Email marketing is a method of direct marketing that uses electronic mail to send promotional messages to a specifically targeted audience. It is a powerful marketing tool that can help an organisation to build relationships with their customer base as well as helping to generate more clients.

Bulk email marketing can be performed quickly and easily using the right email marketing software, as well as at a relatively cheap cost. Emails can be tailored to each customer, thus communicating in a personable but effective manner.

When sending out an email marketing newsletter, it is important to bear in mind the following:

Make it snappy. The first thing the reader will see is the subject or title, so make sure this is attention grabbing and provides a good snapshot of what your newsletter is about. As for the text itself, make sure it is easy to read, concise and informative, with no complicated jargon or waffle. Include a short introduction and summary but focus on the main body of your text, keeping you audience's requirements in mind.

Make it audience relevant. Tailor your newsletter to focus on your targeted audience. If you have a number of different business targets then consider writing a newsletter for each audience as relevance really is the key to good content.

Offer exclusivity. Offer special benefits that the reader cannot obtain anywhere else - this will encourage them to read your newsletters on a more regular basis.

Don't overdo it. Don't send newsletters for the sake of it. Make sure you have something of interest to say before you start bulk emailing your entire customer base.

Include direct links. Links to specific parts of your website can be created within your text, allowing readers to click straight through to your site and increase the chances of a conversion.

Include contact details. It sounds obvious, but make sure that your company's contact details are displayed an eye catching way on your newsletter. There is nothing more off-putting for a customer than to have to scan content closely just to find a telephone number.

Opt out feature. Email marketing is legally required to include an opt out or unsubscribe option on every edition sent out so make sure you include this important feature