What Is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is a form advertising that companies, people and industry use to tell you about their products and services. It takes the form of an electronic message (email) and is sent to your message InBox on your computer.

Email marketing differentiates itself from SPAM. SPAM taken from the canned meat product refers to unsolicited email. For example, you may have received multiple offers for prescription drugs, software and other items. Your InBox may be filled with this 'junk mail' and you delete it.

The problem of SPAM or 'junk mail' has become so invasive that security and email company's have designed software to 'filter' the amount of 'junk mail' that we receive.

Email marketing separates itself in that the companies that use this form of advertising (direct marketers and affiliate marketers) have come under strict regulation from different governing bodies.

For example, when you sign up for a new magazine, ezine or other form of media, your contact details are listed with the company and kept in their database. Some company's sell or rent this list to others. This is a legitimate business and profit making exercise; that's why it's important for you to read the privacy statement of the website that you intend to give your information.

You may see some websites that state, "We do not sell or rent your information. Click here for details of our privacy statement." This means that the website won't sell or give your information. What it also means is that you'll get marketing promotions from that company.

In the past, SPAM had links that said to click here to unsubscribe. However, when you did it confirmed the email address as legitimate to the SPAMMER and they emailed you more. The majority of legitimate users of email marketing have not used this invasive technique and when you decide to stop receiving their email, you definitely will.

If you do continue to receive email from that company, report it to the webmaster of the website. It may be a case of not deleting you from their database. If the 'junk mail' continues from the company, you can take it up with their ISP (Internet Service Provider).

Email marketing is a legitimate form of advertising. It brings timely solutions to those who are seeking answers to their problems. However, to separate yourself from unscrupulous marketers, inform your clients what you will be doing with their information and assure them that when they want to remove themselves from your promotions, they can easily.

Used correctly, email marketing is a powerful way of broadcasting the benefits of your products and services.