Even the best of us take for granted the simple things you need to include in your email marketing campaigns we send out on a regular basis. So here is a list of things you must have that will help you grow your list, get more opens and clicks for your emails, and have a super successful campaign.

There are a ton of ways to get people to sign up for your email marketing offers. I've put together a list for you to read, so you know all of the ways you can be growing your list.

There is so much clutter in the adsphere these days, sometimes it takes some ingenuity to get heard. You not only want people opening and reading your email marketing campaigns, you even want them to look forward to it. One way to do this is to give your email some personality.

Many consumers are using mobile devices more than ever. They've done something on their mobile device whether its sending a text message, surfing the Internet, or checking email. So is your business addressing the needs of your mobile customers?

Many small businesses understand they need to get on the "social media bandwagon" but you might not know how to start, or better yet, why to even do it. You just hear about social media and think, "My business needs a Facebook presence and a Twitter account" but you don't really know why. If you're reading this blog, chances are you've got a website and you're probably email marketing. So you might be asking, "If I'm already doing email marketing, how does Twitter fit in?"

Writing your email marketing campaigns can make anyone want to pull their hair out, especially if you're trying to sell a product/service, or ask for a donation, either as part of your newsletter or the sole purpose of your email. You want to make sure you hit all of the highlights and make sure people SEE your offer.

Sometimes we all sit down in front of the computer monitor getting ready to create an email marketing campaign and we're stuck. We don't know where to begin but we know we need to, because every time we write about something interesting, we end up reminding our customers why they liked us in the first place. I've written about writer's block before, but I thought more ideas would be great to get those creative juices flowing.

New year resolutions lists are running rampant, so we decided to call this one the 2009 Marketing Checklist. You can tack this one up next to the list where you vow to "lose 5lbs.", "volunteer more" and "get a dog" which is what my list looks like.

While coming up with this list, the economy really drove my thinking and the theme of "penny-pinching" really came out. So here is our list of things you need to be doing in 2009 to not only keep your business afloat, but keep it growing.

The question about the "right amount of questions" to ask of people signing up to your opt-in form is a tough one to answer, we get it all the time. Then we have to give the lame answer "that depends." But it's true, it does depend. It depends on what you really need for your business. There are varying degrees of data collection methods, here I've attempted to outline a few.

It's important to collect email addresses to build your email marketing list. We thought it would be great to put together a quick list of where you should include the actual sign up form or a link to one on a web page.