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When you have a big list, it is more than likely that when you send your email marketing campaigns you get a kickback to your inbox. These are auto-responders - those automatically generated emails that go out of your recipient’s inbox every time they receive a message. It’s an unavoidable part of the email marketing turf; sorry folks.

For the most part, autoresponders don’t contain any information that is particularly relevant to you. On the other hand, some are vital to your success. Here are 3 common autoresponder messages, and how to handle them.

“Jane Smith no longer works here.” Bummer, but it happens. You’ll need to cut your losses and remove the email address from your subscriber list. In some cases there will be a forwarding address. Do not be tempted. Step away from the email address. If this individual is not someone you’ve done business with, and are not opting in to your email list, they’re off limits. Adding them is illicit..possibly illegal. If its important that you maintain a link to that particular business, reach out by phone first.

“I’m on Extended Vacation.” We’re talking more than 2 weeks. Keep note of these email addresses; your marketing will start bouncing from them in a few months when the recipient’s inbox gets too full. Before erasing your bounces, take these addresses off the delete list so they will get your emails when they return.

“I’m Filtering Spam.” This means that your email went into a filter for spam. Yes, it traps legitimate marketing emails as well. We know your frustration. Since your email got stopped by that spam filter, chances are that you are being marked as spam - either by the service or by the reader. Even if you jump through the verification hoops, the user may still flag your email as spam. Nice? No, not really. We recommend cutting your losses.

The messages you can just ignore. Some messages may just indicate that the recipient received your email and will respond at some point in time. Another common and easily ignored one is a notice for being out of office for up to 2 weeks. Must be nice! No, seriously - you can ignore this. It is unlikely to affect you.