Add Email to your Marketing Mix.

I am passionate about Email Marketing! It is easy, affordable, direct, time-sensitive and highly effective. It can solidify existing relationships, start new ones and convert your one- time visitors into long-term customers. You spend less time and money than with traditional marketing.

Email Marketing is great for small and new businesses. It can drive people to your Web site. And, dare I say, even those without a Web site can benefit.

But the biggest reason I love Email Marketing is that it brings me a HUGE amount of business!

In an online survey:

• 45 percent of respondents say the first thing they do when they wake up in the morning is check their email - even before brushing their teeth.
• 80 percent reported that the first thing they do upon returning to the office from lunch is check emails - even before checking voice messages.
• 78 percent of consumers rated email as their preferred way to hear from their favorite merchants and businesses.

Studies have shown:

• Email Marketing generates $15.50 in sales per dollar spent - more than any other marketing channel.
• 5.5 million small and mid-sized businesses are projected to implement an Email Marketing program over the next few years. These businesses are your competition!

However, Email Marketing can only be that powerful when it's done well.

Using your standard email client (e.g. Outlook®, Hotmail®, AOL, Yahoo® etc.) to send a Bcc text or HTML message to your list is not doing Email Marketing well.

Why not?

• Standard email clients are not designed for Email Marketing and can actually undermine your Email Marketing efforts.
• Mistakes can happen. The most common mistake is exposing your entire list in the To: line, which violates all of your list members' confidentiality by showing their email addresses. Annoying too.
• In addition, failure to include unsubscribe instructions, an unsubscribe link or a physical mailing address is now against SPAM laws.

The good news is you don't have to go it alone. There are inexpensive Web-based services that are designed to make Email Marketing simple for the non-technical user. By using a good Email Marketing service, you get the most out of your efforts by easily avoiding common mistakes and always having up-to-date tools available to meet the changing requirements of the industry. This way you can spend your time doing what you do best - promoting your own company, product, service or cause.

I use Constant Contact for my newsletter and I highly recommend them. I have helped clients get started with Constant Contact, customized their newsletter templates to match their Web site and other marketing materials, and provide ongoing support at whatever level desired.

Isn't it time for your business to use the power of the Internet? Give me a call to find out how easy it is to get started. But beware, my enthusiasm for Email Marketing could be contagious!

People who work on a computer all day find things like this funny. Hope you do too! Thanks to my friend Len who knows the value of a well-timed email!

• Home is where you hang your @
• The E-mail of the species is more deadly than the mail.
• The modem is the message.
• Too many clicks spoil the browse.
• Don't byte off more than you can view.
• What boots up must come down.
• Virtual reality is its own reward.
• Oh, what a tangled web site we weave when first we practice.
• Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to use the Net and he won't bother you for weeks.

Annette Riley Web Design combines an art background and many years experience working in small business settings. My clients are small to medium size businesses, which I have watched grow and change over the years. Other clients, locally and around the country, have hired me to do updates and periodic maintenance on their web sites, even though I am not the original designer.

I enjoy helping other business owners grow their businesses. I measure my success by their successes.

You are good at your business. I am good at Web sites. Let's put our talents together! Call or e- mail me so we can talk about your business and how I may be able to help you.