In the Star Wars universe, the Force is a binding, metaphysical, and ubiquitous power, described by Obi-Wan Kenobi as an energy field created by all living things, that surrounds and penetrates living beings, and binds the galaxy together. Jedi masters learn to harness the Force for the purposes of doing good. Being a Jedi Master requires patience and understanding.

There are, of course, some who learn to control the Force and are tempted by their powers; these individuals are not Jedi, but Sith — followers of the Dark Side. They are aggressive in their use of the Force, impatient, and can justify their actions as important or needed — when it is frequently not the case.

However, regardless of whether one is a Jedi or a Sith, those that are able to use the Force are some of the most powerful, respected, and feared beings in the universe — because they can make things happen.

There is an equivalent to the Force in the marketing universe. It, too, is binding, metaphysical, and ubiquitous and surrounds virtually all marketing activities. Those that master it for good are patient and use their powers responsibly. But there are those that overuse their powers; they are impatient and justify their actions with the typical “the ends justify the means” mentality.

What is this marketing force? It is email. It is binding (according to a 2006 Jupiter Research survey, 87% of consumers in the United States cite email as the top reason for connecting to the Internet), it is metaphysical (unless you send it to a printer), and it is ubiquitous (in 2007, Omniture reported that more than 21 trillion emails were sent in the United States alone).

By referencing email, I’m not overtly referring to it as email marketing, but as a way to communicate. Email doesn’t always have to be about marketing messages. In fact, the intent of email has always been about facilitating our lives.

Of course, there is the dark side of email — SPAM. These are the people and organizations who lack patience, are overly aggressive, and can view any mention of their own selves as important to everyone. But those that use email responsibly can do a lot of good, for both their organizations and those that receive their emails.

Many people seem to believe that email marketing performs best when it is not integrated with other efforts. Obi-Wan Kenobi described the Force as an energy that surrounds all living things. Is this where the metaphor of email-as-the-Force breaks down? No. Just as Obi-Wan describes the Force, email surrounds virtually every marketing effort. It is the entry and exit points for almost all marketing channels. It has an impact and is impacted by everything happening in both online and offline marketing.

So, when you think about email, don’t just think about it as a single email or campaign, or even marketing. Think about it as a way to welcome new visitors to your Web site or store, as a way to share information, build relationships, and to help make the lives of your prospects and clients easier.

With this level of clarity, with some patience, and an understanding of your marketing goals, you might become a Jedi Marketing Master.