Today's guest post is from Allisyn Deyo, Webmaster and Editor for Pinnacle Publishing Group.

Let's say you have 1,000 customers on your direct mail marketing list. Once a month, you send out a postcard advertising a product special, a new line or inviting them to come in for a birthday discount. On average, we'll say that 20 percent come in and spend $10.

So if 200 customers came in and spent $10, you've just made $2,000 for the month on that mailing. However, the cost of designing ($200), printing (full color, $300) and sending ($400) all that mail is around $900, so now you've made $1,100. And while that's not bad, if you instead sent an email blast, you could send out one email per week to the 1,000 customers for less than $30 a month.

Direct Mail (1 per month)
Cost: $900
Profit: $1,100

Email (4 per month)
Cost: $30
Profit: $3,970 (for fairness, we'll say 100 per email come in and spend $10)

Now granted, these numbers are not incredibly accurate, but one thing is clear: email costs less and makes more.

So here's a list of some of the email marketing programs out there to get you started.

Constant Contact
Why we like it: It's inexpensive, has great stock templates (over 300) for you to use for your mailings (or they will create custom templates just for you), spell checks in 12 languages, uses SafeUnsubscribe management and has great customer service.

How much it costs: It's a tiered system, so if you have 500 or less email addresses, it's only $15 a month (Up to 2,500 and it's just $30). If you prepay, it's 10% off for six months and 15% off for a year. And it's by list, so you can send as many emails as you want.

Bonus: They offer a 60-day free trial.

MailChimp
Why we like it: It's inexpensive, has neat add-on features (including Inbox Inspector, which tests your campaigns in all the major email programs and spam filters and shows you what they look like), A/B Split testing (identifies the best time to send your email) and your emails are logo-free (no "powered by Mail Chimp").

How much it costs: It's a tiered system, so if you have 500 or less email addresses, it's only $15 a month (Up to 2,500 and it's just $30). And it's by list, so you can send as many emails as you want. The add-on features are extra.

Bonus: They offer a 30-day free trial.

CampaignMonitor
Why we like it: You only pay when you send, complete creative control for those with HTML knowledge, design testing in all major email clients and spam testing to identify what will block your email.

How much it costs: The account is free, you pay $5 per campaign plus 1 cent/recipient. So if your list is 500, it's $10 per email campaign.

Bonus: Free to set up!

MyEmma
Why we like it: Each new account comes with a free, custom-designed template, great customer service and lots of high-profile clients.

How much it costs: Starts with a $250 custom design and set up fee, then monthly plans start at $30 for 1,000 emails ($45 for 2,500). However, that's 1,000 emails all together, not per list. So if your list is 1,000, you could only send once a month for the basic plan.

Bonus: "Best design help," says Inc. Magazine.

GraphicMail
Why we like it: Very affordable pricing plans, ability to send your users text messages (or send the email, then follow-up via text message), one-click sending and a 2MB image library.

How much it costs: Monthly subscriptions start at 2,000 emails for $9.95 (and you can buy extra send credits if needed); or the pay as you go plan, where 2,000 credits start at $49.95. If you need help getting started, they offer four separate service packages starting at $79.95.

Bonus: They offer a 60-day free trial