Working with Marketing Email Templates

Creating a New Email Template

To create an Email Template:

1. Open the Marketing view and click Templates from the Navigation Panel.
   
   
2. On this page, you can view and manage your existing Email Templates. Use the drop-down at the top of the page to switch between active and inactive templates. To create a new template, click the plus sign at the top right.
3. Select a design for your Email Template. You can use the Email Designer (recommended) or the Classic HTML Editor.
   
   
    
4. From the Email Designer section, select from the following options:
   • Educational: starts with a preconfigured template with many design elements already added. This helps you get familiarized with many of the available options when designing your emails. It also allows you to get started quicker with a new template by simply modifying the existing content.
   • 2 Column Responsive: starts with a template containing a few elements common in marketing emails. From there, you can add the text, images, links, and other content of your choice. As with other emails created using the Email Designer, the responsive layout of these emails is modified to fit the recipients' screen size.
   • Empty Template: starts with a blank slate, allowing you to design your email from the beginning.
      
5. From the Classic HTML Editor section, you can select an option that allows you to create an email template without the advanced options featured in the Email Designer section. You can also select the Custom Template option to design an email without any preconfigured layout, allowing you to add your own HTML content.

Working with Rows

1. As you build an email template, Content Blocks are organized by Rows. Emails you create using the Email Designer are responsive, meaning they adjust to the recipients' screen size. For this to work best, use multiple rows in your design.
2. To add a new row to your template, select the Rows tab from the menu on the left and drag your desired layout into your template.
   
   
3. Once you've added a row, you can click and hold the drag handle to move it to reorder it.
4. Continue adding rows as desired.
5. Click a row to add an internal comment to it, save it for use in another template, delete it, or copy it.
   
   

Working with Content Blocks

1. Once you have one or more rows in your email template, you can drag and drop Content Blocks into them.
   
   
2. Once a Content Bock is in place, you can click on it to move it, delete it, or copy it.
3. When you're done editing the template, click Save Changes.

Working with Images

While designing your emails, you have access to an image editor that allows you to crop, rotate, resize, or apply filters and other enhancements to any image.

To add a new image, drag the IMAGE Content Block into your email template. For the best results, select an image that has a file size of 1 MB or less. When you insert an image or select an existing image in your template, you can modify it by clicking Apply effects & more.

If using a logo, we recommend that it be 600 px wide x any height (150 px is the typical logo height). Additionally, consider a student's email settings (e.g., dark mode, etc.) when formatting your logo (e.g., using a white background, etc.).

Working with Videos

Using the Video Content Block, you can easily share your videos. Once you copy and paste the URL of your video from YouTube or Vimeo, the email editor pulls in the cover image for the video, overlays a play icon on top of it, and creates a link to the video content.

Using the options under CONTENT PROPERTIES, you can modify the appearance of the play icon and video block.

When embedding videos, keep in mind:

• Actual videos are not embedded into the email. Instead, the cover image becomes a link to the video's location.
• Videos hosted by Vimeo only work if they are set to Public.

Adding Variables to the Classic HTML Editor

To add merge fields to your email template, paste the variable inside brackets.

        

If you know the name of the field you'd like to use as a variable, you can begin typing the field name, activating the Type-Ahead feature. When you start typing a variable, the interface presents you with available options that can complete your variable entry. For example, if you start typing "applicant", you're presented with the applicant category of fields.

After clicking applicant, you're presented with the field options within the applicant category.

Using this method, you can select the fields you'd like to include as variables in your email.

Editing in Full-Screen Mode

In full-screen mode, you can add new sections to your email template by dragging them from the Content Menu on the right and placing them in the email layout area.

1. Style Manager: Select one of your existing email template components and click this icon to view the style options associated with this component.
2. Trait Manager: Click this icon to work with your selected component's settings.
3. Line View Editor: Click this icon to see your components listed line-by-line.
4. Content Menu: Click this icon to view the list of available elements to drag into your email template.

Once your template is configured, click Save Changes at the top right.

Copying Email Templates

Click Copy to make a copy of the existing email template.

Deactivating Email Templates

Click Deactivate to deactivate an email template. You can reactivate later, if desired.

Deleting Email Templates

Click Delete to permanently delete an email template.