With new advances in technology come new opportunities to connect with your customers. In the 21st century nearly everyone has email and many companies have developed successful email marketing campaigns. This can be an important tool but needs to be thoughtfully incorporated into your overall marketing plan.

Without an email list there is no email campaign. Find ways to solicit the email addresses of your customers at each touch point. Include a line asking for email whenever you ask for customer information such as on business reply cards, direct mail and in telemarketing efforts. You should place opt-ins in prominent spots on your web site. The more your customers and prospects voluntarily give you their emails, the better since these are people who have told you that they want to hear from you.

Email affords the opportunity to dialog with your customers, whereas traditional marketing is a one way communication. Sticking with the tried and true means that you miss an important chance to start that conversation and solicit feedback. Try sending quizzes and surveys to find out the impressions and motivations of your customers. Track who follows links to other promotions. This can provide crucial information to inform your more traditional marketing methods.

These days many customers purchase items from their local retail store after researching it on line. With some creativity you can use this dynamic to track the success of your marketing efforts in other media. Distribute discount codes and printable coupons through email and track the rate at which they are redeemed and where. This is a valuable method of determining the success of different approaches. It can also tell you which market segments responded to which approach. This kind of knowledge lets you allocate your marketing efforts in areas with the most potential.

One of the big advantages of email is that it allows an incredible amount of customization. Use this potential to call attention to specific offers based on a consumer's profile and preferences. Direct people to specific offers in your print catalog or web site. Customization allows you to more sharply focus various pieces of your campaign to different segments of your list. You can also use email to increase brand loyalty by targeting customers throughout the purchase cycle.

An important thing to remember when determining how to fit email into your marketing campaigns is to make sure that it is fully integrated as a vital component of the campaign. It shouldn't be an afterthought or just an add on to your other methods. It should have the same look, feel and tone as your print and other marketing. Really consider when an email should hit in relation to a print or television ad. Should you use it as a heads up to a special few about an upcoming promotion? Should it be a follow up once a campaign has launched? Planned well, email can greatly enhance your marketing efforts.

Email can add a dynamic element to your marketing efforts. It can bring parts of your campaign into sharper focus for different segments of the market. This kind of targeting is possible because of the superior customization inherent in email. Just make sure that you thoroughly integrate it into the larger effort and is not just an afterthought. Those who have subscribed to your list want to hear from you, take advantage of this fact to track your efforts in other areas.