So for the record email and SEO is what it is. I love both, but email trumps when too legit to quit. I have done SEO and eMail for 18 years. I lean more with Email when it comes to the bigger potential on return on time invested.
SEO converts great if done right and there is a threshold of only so many searches per day per keyword. There is definitely a need for both. Some people need to see SEO, PPC, and eMail before they buy. Talk to customers and you will learn this. Not that it is a given, but for high dollar sales yeah... people do some homework for the trust or too good to be true. Consumers are smart and it is not 1996 anymore.
The there is email. Very predictable. You even have a raw resource that with every send you control the traffic. Unlike SEO where your pulling with a limited ability that someone has to be looking... email is more push marketing where... yeah, they might not view today, but the right effort and it can be a 40% return.
Why not throw in SMS where there is a 90% return, but let's not ruin the thread. (Please SMS is for like billing sends and alert stuff or reward codes like what redbox does. Not cold marketing.)
If legit, email is the underdog that is a money making machine. You just got to know as much as SEO, but your odds are better with email.
Think Black Jack. Now there are some odds. So when I go to Vegas it is not Roulette but the Black Jack I hit. It is all about the odds. Sure both are fun, but once you get email and see the real money in email. You get blown away. An don't think some golden list is sitting in a forum for download. Better chance with a $1 at the local deli an purchasing a lotto ticket.
Email success is for the white hats. Sure maybe some black hats are making money on 2,000 IPs and a 40% bounce rate. But give me 2million legit (real opt in customers) emails out on one IP (or better 3 IPs if they are live sign ups without EVOA) a day. NO PROBLEMO. (DISCLAIMER: with a warm IP reputation & senderscores that are good and a message under a 2.5 score)
It does have a price. Takes years for a person or company to learn the ins and outs if from scratch with email. Same sometimes with SEO, but SEO is a bit easier to get lucky for your company name to be number one. If you do not get lucky with that your doing something horribly green or your not a unique business name. Not one person understands eMail or SEO from soup to nuts completely (I would love to see a TV Jeopardy for SEO or eMail kings and not crap questions, but common sense from DNS to send techniques). I play stump the chump with colleagues and so far undefeated with email questions. So hence it comes to forums like these where it takes a few getting together to not play the shell game and see who is all in and legit.
There are few invites to the yacht for small talk and even more just the good ones watching from afar.
So back down to an action item for John the Marketer if there even is still the need...
John: How can I send this email ?
Rob: On a dedicated hosting account or a shared hosting if you do not need it in a day. Also you got options like phpList, Interspire, and Exact Target if you really want to skip the hosting and go all in with the legit big players.
John: How much will it cost?
Rob: Shared Hosting $15 month and if dedicated $250. For ET go speak with a relationship manager for an advanced or enterprise account.
That is if your legit John and your on fresh consumers that have the typical 2% to 5% bounce due to they just forgot to sign in and Yahoo is recycling their account on the day you decided to email them.
So John it has been almost a year... any update on your progress?