Email marketing is a practical, low-cost marketing tool that combines convenience with technology. It provides small business owners with the ability to reach more customers, which in turn can result in increased sales. Most business owners today use email marketing campaigns to promote all sorts of services and products, from babysitting services to mobile phones and beyond.

Here are 5 types of Email Marketing

Newsletter Email

Newsletter emails inform customers of current promotions, sales, and the newest offering. Newsletter emails are more than merely sales tools, they also help develop a long-term impact on readers. Mark Brownlow, in EmailMarketingReports.com, says that a newsletter email "should provide the readers with value, which means more than just sales messages. It should contain information which informs, entertains or otherwise benefits the readers."

Catalog and Video Email

Catalog email marketing is much like newsletter email, but focuses on images and short descriptions with pricing, rather than communicating through the use of short articles or dialogue pieces. Catalog emails can be compared to hard copy catalogs sent through the mail, but they do not require printing and shipping costs to be incurred.

Video email is another form of email marketing that is a hybrid of newsletter and catalog marketing--combining a narrative with images, video footage, and graphics. Video marketing requires more technical expertise than other email marketing tools.

Press Release Email

Press releases are a marketing tool underutilized by most small businesses. A press release is typically associated with print publication, such as newspapers and trade magazines, but can be used by small businesses to communicate with customers, informing them of a particular new inventory item or promotion. Unlike a newsletter or catalog, press releases focus on one message and are designed to inform readers and entice them to visit the business online or in person.

Invitation and Survey Email

Invitation email requests the reader to take action in responding to an event or sales promotion. Invitation email can be an effective marketing tool to get customers into a brick-and-mortar retail store or visit a business website on a specific date and time to take advantage of an offer.

Survey email is also interactive, encouraging customers to provide feedback that can be reviewed and used to define customer service roles and procedures. Survey emails generally award some form of small compensation to the participant, such as a coupon.

Thank-You Email

The lifeblood of a small business comes from good customer service, and thank-you marketing emails are compelling and rewarding to patrons. Customers feel real value when a business takes the time to respond to their experience and ensure that all expectations were met. Thank-you emails should be customized to the consumer and include current and future offers, along with a small token of gratitude, such as a discount on the next purchase.