Firms 'must email relevant content'

Companies must ensure they only send their customers relevant emails, an expert has urged.

Linus Gregoriadis, head of research at E-consultancy, warned marketers not to send unsolicited email as spamming is illegal and can be damaging for a brand's image.

Although it is legal for firms to buy lists of contacts who have agreed to receive messages from third parties, marketers will find they have a better response from contacts they have made themselves, he suggested.

This is because such recipients will have a greater level of interest in the product, Mr Gregoriadis explained.

"If people repeatedly receive unwanted and irrelevant emails then they will switch off mentally, unsubscribe and at worst report email as spam," he warned.

Government advice source Business Link states that email marketing can be an "extremely cheap" tool to directly target customers.

Although some companies lack the necessary skill to create catchy messages, there are specialist firms which can help them develop their newsletters, it suggests.