According to the Direct Marketing Association, every dollar you spend on email marketing will generate a $45.06 return on investment. This is the highest response rate provided by any direct response method. When compared to postal mail or other direct marketing pieces, the barrier to entry is extremely affordable.

Of course, that figure is an average spread across many industries, some of which get a much higher rate of return, and some, such as non-profit or government organizations, which use email for a purpose other than a direct return of revenue.

Whatever the purpose of your organization, the statistic from the DMA is a resounding plug for spreading your message with email.

If you’ve taken a break for a while from email marketing, or if you picked up an old list for prospecting, WAIT! Even if you’ve used compliant methods to obtain the addresses (subscription forms on your web site, double opt-in processes, or purchased lists that are legitimate, CAN-SPAM compliant, etc.), email addresses have a tendency to go bad, expire, for whatever reason, or some of your subscribers may not remember you after a lengthy break. There are methods for re-introducing your emails that will be effective and profitable.

A great method for getting back in the swing is to segment your lists, and send to certain segments first. Perhaps segment on the basis of demographics, or industry, or those who most recently signed up, and may most likely remember you.

Personalization of your content can do wonders for your readership. Address your readers by name, where appropriate. Include their industry, age, gender, shoe size — whatever information is relevant, and will demonstrate an attention to detail that resonates with your readers. Online Outbox provides Custom Fields for this very purpose.

Further segmenting your content based on will allow you to further customize your messages to the specific circumstances of each of your readers. For instance, it may be beneficial to send an entirely different message to a group of industrial printers than to a group of real estate agents. You could create separate contact lists altogether, or simply segment those lists as you prepare to send your messages.