A whopping 62% of respondents to the study selected e-mail as the preferred way they'd like to receive marketing messages from companies. On the other hand, only 23% said direct mail and a mere 13% named social media as the way they'd most like to be contacted. Even more important is the fact that 75% of respondents said that they had bought products or services as a direct result of receiving an e-mail from a company touting its products or services.
When you combine this information with the fact that just about all visitors to your website-up to 99% in some cases-won't make a purchase the first time they visit (and possibly will never return again), getting them on your opt-in email list must be Job No. 1 of your website.
Unfortunately, with most people feeling maxed out with the amount of stuff they get in their inbox everyday, getting prospects to part with email list their e-mail address is a lot more challenging today then it was a few of years ago. In fact, not all that long ago, having an e-zine (an electronic magazine) that balanced promotional items with informative articles was enough to grow your permission-based email list. Not so any more.