I doesn't matter what business you are into. There is always an audience that needs your products and services; and the easiest way to get to them is via the email. You can reach an astonishing number of individuals in a very short period.

Because of its popularity, email marketing strategies and methods have been divided into the following categories. While this is by no means conclusive, it will at least give you an idea of the various methods available on the internet.

There are three of them namely: Marketing to an Opt-in list, Newsletter Marketing, and Bulk email marketing. Of all these three, marketing to an opt-in list produces the highest results followed by the Newsletter or ezine marketing. Forget about bulk email marketing campaigns. They are not worth all the stress. More than 55% of them are deleted on reception without even being read.

Have you ever visited websites that have the information you desire only to be asked to leave your email address so you can have access to the information? I am sure you would have encountered this several times on the internet. If the sites are reputable, they often send you a confirmation link that you have to click in your box before you can get to the download page or the download link.

Whenever you do that, you get on the information or service provider's opt-in list. These particular clients are the best you can send your offer to. Why? Because they have already showed an interest in what services and products you have to offer and as a result, are willing and more open towards hearing from you and ultimately buying from you. The opt-in list is a collection of email addresses collected by an individual or company as a result of the signified interest of such individuals.

The major mistake many new marketers make is to solicit to their lists immediately after signing them up. Unfortunately, even mature "old hands" who have the played the game for long still do this. While it may work for a few people, the majority just get a few orders. The quickest way to getting your clients to pick up your product is by helping them create an intense need within themselves. Make them feel like they can't live without you. Ok maybe that's going too far, but you get the point. Court your customers like you would a very beautiful woman. Make them dependent on you. Create in them, the thirst for more information from you. When you get to this level, they look out for your email and it becomes easy to sell to them.

I am subscriber to quite a few opt-in lists, ezines and newsletters. More often than not, I tend to ignore emails that do only one thing: Obvious selling. Recent estimates have shown that people would easily buy from service providers who offer nuggets of valuable information than from those who just sell. Over time, the emails who just sell are unsubscribed from while those that offer information get more subscribers. So, when you decide to set up your own email marketing campaign, have this at the back of your mind: Customers buy only from people they think are providing valuable information.