How Much Is An Email Address Worth?

The web is cool, and the web is fun, but there are people making real money on web every day. Some people are making money by selling things. However, where there is selling, there is marketing.

I do not not want to say anything about the random spam we all receive. Most of this stuff is not targeted – it’s a shot in the dark. But, I regularly receive email from companies I do not mind hearing from. In fact, I probably consider the emails I receive information.

How much do advertisers pay for print ads, flyers or radio spots? How much does that cost per person? Flyers can target a geographic area, but emails can target the recipient even more closely. Behind all of the spam, a new marketing industry has popped up. Advertising can be intrusive, but if you know who you are communicating with, and these people have agreed to receive the information, is it still advertising? How much is one of those names worth to an online marketer? How much are they paying to market their products and services now?

If you are selling a product, or offering a service, and I can help you aim your pitch at 10,000 interested people, would you pay three pennies per person? How much does it cost to product a flyer? How much is an ad in the phone book? How much is a billboard?

What are the possibilities? Ecommerce is just the beginning, but what about emarketing? Has it all been done? Or, have we only just begun? A friend and I have been thinking about these things lately. Does anybody have any thoughts?