By now, chances are that if you own a small business, you also have gathered an email list of customers and clients. What was once new technology has become mundane and obligatory in some respects. That is not to say, though, that email marketing has lost its effectiveness with the public.

In fact, with the emergence of smart phones and social media platforms, email has in some ways become a more useful marketing tool than ever. The key, as was always the case, is sending a goal-oriented email that has a clear purpose and an obvious value to the recipients.

No one wants to receive more junk mail, and associating your small business with junk mail works against the brand loyalty you're struggling to build. So what do you do to make sure what you´re sending helping?

First, put yourself in the customer's shoes. Would you be excited to be receiving the email? If not excited, is there at least a chance that the email is informative and/or interesting to a broad range of your customer base?

Also, make sure the format is clean and organized. No one is going to work hard to decipher the meaning of a poorly laid out email, and that rule applies to both written and visual content.

Finally, consider adding some fun elements to your email campaign. People like to be entertained while they're being marketed to, so there's no reason you can't engage in some offbeat and creative deliveries, even while protecting your brand's professional image. Master these rules, and your email campaigns will go a long way in maintaining current customers and attracting new ones.