Overview

You have read over and over that it is less expensive to get an existing customer to make a purchase than to get a new customer to make a purchase. The most recent figures suggest that it is six times as expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to retain a customer. You have also read that the least expensive way to market to existing customers is via targeted e-mail.

Email Marketing is spreading around the whole world because of its high effectiveness, speed and low cost. If you want to introduce and sell your product or service, the best way is to use e-mail to contact your targeted customer. Targeted e-mail is no doubt very effective. If you can introduce your product or service through email directly to the customers who are interested in them, this will bring your business a better chance of success. 

Yet, you have been reluctant to begin any marketing via e-mail because:

You have yet to ask your customers or visitors for permission to market to them,
You don't want to look like an amateur,
You don't have any systems in place to actually send the mail, let alone deal with irate customers, handle unsubscribe requests, handle bounced messages, etc.,
You don't have content other than the promotion you would like to send out,
You don't have any e-mail addresses.

You can do e-mail promotions without doing a newsletter. However, if you want to grab and hold the attention of busy customers or members, then you have to provide them with more than just the information about the products or services. You have to give them a reason to care about the product.