EQUTE — A pair of new studies shows that e-mail marketing is still an incredibly viable way to connect with consumers even with everybody clamoring to pave new avenues with social media and viral marketing.

Most online consumers (92 percent) have opted-in to an e-mail list, but half say they don’t want unsolicited e-mails from preferred businesses.

The information comes from a new study done by ExactTarget. The numbers show that e-mail marketing and lists are still a crucial part of any marketing campaign, but only if buyers want it.

It’s no secret that spam is annoying and can tarnish a brand faster than just about anything. And that next e-mail is going straight to the trash, even if it contains a great deal that they would love.

Marketers have already taken note of the affinity toward getting updates via e-mail, especially in this lovely economic time. According to another e-mail marketing study by EMarketer,a whopping 40 percent of marketers said they increased e-mail marketing while only 10 percent of them said they decreased their e-mail efforts.

It’s no wonder why people turned away from the high-cost, low-conversion tactics such as direct mailing. Perhaps it took a recession to get advertisers thinking about what actually works and easy ways to connect with their base.

Social media is novel and fun, but for most people marketing through Facebook, MySpace and Twitter is a futile exercise in feline herding. People pop on read a few tweets or status updates then bounce back to whatever they were doing. But when people see an e-mail from their favorite store, they’re apt to read it. And if they’re caught with a bit of money burning a hole in their pocket, it’s a low-impact way for them to feel like they’ve found a deal without leaving the office.

It’s not to say don’t play with social media marketing and viral sites and all the things that bring people in — but don’t forget your subscribing base and take care to take care of them.