Even local businesses can benefit from email marketing. By using a simple promotion, such as offering a free item or service by signing up for an email list or providing a business card, you will have a list of customers in your area which you can then reach directly.  

For example, by sending out a coupon or information about a special promotion, you can encourage your customers to come into your business again.  Or, you could consider publishing a monthly newsletter, which gives information about the products or services that you offer. For internet businesses or websites, putting together a MySpace mailing list through a signup box in your profile or a newsletter list from a signup on your website is easy.   Any email campaign can be done at nearly no cost, unlike using forms of media like TV or newspapers.  Compared to hundreds of dollars for a single advertisement, email marketing can be done for as little as $10 for a thousand emails. 

When sending out your message, you will want to take care to craft an interesting piece of mail.  Keep in mind that people are bombarded with marketing messages and yours will need to stand out.  The subject line must accurately describe the email, but still be compelling enough to arouse the interests of the recipient so that they open the email.  Avoid using too much bolding, italics, or capital letters in either the subject or the body of the message.  Also, make sure to not use too many images for the amount of content of the email, as this can increase the likelihood that your message will be flagged as spam.

One other consideration is to consider the call to action.  What is the desired result when a custome receives this email?  Do you want them to come in to your business?  Do you want them to call you?  Do you want them to respond to your email, or visit the website?  Make sure to be clear with how the customer should respond.  Entice their response with rewards, such as eCoupons or information about a current promotional price. 

Email marketing also shines in tracking.  Unlike conventional paper campaigns that are costly and difficult to track, most email marketing software will offer you real-time reports on your campaign.  These statistics usually include how many people open the email or how many click on the link. 

Be sure to use emails responsibly.  You do not want to be blacklisted as a spammer by sending unsolicited emails.  Make sure to offer your customers a route to opt-out, and only email customers who have given permission.