If you don't see the value in sending emails to your customers or potential customers, think again! 

According to recent research by the Direct Marketing Association:

• The ROI of email is 3,800% (according to the Direct Marketing Association).
  
• 72% of people would rather receive promotional material via email than social media
  
• 38% of people say receiving special offers is the top reason they subscribe to an email list.
  

So if you haven't adopted an email marketing strategy then now is the time. Climbing the Google ladder can be a slow process while email is still a direct link to your customers and audience.

Build Relationships

Social media is a great way to reach and be discovered by clients and fans, but email will reinforce and build relationships with them. Offering great information, alongside discounts and deals will instil trust and loyalty from subscribers. Always deliver your best content and give more than what you ask of subscribers.

Don't Spam

Only ever accept voluntary subscriptions, don't add email addresses to your list without a subscriber's consent. It can do more harm than good. All subscriptions should have a confirmation opt-in and always be respectful of someone's inbox. When someone has given you, their email address don't be inconsiderate and abuse that privilege by spamming them. It will damage your reputation as a brand and could potentially end up in blacklisting from the major spam houses that filter email.

Allow people to unsubscribe

Give people the choice to opt-out of your email list. Respect their decision and don't hold them ransom. The CAN-SPAM Act, a law that sets the rules for commercial email has requirements for all commercial messages. All recipients must have the right to unsubscribe or be faced with tough penalties for violations. Always honor opt-out requests promptly.

Segmenting Your List

Segment or break up your subscribers by location, gender, age, purchase history and more. This will allow you to tailor and target specific email marketing messages to those who are interested. A promotion targeted toward females, for example, does not need to be sent to all males on your list. 

Keep it Personal

Address people by their first name and personalize all emails you send. This leads to a higher response rate and emphasizes more importance to each person, opposed to just randomly addressing a group of "faceless" subscribers.