E-Mail Marketing - A Low-cost Alternative For Small Businesses

E-mail marketing isn't just for large companies. For small businesses, e-mail marketing offers a low-cost alternative to traditional direct marketing. At the local level, this marketing tool can be extremely targeted and highly personal. Ideally, e-mail direct marketing offers the opportunity to have a one-to-one conversation with each and every customer.

According to eMarketer, the number of U.S. small businesses adopting e-mail marketing will increase from 1.6 million in 2001 to 3.7 in 2003. The amount they will spend on e-mail marketing was projected to increase from $398 million in 2001 to $1.3 billion in 2003, compared to $211 million spent in 2000. A 2001 study by The Kelsey Group found that 11 percent of small businesses used e-mail marketing in 2000. By the end of 2001, the study predicted that 16 percent of small businesses would be using e-mail marketing. The study also projected that by 2005, approximately 42 percent of all U.S. small businesses would use e-mail marketing.