email campaign is well worth the time and effort on your part if you want to encourage customer retention and satisfaction.