Email is one of the most cost-effective of all marketing media. It uses electronic mail as a means of communicating commercial or fundraising messages. As more and more businesses are adopting the Internet to market their products and services, email marketing has become Internet's most powerful application.

There are two types of direct email marketing - bulk email marketing and opt-in email marketing. Bulk email generally involves sending out thousands of unsolicited mails to prospective customers, whereas opt-in involves having prior permission from the customer before mail is forwarded.

Email marketing has an edge over other marketing means. It is extremely cheap when compared to direct mailing and printed newsletters. Email is instantaneous and easy to track down. The main disadvantage of this type of marketing is the threat of spam. But this can be avoided by using spam filters.

Extreme care should be taken in launching a successful email marketing campaign. Apart from gathering long lists of email addresses and sending them to thousands of customers, marketing companies must concentrate more on the content of the mail. These are the main things to noted when preparing the email content: it must tell the customer about the product and its services, how it is going to benefit them and how much it can help the customer earn more money and lead a happy life. Though thousands of mail ids can be obtained from various websites and directories, the use of a permission email list is extremely effective in promoting goods and services. But this must be done in such a way that the mail does not become a spam.

Email marketing has become a growing media, and smart marketers are taking full advantage of it.