Email marketing is a hot item in e-commerce.

You may think a lot of email as spam but to the marketing industry, email is a gold mine that allows companies to speak directly with prospects and customers. More importantly the goal of much of email marketing is to evolve a relationship with a market of individuals.

Here are 3 reasons why email may be more important than your website:

1) Virtually every person who is online sends and receives email, but not everyone surfs the web. Email provides greater visibility for any one wishing to market on the internet.

2) Relationship marketing is at the very hear of all e-commerce. You simply cannot build a relationship solely through your website.

3) While it is true that a website makes the front-end sale, you will be missing out on 90 percent or more of the potential profits if you don't use e-mail to fan the flames. The real selling starts after the first sale is made.

Make sure you consider email marketing, it may just be more important than your website.