As the holidays approach a lot of clients are asking me where they can find new customers.

Have you tried your old customers? Opt-in direct e-mail is still one of the best online marketing tools, and your existing customers are your best resource.

My favorite method, which I learned from Ogilvy on Advertising, is the Thank You Note: An e-mail from the company’s founder or CEO telling existing customers “We know you are responsible for our success. I want to say thanks by giving you… [insert special offer here”.

That sounds trite when I write it here, but if you mean it, it works – consumers know they’re helping you succeed. They want to know that you appreciate it, too. And a personal thank you goes a long way to doing that.

Try it: Get the e-mail addresses of 500 of your customers and e-mail them tonight. I’ll bet you’ll have 10 new orders tomorrow…