Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s toolkit, but it does require some amount of knowledge. A business owner can’t send out blind emails to anyone and hope to get a response; that makes them little better than a spammer, and hurts their business and their reputation. If a small business owner needs advice on how to get started, he should follow a few email marketing tips.

1. Start out by building a list

When a customer signs up voluntarily to be emailed by you, there is a much greater chance they will pay attention to emails you send, rather than hit “delete” instantly. An online store can have an optional sign-up form at checkout, or a brick and mortar shop can include a place for customers to enter their information before they leave the store. Provide them with incentive; give them a free, valuable item or piece of information that will entice them to sign up.

2. Tell them what to expect when they sign up

People get bombarded with enough spam email as it is; they don’t want more. When they sign up for your list, let them know the kind of information they can expect to receive from you, as well as the frequency of emails.

3. Send them a welcome email

When someone signs up for your email list, have it programmed to send a pre-formatted welcome email thanking them for signing up, as well as restating the kind of content they will receive on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Make sure the recipient can easily unsubscribe; though counter intuitive, knowing the option is readily available makes it less likely they will do so.

4. Keep to a publishing calendar

Don’t send out emails all willy-nilly. Keep to the schedule your promised your customers when they signed up. By all means, send an email out of schedule for special occasions or if it is something they really must know, but beyond that, try and maintain the schedule.

5. Don’t try to sell products within your list; instead, send them a link

If you have a product going on sale that you are trying to draw attention to, let the customer know by sending them a link to it, instead of including the product itself within the email. People react badly when their inbox is filled with marketing ploys; by having them take the first action by clicking the link, they have already said ‘yes’ to looking at it. That small step makes it more likely they will say ‘yes’ to buying the product, as well.

6. Edit your emails

When text is the primary form of communication for interacting with your list, make sure you come across as composed. Sending emails that are full of typographical errors and spelling mistakes leaves a bad impression, so it is best to ensure that all grammar usage is correct. Be on the lookout for hard to notice mistakes such as using ‘their’ when ‘there’ should be used.

Email marketing, like any other form of marketing, shouldn’t be thought of as a way to sell. It should be thought of as a tool for building relationships and making connections. When used properly, it is very powerful. By following these email marketing tips, you will be following the footsteps of some of the most successful businessmen and online marketers in history.

This post comes from Aew, a marketing expert who had dived headfirst into email marketing this year, and it’s paying off with some spectacular results. She recommends that any newbies to email marketing, should read this article from SEMA for some email marketing tips before they get their toes wet.