E-mail Marketing

E-mail Marketing
E-mail advertising is a controversial topic. No one likes to receive unsolicited e-mail (junk mail or spam), therefore make sure you do not send spam. Only send e-mail to people who have already agreed to receive e-mail from you or your website, blog, forum, etc.

With a quality list of opt-in email address, you can market directly to people who you already know have an interest in what you are sending them. There are many ways of acquiring opt-in e-mail address; you can obtain them form your blog, forum, groups and Web sites. You can also get them from polls and comments posted about your media files or Web sites.

If you have something you are giving for free, you could make it a prerequisite that downloaders supply their e-mail address, and a reply confirmation via e-mail; before making the download available to them. This is useful of you are supplying a Web applet or application. You could also use this technique for the download of music, video and images.

Overtime, you will amass a large database of e-mail address. Send regular updates, promotions and seasonal greetings top the opt-in email subscriber. They are a great source of repeat business and ongoing promotions.

Use social media and social networking Web suite tools to give the apt-in e-mail subscribers media that they can share, pass on to friends and comment about in their social network profiles; always making sure your Web site link is included.

Where you do not control the e-mail address, or they are hidden from you as is the case in most social media sites, you still can send people you site link. By using humorous, controversial or interesting media files and links, stories, reports, articles, forum posts, etc., it is easier to send promotional material en-masses. Using the internal messaging service of the social networking site, you can send such e-mails to your network of friends and their network of friends.
E-mail Marketing