Watch Those Autoresponder Variables

Did you know my name is FristName? I didn’t either. But yesterday I received an email that started out with: Hello [FRISTNAME].

Yes, it was spelled that way and included the brackets. This is a called a variable in an autoresponder system. With an autoresponder variable, you are able to put in a variable and have the system fill in the appropriate value from the list.

In this case, it’s obvious what happened. The variable was supposed to be [FIRSTNAME] and it should have been filled in with my first name. However, the sender inadvertently spelled ‘firstname’ incorrectly and of course the autoresponder system didn’t know what to do with it. So it just used it as is!

If you have an autoresponder system for your home based business, make sure you check your work – especially where the variables are used! Nothing will lose respect for you quicker than calling your reader FRISTNAME or some other oddity.

Most autoresponder systems (for example, GetReponse) have drop down menus where you can choose the appropriate variable from their list rather than typing it out. This greatly reduces the risk of your typing in the wrong variable name.

This is an embarrassing error at best. At worst, mistakes like these will cause subscribers to drop off your list.

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