An e-mail newsletter is a great way to build relationships that drive leads, sales, engagement and/or retention. But what many organizations overlook is that it can also be a tool to generate third-party advertising revenue for your business.

August 26, 2009 @ 9.15am PDT - Get stats on what worked for retailers last year, drawn from thousands of 2008 holiday emails, and find out what new trends will hit inboxes during the 2009 holiday season.

12 August 2009 @ 11am PDT - Join Justin Foster and Lisa Harmon as they examine the evolution of video in email, provide an objective look at the drawbacks and possibilities of the different methods used to achieve video in email, profile emerging technology research, and share case studies, facts, best practices, and answer your questions about video in email.

None of these communications are difficult to set up, but the benefits they give in terms of brand affintity and likelihood to recommend are enormous.

The e-mail append process isn't so straightforward and can be a risky endeavor with no guarantee of reward. On the other hand, done responsibly, you can minimize the risks and boost your list size in the process. I'm not going to tell you whether e-mail appends are right for your business. But if you are considering them, here are some things to think about...

Keeping in constant, consistent contact with your email recipients is one way to ensure you maintain a list of active, engaged subscribers. TSC Direct, does a great job of this. Recently, they started a 90-day touch program where automated emails are sent at scheduled intervals based on when the subscriber first requested an auto insurance quote online.

Birthdays are great opportunity to mix up your messaging to an email subscriber and give a non-sale oriented, warm and fuzzy to build trust and enthusiasm with your brand and email program. That doesn’t mean you don’t get to sell and covert though! Let’s take a look at how to set this up, automate, and also a few content ideas to get you thinking.