Emails with images in them perform better than those without. As a rule of thumb, avoid sending massive images, and strive for a healthy balance of moderately-sized graphics and text.

3. Don't rely on pictures

Some users may only receive your email in plaintext format, which means that some of the pictures you include may not be viewed. To allow for that possibility, make sure your campaign still makes sense - and makes its point - even if the graphics aren't displayed.

4. Get your branding right

Making sure that your branding is clear and consistent is one of the most important factors in producing effective email marketing.

Ensure that your company logo is clearly visible and that all communications are branded with your name, address and contact details, so people can get in touch with you. If you trade under various different names, make sure that this is clear. For consistency, choose one of your brands and stick to it.

5. Focus above the fold

It is important when laying out your email's content to pay a lot of attention to the top four inches, as this is the first thing people will see. Make sure your logo is there and that you've introduced your email's topic or theme.

If there is an important link or action in the body of your email don't hide it in the middle, put it near the top for your audience to see straight away. This is your opportunity to sell yourself, so don't waste it with a bland opening!

6. Personalise your emails

Making sure that your emails feel personal is a great way of marketing your products effectively. It illustrates that you have taken the time and effort to think about what you send. After all, showing that you know someone's name is great, showing them you really know, respect and care about them is even better.

7. Be aware of your audience

Having a good knowledge and understanding of your audience is the path to effective email marketing. By using segmented data, you can see exactly what your audience likes or dislikes and what interests them. In doing so, you can put the most relevant products and services in front of the people who are most likely to buy them.

8. Send well-timed, targeted follow-ups

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9. Make the most of landing pages

Think of your emails as a front door to open up other things, such as landing pages. This is the relevant information on your website to your products and services. This provides a great opportunity not only to reinforce your branding, but also to take advantage of the moment of undivided attention you have once someone takes the trouble of clicking one of your links.

10. Experiment!

The great thing about email marketing is that you can track and review the effectiveness of your campaigns. You can use this to learn what your audience likes, and doesn't and then experiment to see how changes affect your response numbers.

At the end of the day, the only way to learn what works and what doesn't is to experiment and email marketing gives you the opportunity to do this.