I don’t often discuss the issue of email marketing here and that’s perhaps an oversight. Maybe it’s time we reconsider this powerful option.

Despite it not being the latest bright, shiny object, email marketing has been an effective tool for a long time. Some argue its star is waning, but not at such a rate that it will go dark any time soon.

Let’s dispel any thought that email marketing is the same as spamming. While they share some similarities (they both involve email), there is more that separates them.

A broad definition of spam is it is any form of unsolicited email. It is most often associated with the unscrupulous collection and sale of uncategorised and irrelevant email addresses scavenged from a variety of random sources. Successful email marketing relies on the consent of a willing recipient, who is willing to trade their email address for the expectation of some form value in return.

So what do you need for an email marketing campaign? Two ingredients are essential - a list of addresses and valuable content to deliver.

With an effective list of addresses, there is great opportunity to get topical information to a wide audience. It is very cost effective.

Over the weeks ahead, I plan on writing some more posts on the topic. Treat this as a seed planted.

In the meantime, perhaps you may be interested in someone who writes specifically on this topic. One of the biggest advocates of email marketing is DJ Waldow from Waldo Social. (I always think that sounds like a made up name.) You might get some ideas from his blog. I really appreciated one of his recent post - Stop sharing your email newsletter in social media. This post was actually written by Chris Penn (Christopher S. Penn : Awaken Your Superhero). Chris doesn’t always write about email but definitely worth a read for more general marketing thoughts.