If you read or watch The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, you get to know the story of two men and their misadventures as they interact with new people, new creatures, and new situations. Well, email marketing is kind of like exploring a new galaxy when you first get started. And without the right guidance, it’s an endeavor that can be full of mistakes and misadventures. So consider the next 5 elements your guide to the email marketing galaxy.

Permission Based Email Marketing

In order to have a successful email marketing program, you need to have people who have opted in to receive emails from you. You can’t just blast a message to a list of names that haven’t given your permission to do so.

Define Your Audience

Another important step in email marketing is to know your audience and what content they can benefit from. By understanding who your target market is, you are increasing the engagement and success rate of your campaigns.

Relevant Content

It may seem like including relevant content in your email marketing campaigns would be a no brainer, but it can sometimes be difficult to know the best information to share. Make sure that each email you send takes into account these elements:

• Has useful information
• Shows personality
• Is as succinct

Call to Action

Your audience needs to know what you want them to do. Having solid Calls to Action included in your content is critical. We recommend using at least two, preferably three, invitations to act in your email so your readers will now how to engage.

Strategy and Schedule

Just sending emails sporadically isn’t a good way to create a relationship between you and your audience. Come up with a strategy that includes goals, a schedule of when and what emails will deploy, metrics, and actionable ways to grow your database.