Email marketing is potentially a highly effective marketing technique. But if you want to get anywhere close to achieving that potential, doing it correctly is essential.

Do use a legitimate, opt-in email list. That way, people won’t be surprised to receive something and won’t class you as spam. If it’s a customer list, even better, as they’ll be expecting your email.

Don’t abuse the trust you’ve been given with their email address. Don’t bombard them with emails and certainly don’t sell or pass them on to anyone else.

Do include an unsubscribe option. Even if they love you, they might have their reasons for not wanting to receive your emails any more. And DO make sure you remove them from your list when they ask you.

Don’t send them emails for the sake of it. Always make sure there’s a purpose to it and, unless it’s just an information newsletter, do include a call to action – tell them what you want them to do.

Do check all addresses before you add them to your list – you’ll find lots of typos – and do clean your list regularly, removing bouncebacks, gone-aways etc. If you don’t, they could come back to haunt you.

Don’t overwhelm them with a mish-mash of messages. Don’t pack your email with so much that they’re just phased by looking at it. They won’t understand it and you won’t do any business. Make sure it’s clean and clear to understand.

Do write properly! Nothing turns readers off more than a mis-spelt, poorly written advert or article. That misspelled word or wrongly placed apostrophe can make something read very differently indeed. Not only will your reader not buy but they’ll be rushing to click the unsubscribe button. A professional copy writer could help but at the very least get a decent proof-reader to check it before it goes.

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