Email, Social Media Level Playing Field For SMBs

If social media is online marketing's present marquee star, email is its veteran performer: It may not generate the headlines, but it dutifully shows up for work every day. The tactic has often appealed to small and midsize businesses (SMBs) because of its relatively low expenses (compared with, say, print or TV) and scalability.

Email can be an valuable, cost-efficient way to reach an audience of 5,000 or 5 million, depending on the budget and the business, while a full-page ad in USA Today is, well, a complete page ad in USA Today -- a very visible pulpit, if you can afford it, but one less likely to suit resource-constrained SMBs or their particular markets.