Strategy One: Brand identification

Brand identification is one of the fundamental concepts of marketing, and you can use emails to contribute to yours.

Brand identification is letting people know who you are, and what you stand for, by creating an image in their minds.

This is literally gold in the marketing arena.

We pay more for Nikes, not because they're always better than competitors, but because of the image that advertisers have created for us.

So how can you use email to do this?

If your firm is high tech, then you'll want emails and newsletters that show this.

Be the one to use "streaming media" or "online video" in your emails (offer this as an option though, along with a less high-tech option for those without broadband connections).

Does your firm appeal to young consumers who like things that are unusual?

Or who like funky humor?

Then let your fonts and graphics play into this.

Are you sending out financial reports to baby boomers in your newsletters?

Then conservative colors and fonts should be used.

The tone of the writing you use, and even the topics you include in each email communication are building up brand identification in the minds of those who read them.

Try to be consistent, and reach your target audience (people who are most likely to buy from you) with content that appeals to them, and you'll see response rates grow.

Use your emails to tell customers about special updates and products: in the old days, we put up flyers or sent direct mail ads; now we tell our customers by email.

This is a highly effective marketing strategy, because John may be ready to update his outmoded software and welcome your notice, or Sally may be glad to hear that there's a special at her local hair salon.

You can save a lot of money by using email to advertise your specials instead of printing and mailing out ads.

This is one reason that email marketing is often best used along with offline marketing methods: the two go hand-in-hand, and the most successful firms use both.

Strategy Two: Use Your Emails To Build good customer relations

This is one of the most effective uses of emails, since if they are used positively to build up your firm's reputation for service and attentiveness, you will see sales and customer retention go up.

CRM is a big buzzword in marketing circles today, and for good reason: people will simply go elsewhere if they believe that they are receiving better service (or value) elsewhere.

From the autoresponders that your firm sends when clients fill out an order form, confirming that their order was received and is being processed, to the news updates you send your opt-in list, the quality of your communications can go a long way towards creating positive relations.

Grammatically correct, polite emails that let customers know that you will contact them shortly, and that provide contact information in case they need to reach you immediately can be a powerful marketing tool.

Use your emails to answer customer questions, and overcome objections to buying from you. If your emails are polite, answer client questions in a clear, easy-to-understand manner, and give them the information they are asking for, you've probably just won a customer!

You can also send out "articles" that help address common customer concerns, that can bring down barriers to buying from you (for instance, an article that discusses financing options, and how to get a great mortgage loan, would be a natural for a real estate company to send in one of its newsletters).

This is one of the untapped arenas of email marketing.

So many web sites have 'frequently asked questions" sections, or information on how to find what the client is looking for.

Why not use your emails to offer this information in a lively, informative manner?

It may be just the push that gets a potential client to click on your site, and decide to buy, if they discover in an email that you send that you are offering a special holiday discount, or are adding extra software to the package you're selling.

Strategy Three: Use Your Email Signature EVERYWHERE

Whether you are sending an email to your Aunt Mary, or are participating in an online email discussion list, always, always include your web site URL and email address in your signature (unless the online list rules forbid this).

This is automatic advertising for your business, and is an effective method of letting people know that you're online, and ready to receive mail from them.

Send Greeting Cards. If you have a regular email client list, they will most likely welcome a friendly greeting card from you during holiday time.

This is a great method of helping them remember you, to wish them a happy season, and to let them know about seasonal promotions.

They key to success with this method, of course, is that these are from your opt-in list; they know you, and have agreed to receive regular communications from your firm.

Don't try this with strangers, or they will be offended, and accuse you of SPAMMING them.

Hold a Contest. You can use email to hold a contest, and to offer prizes to winners.

This is one method of increasing interactivity, and to increase interest in your newsletter or ezine.

If the contest is at your physical location offline, you can still use email to let your customers know that it's going on, and to encourage them to participate - and to get others to sign up as well.

Strategy Four : Market Your Newsletter or Content in Ezines and Newsletters

There are literally thousands of ezines (online magazines) and newsletters available today, devoted to almost every conceivable topic.

Do you provide wedding planning? Find the ezines that address engaged couples and wedding planning, and place an ad in one.

Most ezines and newsletters are quite inexpensive to advertise in (some will even give you a free ad if you write an article for them, or will trade ads with you if you publish a newsletter).

But some of the extremely large ones do charge hefty rates.

The good news? These rates are much, much less than ads in print media ...

Where do you find ezines and newsletters?

There are several directories for ezines and newsletters available online.

You can find ezines at www.ezine-universe.com, or at www.bestzines,com and newsletters at www.egroups.com, www.escribe.com, www.topica.com, and www.onelist.com , to name just a few of the better-known directories.

Create your own newsletter, online course, or ezine.

Want people to perceive you as an expert in your field?

And to market your firm effectively?

Then you will want to consider creating your own ezine or newsletter.

This is a highly effective email marketing tool for several reasons:

o It helps you build your email list

o You can place your own ads in it, and promote your services or affiliate programs

o People will see your web site address, your logo, and a link to your programs in each email that you send them. They will open the emails, because you are providing them with articles and information that they want (unlike SPAM, which gets deleted immediately).

By using email as part of an overall marketing plan, you can increase your firm's brand identity, improve customer relations, and help get the word out about your online (or offline) business.

P Lim is the editor of http://www.Catasult.com which provides valuable tips and advice on web promotion and internet marketing from linking strategies to search engine industry news, internet marketing articles and more.