internet marketing made easy.

These top ten list building techniques will have you blasting out powerful email campaigns in no time. While reading this, be thinking about how you can implement them into your existing operations.

Online Registration. Nearly everyone has an email address; the trick is getting it. Even if you send out invitations to events via fax or direct mail, you can still direct invitees to register online where they must provide their email address.

Collect E-mail Addresses from Your Website. Your site is a great tool for collecting email addresses. Always offer something of value in exchange for email addresses such a special discount or prize.

Snail Mail/Fax. When you send a snail mail or fax, direct attendees to register online because it is cheaper than registering offline. Give them an incentive, i.e. offer a group discount if a person makes a reservation online rather than offline. The fact is it costs you money to process reservations manually; therefore, you have the right to charge more money to those who register offline.

Spread Viral Marketing. Build your database by sending out messages, and urging customers to foreword them to their friends. As more and more people receive and foreword the email, that will translate into more people visiting your site, and joining your mailing list.

Collect Business Cards. With email nearly universal among professionals, email addresses are nearly always printed on business cards. Collect them at all of your events and make sure they are entered into your database immediately. You can also try to use games like monthly drawings where the entry is a business card.

Create an Opt-in Newsletter. Create an incentive, like an e-newsletter, that is only available to those that provide their email to you. This is a great way to communicate with your target audience and also create the possibility of “viral marketing” – because your recipients will forward great articles to others in their company who will then hopefully opt into your e-newsletter. Make sure that the E-newsletter offers valuable information and has interesting content, so those who do not subscribe to the e-newsletter feel like they are missing out.

Encourage E-mail Communications Among Customers or Members. Tell to your customers that you want their email so you can avoid the added costs of sending messages via snail mail or fax. In addition, ensure your invitees that you will not send out emails more than a few times a month and you will never give their email addresses to third parties. By making this a consistent message, you will not only gain the trust of your customers, but also explain the “real” business costs associated with snail mail marketing and registration processes.

Customer Satisfaction Surveys. Put surveys on the tables and on your website. When customers fill these out, you will not onnly get valuable feedback, but countless email addresses as well. Be sure to ask for email addresses as a way to contact them back.

Create a Contest at Your Restaurant. Make a small, simple sign up form and get each person's email address and birthday. Give away $100 worth of food each month just for submitting your email address. That $100 will more than pay for itself in potential customers.

Form Partnerships. Business partnerships can be a great way to share email databases. Join up with other companies whose interests support your own, and agree to share email databases with them. Not only will this get you countless more email addresses, but it will also begin to build a partnership network.An example of this could be a partnership with a real estate broker where you offer free dishes to their clients.