Email marketing (E-marketing) and Electronic commerce (E-commerce) have grown rapidly among value-added businesses focusing on marketing directly to consumers. Internet marketing offers a low-cost method of reaching a wide variety of consumers. Although special care is needed for marketing perishable food products, E-marketing and E-commerce are something you may want to consider for your business.

Before you can market and conduct business over the Internet, you must create a Web site for your business. If you have not done this, you may want to visit the section on Web Promotion. Tips for Designing Your Web Site will also help you create a successful Web site. Another resource is How to Start an E-Commerce Web Site. If you have already created a Web site, you are ready to explore using E-marketing and E-commerce to market your products.

To help you understand marketing over the Internet, read Marketing on the Internet. Another resource is Marketing Strategies for your Web Site.

For more information on this topic, see the links listed below of articles posted on related Web sites.

E-mail Marketing

• Marketing on the Internet – Small Business Notes -- The most commonly used Internet marketing tools are email and the World Wide Web.
• Effective On-line Marketing – Small Business Notes -- With new sites on the World Wide Web popping up daily, it's hard to stand out in the crowd.
  
• Email Marketing ROI Calculator – Bplans.com -- Use this calculator to determine the ROI (return on investment) for your email campaigns. Based on your marketing campaign results and expected results, your ROI will automatically be calculated. Use this tool to test different scenarios and see results.
  
• PPC ROI Calculator – Bplans.com -- Use this calculator to determine the ROI (return on investment) for your pay per click advertising campaigns
  
• Farmer's Market Online  – This Web site offers cyber "booth space" for producers who are marketing directly to consumers.
  
• Marketing without Spam – NOLO Law for All -- Email marketing can be an effective marketing tool or an incredible annoyance. Here's how to do it right.
  
• Articles on E-Mail Marketing – SalesVantage.com -- A variety of topics relating to how to market with e-mail.
  
• E-marketing – Small Business Administration -- E-mail marketing is one of the most effective ways to keep in touch with customers.

E-Commerce

• E-commerce – Small Business Notes -- Should you sell your products and services on the Internet?
• Doing Business on the World Wide Web – Small Business Notes -- Many businesses want to get into online marketing, and certainly, some companies are scoring big sales on the World Wide Web.
  
• Market Analysis for Your Online Business – Bplans.com -- Market analysis is the foundation of the Web plan.
  
• Website Conversion Rate Calculator – Bplans.com -- This calculator allows you to see the impact improving your website conversion rate has on your total online sales. Enter your visitors and total orders, and you can see what an increase in conversion can do.
  
• Adding E-business to your Agri-business – Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Alberta, Canada -- This document provides general information and links to sources of e-business information.
  
• Online Advertising – Lawyers.com -- You’ve managed to design your own Web site, round up the necessary funds and slog through the various agreements you need to sell your wares over the Internet.
  
• Online Sales Tax – Lawyers.com -- So you’ve started your online business and have your website up and going. Now you’re wondering whether you should charge sales tax on the products your customers order.
  
• E-commerce and Internet Resources – Small Business Administration -- Should a small business get on the Web?
  
• E-commerce FAQ – Business.gov -- Answer to questions commonly asked about E-commerce.
  
• National Information Clearinghouse – Small Business Development Center -- E-commerce guide.
  
• Doing Business on the Internet FAQ – Lawyers.com -- What laws govern business on the Internet? What kind of lawyer do I need for a legal problem involving the Internet? What are the legal requirements for creating a Web page?
  
• E-Commerce – Small Business Administration -- The newest business frontier: it’s time to get connected.
  
• Farmer's Market Online – This Web site offers cyber "booth space" for producers who are marketing directly to consumers.
  
• Articles on E-Commerce – SalesVantage.com -- A variety of topics relating to e-commerce.
  
• Articles on Internet Marketing and Sales – SalesVantage.com -- A variety of topics relating to marketing and sales over the internet.
  
• E-commerce Basics – Cisco SBA Internet Business Fundamentals -- Educational video.

Advertising on the Internet

• Advertising and Marketing on the Internet – Federal Trade Commission -- If you're thinking about advertising on the Internet, remember that many of the same rules apply to electronic marketing.
• Dot Com Disclosures: Information about On-Line Advertising – Federal Trade Commission -- Many of the general principles of advertising law apply to Internet ads, but new issues arise almost as fast as technology develops.

Legal and Tax Issues

• Tax on Internet Sales – NOLO Law for All -- Here's the skinny on Internet sales tax: who pays it, who doesn't and why it makes a difference to state governments and brick-and-mortar retailers.
  
• When is an ISP Liable for the Acts of Its Subscribers? – NOLO Law for All -- In the United States, two federal laws provide a powerful shield for ISPs that follow the rules. Here's how they work.
  
• Cybersquatting: What It is and What Can be Done About It – NOLO Law for All -- A 1999 law and an international arbitration procedure crack down on people looking to profit from other people's trademarks.
  
• Internet Business Method Patents – NOLO Law for All -- A company that develops a new way of conducting e-commerce may be able to prevent others from using it for almost two decades.
  
• Selling on the Internet: Prompt Delivery Rules – Federal Trade Commission -- Ground rules for making promises about shipments, notifying customers about unexpected delays and refunding consumers' money.
  
• BBB On-line Privacy Seal – Better Business Bureau -- For consumers shopping on the Internet, privacy is a major concern.
  
• Libel On-line – Lawyers.com -- As defamation law slowly invades the Internet, more and more people are learning the hard way that expressions of free speech may not be free at all.
  
• Digital Signature Guidelines – American Bar Association -- In today's commercial environment, establishing a framework for the authentication of computer-based information requires a familiarity with concepts and professional skills from both the legal and computer security fields.
  
• Electronic Commerce: Legal Issues – U.S. Department of Justice -- Overview of the legal issues related to Electronic Commerce and the Department of Justice's response to these issues.
  
• Legal Issues – Entrepreneur.com -- A series of articles on legal issues.