Make Your Site a Client Magnet

Sometimes free productivity tools provide exactly what you need. Boomerang is one of the best tools I’ve found for Gmail. It’s also available for Outlook.  It can be used on all devices, including Android, iPad, Blackberry and even Windows 7 phones.

Boomerang Benefits

• Send later
• Reminder emails
• Returns an email to your Inbox for follow up

Doesn’t seem that impressive in a list, but put it into use and you will be amazed. You’ll love it as a solo professional.

What I love About Boomerang

First off, Boomerang works with Firefox and Chrome browsers. If you use Internet Explorer, sorry. Once installed it adds buttons for Boomerang and Send Later.

Second, you can use both the send later and the Boomerang together and independently. That means you can set an email to be sent later and also set a reminder for it to return to your Inbox. It can be returned at a certain date and time or you can specify a time span – eg., 1 hour, 2 weeks, etc. You can even specify that it returns only if you don’t receive a reply. Very handy for those short exchanges that sometimes get lost. Also handy for travel confirmations and items you need at some point in the future.

Third, the Send Late button is useful for those who work at times outside the traditional 9 to 5 routine or those who work internationally. Let’s face it, it adds an air of professionalism to your emails when compared to those that you send out at 2 a.m. when you can’t sleep. Admit it – you notice when emails are sent at 2 a.m.  And if you communicate internationally, you can send email during your recipient’s typical work hours. Like the Boomerang button, there are different time spans, from hours to weeks, that you can choose from.

 Free vs. Paid Boomerang

I’m using the Basic (free) version, which provides 10 messages/month. It has all the things I love but since I like so much, I’ll likely upgrade to the Personal account very soon. The Personal Version runs $4.99/month and also adds a Notes feature so you can add a note for when it comes back to your Inbox. It has unlimited messages. The Professional Version will run you $14.99/month and is the only way you can get the Mobile and Recurring Messages. The Recurring Messages seem like a mini-autoresponder. You can set a message to be sent on a regular time interval. Like the Boomerang Personal Version, the Professional Boomerang has unlimited messages.