eMail marketing has been around since before the web was all pretty colors and web browsers. Just because it is old though doesn't mean you should ignore it! Although email marketing is often maligned, it is still a great source of revenue for many websites. The trick with email marketing is to do it just enough to encourage the sale but not too much to annoy the customer.

A good email newsletter will have a catchy title and image and a reason for people to click on the offer to read more on your website. It should have a good mix of visual and textual information.

Building your Mailing List

No doubt you have by now realized that new customer acquisition is expensive and can be tough. The most cost effective marketing techniques are where you encourage your existing customers to buy more from you.

But apart from customers signing up on your website what other ways are there for building your mailing list?

In Store Competition for dropping a business card in a bowl.

We see this all the time at small cafes, restaurants and other businesses: it is really simple and very cost effective. All you need is a large bowl and a sign! And for those people who don't have business cards have a preprinted slip next to the bowl so they can enter your competition.

Product Giveaways

If money is tight give away your own products, if money is no problem or you have a very large potential walk in market, give away something really worthwhile like an iPad.

The big internet property right now are the daily deal sites, these are a great way of building your mailing list and we look at these in another chapter of our Marketing Tool Kit.