Seven ways to get email addresses of your potential customers

If you’re like most small-business owners, you need a generous supply of potential customer names and email addresses to effectively market your offerings online.

The good news is you don’t have to deceive or spam people to get them. The bad news is that too many others have already taken that route, giving online marketing a shady reputation.

Unlike the offline world, where consumers get junk mail daily and simply toss it into the recycling bin, unwanted email messages offend people and trigger nasty replies. People are more protective than ever of their email addresses.

"Spammers have made it bad for the rest of us," says Derek Scruggs, an expert on permission-based email marketing. So you shouldn’t be one yourself; there are enough already out there.

So how do you build your database of names and email addresses? Here are seven tips to consider…