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Are you getting the most out of your email subscriptions, and is it effectively driving revenue and ROI? This can be difficult to work out - subscribers needs change; marketers often don’t have the data to tell them what their subscribers are most interested in; and the channel is still often approached with a “blast it and they will come” mentality. It’s easy! It’s cheap!

As an email marketing strategist and someone that publicly, passionately and tirelessly promotes all of the terrific benefits of email marketing, you’re not likely to find a more enthusiastic email subscriber than me. So here are some of my do’s and don’t about how best to satisfying your email subscribers.

• DO: Welcome me. I want to feel like you appreciate my interest in your company. Once I’ve signed up to receive email, let me know why my decision was a good one and what I’ll get in return for giving you my email address. Even better, give me an incentive to start interacting with your brand. Best of all, keep that incentive exclusive to email subscribers like me.

• DON’T: Just treat me like an email address. I am unique. I have data points and interests and preferences that should be interesting to you. Collect them and use them to customise and personalise your messaging to me. Use what you know about me to create a positive subscriber experience. After all, you asked me for my data and I gave it to you. Now, make it worth my while.

• DO: Send me relevant email. My interactions with your brand can help indicate whether or not I’m considering making a purchase, asking my friends what they think of your products and services, recommending your products and services to my network or if I’m ready to make another purchase. Send me triggered messages that help advance my position in your email customer lifecycle and encourage me to open, read, click, share, purchase and rate.

• DON’T: Over mail me. You never told me I’d be receiving this much email. I can barely manage my inbox as it is. The more one-dimensional messaging you send me (how many discounts and sales can you possibly have) the more likely I am to tune out, disengage, mark your emails as “unimportant” in my Gmail Priority Inbox, unsubscribe and – if you really push it – complain. Don’t make me regret signing up for your email program.

• DO: Ask me what you could do better. This makes me feel like you really care what I think. As an added bonus, my opinions will help you to adjust your email program strategy going forward. This also provides you with great subscriber-level information about the levers you can pull to positively impact my experience with your brand. Don’t make assumptions; when in doubt, just ask me.

• DON’T: Break the law. If I’ve unsubscribed, remove me from your list immediately. Continuing to send me email after I’ve opted-out will only frustrate and irritate me and cause me to exercise my right to mark your email as spam. And if I do complain, don’t email me again. Treat me like an opt-out and add me to your suppression file. I’ve clearly indicated that I don’t want your messaging anymore. Watch out! I’m armed and very dangerous for your deliverability.

So, am I asking for too much? It’s no more (and no less) than what your subscribers are asking for today. If you can consistently and strategically deliver on these requests, you’ll have an optimized email program that builds your brand, strengthens your relationships with customers and prospects and drives meaningful revenue for your business.

Margaret Farmakis is a Senior Director with www.ReturnPath.net who uses her uses her extensive knowledge of email campaign strategy and branding to help marketers grow their subscriber base, improve program relevancy and increase lifetime value of their email customers