There are many different ways that companies can use email marketing. Software companies, for example, sometimes mail links to customers so they can download trial versions of their product or use it as a combination of after-sales support and product promotion. Retailers sometimes mail promotional codes and vouchers, whilst other businesses and organisations may simply use the medium to keep consumers and customers abreast of new developments.

There are also other benefits in terms of the logistics of marketing campaigns. Firstly, email marketing is one of the most effective methods of marketing in terms of trackable Return on Investment (ROI). Conversion rates can be easily recorded and the most effective methods of marketing identified and utilised. Secondly, advertisers can reach a huge number of subscribers on subject specifically interested in their products at an extremely low cost in both money and time via marketing software.

Still, the biggest benefit of email marketing is that messages can contain the ”call to action” which lies at the heart of direct marketing at the same time as making it incredibly easy for the consumer to act. The simple act of embedding a link within a message can make it as easy as one click of a mouse for a consumer to be taken directly to a product’s point of sale or at the very least, to the company’s home page. When combined with promotional offers or more advanced designs such as integrated animations or video, the medium can be extremely effective.

Despite the bad reputation and proliferation of ”spam” (unsolicited messages), email marketing is usually what’s known as a “permission based advertising” medium. Generally customers give their consent to receive email marketing via company websites or when purchasing products online. Marketers then add them to a database of opted-in contact information – depending on their capture method, they can even segment them according to different demographics.

This tactic has several essential benefits. Firstly, permission based advertising is far more likely to be positively received by consumers; if they have consented to receive it, the chances are much higher that they will read the message itself rather than simply delete it without looking. Secondly it opens up the possibilities of advertising partnerships between different companies; businesses with a complementary target audience can purchase advertisements in other company’s emails, such as in the newsletter of a magazine or newspaper. This allows them to reach a specific audience of people likely to engage with their product.

When you know you have a great website or product to offer you want the world to know about it too. You could spend a lot of money advertising but in the long run this may cost you more money than you make. Alternatively, you could consider reciprocal links to other related websites. This could boost traffic to your website and the links will also increase your popularity with the search engines.

The advantages of reciprocal links outweigh the disadvantages for several reasons. When you link to another website it allows their traffic to click onto your website which increases your traffic.

When you use reciprocal links, their traffic can become your traffic and you do not face any advertising bills. Reciprocal links can be a great idea for those who are just starting out in their own business or website online and can’t really afford to pay out a lot on advertising until they get more traffic to their site.

The main disadvantage of reciprocal links is that you share everything, including the customers. By placing links to other websites on your site, you are encouraging them to visit these other sites. So, while you may be getting increased traffic, you may experience reduced sales as visitors navigate away to other websites.

You may also need to watch out for reciprocal link scams. You may have seen emails from people requesting to exchange links to your website. Sometimes, these are legitimate, but often they are not and the link to your website may end up on a non-searchable site with a bunch of other links.

This brings us to the point that the value of reciprocal links depends very much on the site where your link appears. If it is on a popular website with plenty traffic and a good search engine ranking, then a reciprocal link is well worth it. However, a reciprocal link is worthless if it appears on some obscure website that receives few visitors.

The benefits of reciprocal links for your website will depend very much on your own circumstances and the quality of links you can find. If you are just starting out and are receiving few visitors to your website, some good reciprocal links could help kick start your website. However, if you are already well-established there may be better advertising and marketing options available to you.