Whether you are a small business or a home internet user there are many ways you can reduce your costs by using email.

 For most small businesses/home Internet users the main methods of communication are:

• Mail
• Telephone and Fax

Both can be replaced either entirely or in part by Email.

Email has for many large businesses replaced standard mail/internal memo as the main method of written communication. However very few small businesses and home users make effective use of it.

It may be because email in large corporations has been setup by a technical department whereas at home or in a small business that tech support is absent.

Email Uses

Most of what is sent as standard mail can now be sent electronically via email, and the cost of email is effectively zero. So instead of printing the invoice and putting it in the post just add it as an email attachment and send it via email.

Not only can email replace the standard mail it can also replace many phone calls. If you require a simple yes/no type answer then email is usually much better than the telephone. If you require more than one answer then instant messaging maybe a better option.

Any kind of complex dialogue is usually much better done on the phone.

Email as a Marketing Tool

If you need to stay in regular contact with your customers then why not start collecting their email addresses? Almost everyone today has one! You could also collect their mobile phone number and send them an email that way.

Every day I receive some form of promotional material in my mailbox from companies that I have done business with like garages, credit card companies, banks, vets.

Most of it goes into the dustbin, however some I act on. All this promotional material costs money and the results are probably poor. Yet all of this could be replaced by email. Either sent to their mailbox or mobile phone.

Email costs almost nothing to send. You have no printing and posting costs and it give your customer any easy way of contacting you ( at no cost). You don't even need a website to run email campaigns, but a website is an excellent way of providing extra information like pictures, reports, videos and sound recordings.

In addition Email marketing is targeted marketing and can bring in  phenomenal ROI. However at the moment email marketing seems to be the sole preserve of savvy Internet marketers and high tech companies and not for the local restaurant or garage shop.

However that will change over the coming years as small business owners learn more about the Internet and its benefits.

So take a look at what you currently do and see if you can do the same using email.