Email Marketing - Are You Finding Gold Through Emails?

If your business has a website you are already streets ahead of your competitors who do not have a web presence. But if you are not looking to the flipside of you web site i.e. email marketing, you are missing out on a precious opportunity. Email marketing presents a way for online businesses to drive qualified buyers to your site at the touch of a button and it costs nothing.

The bottom line is that you need to develop an email list. The way you do it is for anyone who comes tot your site to supply their email address in exchange for a free newsletter, membership subscription or a free report. That email address represents a permanent hot lead you can plug into anytime.

Once you have initiated your email list you can start emailing. The beauty of this is you can start your campaign with as few as ten email addresses. Just watch the list grow after that. Do not be tempted to spam people's email inboxes. Rather use white-hat techniques to build up a qualified list of opt-in email recipients. This will pay huge dividends eventually.

When you send out mass emails here are some of the techniques you can use:
1. Announce Your Special Offers. This can be done weekly, fortnightly, monthly or whenever you fancy. You can create Halloween specials or specials on your birthday. You are limited only by your imagination.

2. Announce Special "Customer Only" Events. This is a great way to reward customers and to keep them on your mailing lists.

3. Make Contact With Your Hottest Leads. Use email to follow up with people you have spoken to but who are not yet customers. Offer to answer queries and make it known you are available to meet with them when it suits them.

4. Offer Electronic "Special Coupons". This is a good way to turn customers into repeat customers. Let them know they can use the coupon next time they purchase in your online store or storefront. Make these coupons of limited duration to motivate quick action.

5. Start A Referral Chain. Encourage email recipients to forward your marketing emails to friends, family and colleagues. You will find your business growing exponentially. Make the forwarding request standard with every email.

6. Make Use Of Mass Email Software. Software makes it possible to distribute fully personalized email promotions to your entire list automatically at the click of a mouse.

7. Get Email Signups In Your Brick And Mortar Store. Make it possible for customers to sign up for your weekly newsletter in store. Ask for name, address, phone, email and/website. You want to know their website address because perhaps you can do "link exchanges with them to make your website stronger.

8. Accept That Email Marketing Is For Brick And Mortar Stores Too. Not only will your existing tangible store benefit but you might find your business expanding into the virtual marketplace which will benefit your bottom line immensely.