In my experience, direct email marketing is the most successful form of online marketing.  I have been using direct email marketing since last May with the CJ Holdings Ad Placement Program (http://www.adplacing.com) where my responses improved by 90% when I started implementing direct email marketing techniques -- two-step marketing, autoresponders and databases.

What I usually do is place my ads with classifieds sites, ezines, opt-in lists and off-line newspapers, giving people some very basic information about my business and also supplying my autoresponder's address.  When they send an email to my autoresponder, it follows-up with them, and I also send them a personal email that accompanies my autoresponder letters.  I also put them into my database for further contacts, unless they request otherwise.

DIRECT EMAIL MARKETING DEFINED:

Direct marketing is delivering advertisement directly to prospects.  On the Internet, this is called direct e-mail marketing.  Have you ever received a flyer in your ordinary mail with some or other advertisements?  Direct email marketing is the online version of this.

Two things distinguish direct email marketing from direct mail marketing:

Direct email marketing is much cheaper and reaches a lot more people in seconds; and,

It gives you, the marketer, more options with the use of autoresponders, opt-in lists, ezines, etc.

IT'S NOT SPAM! Direct email marketing is often confused with and taken as spam, which is simply not true.  Spam, in its simplest definition, means sending ads to people without their permission and without them knowing or having a previous relationship with the marketer.

You effectively market directly if you get your prospects' permission and interest first with ads you place in classifieds, ezines, and FFAs.  Make sure, though, that they understand they have agreed to receive an email from you.  Remind them of that in your direct email message, and if you can, provide them with proof when they requested the info.  Don't forget to include instructions on how they can remove themselves from your direct email list if they no longer wish to receive them from you.

Never buy email addresses from any sources to use with your direct email campaigns.  Do not gather emails from people with email gathering software.  Make a database of your own and put the email addresses of people who previously gave you their permission to receive direct emails from you.

SIMPLE RULES:

Always obtain the permission of your prospects before you send your information or offer.

Give your prospects the option of opting-out.

Don't overload prospects with your offers.

Include useful information with your offer.

Be subtle!

DIRECT EMAIL ATTRIBUTES:

It's spam-free.

Use of one's own database of prospects.

It doesn't overload the customers with offers, but rather presents them in a subtle way.

Combines direct email marketing tools (two-step marketing).

Gives prospects an option of opting-out.

Information is requested by the customer.

Gives useful information.

Delivered to as many people as possible in the shortest time needed.

Cheap.

Turns prospects into buyers.

DIRECT EMAIL MARKETING TOOLS

Autoresponders.

Your prospects send a blank email to your autoresponder address containing information about you and your business.

Opt-in lists.

These are mailing lists your prospects subscribe to in order to receive your ads.  This tool is only semi-effective since most people are on these lists to send ads, not read them.  However, this is an excellent way of sending ads to thousands in minutes.

Ezines.

If you have a newsletter and are using it to promote something, this is also called direct email marketing since your prospects do receive your ad directly to their mailbox.  This is the most effective tool for direct email next to autoresponders.

Bulk email.

This is usually referred to as spam, if not done correctly.  Bulk email simply means sending your email to a lot of people at the same time without them actually knowing who else is on the list.  In a manner of speaking, opt-in lists give you the possibility to bulk email without the fear of spam.  You can also bulk email with your own list of gathered emails, but you must be certain that they actually have requested the info from you at some point.

Direct email.

In its purest form is sending an email directly to prospects without the use of any other tools, such as bulk programs or autoresponders.  This happens when you send an email with the ad to the people who specifically requested the information from you, or who agreed to receive a one-time advertisement from you in return for previously using your free services or downloading something from your site.

TWO-STEP MARKETING:

The tools I've enumerated above for direct email marketing are very interconnected and can be used in combinations.  Two-step marketing happens when you get a prospect to request more information from you through your ffa site or from the ads you have put on classifieds or published in your newsletter.  You then direct prospects to your autoresponder for more information.  Then you load your autoresponder with follow up letters that come every two or three days.  It has been proven that most prospects only buy something after the third or fourth follow up, so using autoresponders as a part of your direct email campaign is essential.

INITIATING DIRECT EMAIL MARKETING:

You can initiate direct email marketing by first getting your prospects' permission to send them your information or by getting them to subscribe to your mailing list or ezine.  From here, there are actually several ways to continue:

Newsletters.

You promote your newsletter with classified ads, opt-in lists, ezine directories, ad swaps, etc, then you sell to your subscribers through your ezine by combining useful data with your offers.

Two-step marketing.

a. Post your ads in classifieds, forums, FFAs, ezines.  Reply to their ads or send your ad to an opt-in list with info on how others can obtain your autoresponder for more info. Offer something for free in exchange for your prospects' permission that they agree to receive direct emails from you.  Sell them something and ask them if you can place them in your database to send them more info when you think it might be of use to them.  Put your url and email address on autoresponders or on various viral marketing tools, such as e-books, free reports, coffee mugs, pens, mouse pads, articles, etc.

b. Put these people in to your database and then load them into your autoresponder.  Give them the option of opting-out.

c. Send them your ads through your autoresponder and follow-up.

d. If they still haven't bought from you and haven't requested to be removed from your mailing list, send them a reminder of your offer accompanied with some useful info some time later.

Database marketing.

Send your offers to people who are already in your database.

We are all doing direct email marketing/advertising, whether we realise it or not.  I hope this article has given you a better understanding of what direct email really is.

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent  will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.  Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
*-- Calvin Coolidge 1872-1933 {13th US President}