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What works and what doesn't in email marketing$%: If you want to get up to speed as quickly as possible, read and absorb these 7 tried-and-tested top tips.

1. Ask permission If you're not already doing so, start asking your customers if they would like to subscribe to your email list - maybe a newsletter, or periodic updates and offers. A house list (built from scratch) will yield the best results. It's vital to get permission and to comply with CAN-SPAM legislation if you are emailing a US audience, or the 2003 Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications if you're in the UK.
2. Send relevant, targeted emails Everybody hates spam - unsolicited, untargeted, indiscriminate emails. But if you target your customers with relevant content, your emails are more likely to be welcome. If your database is large, consider segmenting it and tailoring your messages according to, for example, customer type or purchase history.
3. Be in it for the long term rewards Email marketing is best seen as a customer relationship building tool. Over time, the return you should be looking for is increased customer spending and improved customer retention. That's going to be worth far more than a one-off sales promotion. Which brings me to the next point.
4. Don't just sell stuff Your emails are more likely to opened, read and acted upon if they contain something other than just offers and promotions. Give away something for free - a tip, a useful link or two, a related article, something fun or entertaining - in every email. This is the kind of content that gets emails forwarded and good reputations made. Coupons and offers are great, but loyalty is about more than price.
5. Be consistent and respectful Consider it a great honour when someone grants you permission to email them. It's all about establishing trust. People want to know what they will receive, and when. If they are expecting a monthly newsletter, don't annoy them with weekly sales messages. Expect to open up a dialog - and ensure that emails are responded to promptly.
6. Measure results and act on them As with any marketing campaign, measurement is crucial if you want to gauge the return on your investment. With email, at the very least you can measure who opened, which links were clicked on, and who unsubscribed. Although no statistics are 100% reliable, these are valuable indicators giving you immediate results to feed back into future campaigns.
7. Keep it personal Email is a two-way medium and very different to broadcast advertising. Think of your customers as your friends. We enjoy receiving emails from people, not anonymous companies. Inject your communications with personality and the human touch and see your email marketing soar.