Would you like more people to attend to your advertising? Your internet advertising would receive a more favorable response if it were presented in a more appropriate forum than e-mail. The most appropriate way to spread information about a company is decidely through a well-designed web page, and the most appropriate way to spread information about web pages is decidedly through search engines - whether through regular entries on the engines or an advertisement that appears as people are searching.
There is no substitute for targeted advertising. While e-mailing people indiscriminately may be practically free of monetary cost, there is significant cost to the company's reputation. People don't appreciate receiving junk mail from companies worldwide. Imagine if just one company a day starts sending mail to a million people once a month, we'll have everyone on the net getting one piece of e-mail in two months, two pieces a day in four months, and even more as time goes on. After more companies get on the internet, do we really want our mailboxes flooded with junk e-mail? I can imagine 100 pieces a day - and I'm thankful I don't get it now. E-mail advertising could easily collapse the internet if it were to get out of hand. Please don't contribute to the chaos.
I suggest that you trim your e-mail list if you must advertise by e-mail. Mail to people who have requested to be on a list is a good thing. E-mail to those who have not requested updates is of questionable benefit. If you e-mail only to select people who have shown some interest in your product, you will be more likely to receive a favorable response (even though it doesn't cost any more to send mail to disinterested parties). Fewer people will be disturbed by the junk e-mail, and fewer people will be upset with your company.
It's important to remember three things in netiquette for advertising:
Sincerely,
Your name here
P.S. Please note that sending unsolicited advertisements by any electronic means is illegal by 47USC227 which allows the recipient of such messages to sue for $500 per copy of unsolicited adverisements. You are hereby notified that I do not wish to receive any further unsolicited advertisements from you, and by sending any further advertisements, you agree to pay the sum of US$500 to me for each piece of unsolicited mail you send to me.