For those of you old enough to recognize that the post title is a little takeoff on the Doors song “Roadhouse Blues” then I congratulate you (or commiserate with you since we are old enough to know what I am talking about ). What I am trying to convey to you in this unique fashion is the fact that one of the first things that people interact with on a daily basis, especially around brands, is e-mail according to a study by ExactTarget.

The Center for Media Research reports

According to a new study by ExactTarget, based on more than 1,500 consumer...

Effective e-mail marketing is becoming a staple of any business, especially those in the retail space. Constant ability to communicate with and inform customers and prospects leads to better business. Better business leads to sales and sales lead to, well, you name it.

Of course, as with everything in Internet marketing just “doing it” is not the answer. Doing everything that can be done with e-mail marketing, for instance, can lead to a lot of effort in areas that may not have any relevance to your business. This kind of shotgun approach needs to be avoided at all costs because it will drain time, money and other valuable resources that...