If you are a business owner and haven’t started using email marketing to communicate with your customers and prospects yet – now is the time. Jupiter Research predicts that US spending on email advertising will grow to $2.1 billion by 2012, so if you haven’t started using email marketing now is the time if you want to survive.

What exactly is email marketing?

E-mail marketing is is the use of email to send a targeted messages, information or offers to a designated set of customers or prospects. This is done by asking your customers or prospects to sign up or opt in to receive email from you.

If you haven’t gotten started yet with email marketing there are a few things that you can do to get started on the right foot.

Getting started with email marketing

The first thing you should do is identify the email management tool that you will use to store your customers or prospects names and email addresses and send out email from. There are a few tools that we recommend for this that range from $18 – $40 a month depending on your needs. This tool must provide an option for the visitor to opt-in to your list and if they wish to opt-out. It is important that you don’t skip this step. Trying to cut corners on this step could end up costing you.

The next thing that you will need to do is establish a method for collecting the names and email addresses of your customers or prospects. There are several ways that you can do this. One of the top ways to capture names and email addresses is to set up a lead capture form on your web site and offer a coupon or special in exchange for providing their name and email address. If you have a storefront location you could have your customers complete a registration card to be added to your mailing list, or you could place a computer near the checkout as well and have them register when checking out.

How to build your list?

One key to successfully building your list is to offer your customers and prospects an incentive to sign up for your list. In most cases if you operate a retail store or restaurant a good incentive to sign up for your list is to offer a a coupon of value (i.e.: 20% off, Free Dessert, Free Appetizer). A good incentive for a doctor, dentist, or other health care provider could be a free report on a health related topic.

Once you have your email management tool in place and have a method to collect the names and email addresses of your customers and prospects it is time to begin marketing to your list. The key to effective email marketing is to provide useful, relevant information to your customers and prospects without directly selling to them with every email. Your goal is to build a relationship with your customers and prospects and position yourself in their mind as the first choice when they need the product or service you offer. If you are a restaurant or retail store owner it is a good idea however to include a coupon or a special in your email messages, this is typically very well received.

If you follow the tips above for setting up an email management tool, building your list and how to mail to your list you will experience great success in your email marketing and you will l not be left behind with email marketing.

About the author: Stefanie Blackburn is the Internet Consultant for SourceOne Technologies.  SourceOne Technologies  focuses on helping our clients excel when it comes to creating an online presence and succeeding with email marketing.

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