Email marketing can attract new customers, keep existing customer, up-sell, cross-sell and cut marketing costs. When you are first starting, it is very tempting to purchase an opt-in email list. You can pick up a list of a million or so addresses for just a couple of bucks. While that may appear to be a fast, easy way to build up a customer base, the names on the list may not be up to date and they are not even opt-in contacts. Emailing information to people from a list like this is called spamming.

Nobody is going to thank you for spamming them, so forget about these types of lists. It is much safer and much more effective to take the time to build your own real opt-in list.

You can include contact, order and feedback forms on your website for potential customers to fill out and request information. The form should be easy to use and ask for minimal information, such as Name and Email address. You can add a checkbox asking prospects if they would like to receive occasional special offers/discounts/newsletters by email. You should also include your privacy policy which states what will be done with the user information.

One of the most successful methods of email marketing is the double opt-in list. This is when a confirmation email is sent to the user and they must click the link within the confirmation email to join your mailing list. The confirmation message should be sent immediately. It should be sent while the subscription is still fresh in the subscribers’ mind and they are still in an online session. You should also explain to users they will not be added to your list until they take the additional action of confirming their intent to be included in your email distribution.