Create marketing emails

Create professional marketing emails that engage your contacts and drive business results. Marketing emails can be deployed through campaigns for scheduled sends or automations for trigger-based delivery.

Overview

The process of creating marketing emails involves:

1. Designing your email content using the Email Builder
2. Adding dynamic personalization with contact and company data
3. Deploying through campaigns (drip sequences) or automations (advanced conditional workflows)
4. Testing and optimizing performance

Understanding deployment options

Campaigns are drip-style marketing automation that send scheduled email sequences to your audience. They're ideal for straightforward, time-based email marketing.

Automations are advanced, intelligent workflows that support both drip sequences AND conditional logic based on contact actions, business events, and data changes. They provide more sophisticated targeting and personalization capabilities.

Method 1: Using email templates in campaigns (drip marketing)

Campaigns are drip-style marketing automation that send scheduled email sequences to your contacts and companies. They're perfect for time-based marketing where you want to send a series of emails at predetermined intervals. You can use pre-built templates or create custom emails.

Using recommended campaign templates

We've built proven email templates that are ready to use and have demonstrated engagement success.

To use recommended templates:

1. Go to Partner Center > Marketing > Campaigns
2. Go to the Recommended Campaigns tab

3. Browse the selection of ready-made campaigns

note

You can preview each email template within a campaign by clicking the campaign name.

4. When you find a campaign template you like:
   • Click on the campaign name, then click Actions > Copy

5. Go to the Duplicate Campaign and customize as needed

6. Edit the email templates and campaign details. The campaign must be in Draft Status to allow editing
7. When ready, click Publish

Creating custom campaign emails

Build custom email campaigns with complete control over design and content.

1. Go to Partner Center > Marketing > Campaigns.
2. Click Create Campaign in the upper right.

3. Enter a descriptive name for the campaign that your salespeople will recognize. Click Create.
4. Click Add existing email or Create new email

5. If you select Create new email, you will enter the Email Builder.

Using the email builder

The Email Builder allows you to design engaging emails that look great on any device. With the Email Builder you can quickly create effective email campaigns utilizing all available data points while optimizing for various devices with instant visual feedback.

Why the email builder is important

With upwards of 80% of emails opened on mobile devices, it's crucial to ensure your emails display properly across all devices. The Email Builder provides instant visual feedback so you can see exactly how your emails will appear to recipients.

Customize Your Logo

Use this feature to hide or customize the logo for each email you design. The logo can be hidden or changed for each different email inside your campaigns, allowing for more personalized content.

The logo customization block has three options:

• Default — Uses the partner logo configured in your branding settings.
• Custom — Upload a different image. You can set the width and alignment, and add a URL so clicking the logo takes recipients to a destination of your choice.
• Hide — Removes the logo from this email entirely.

Adjusting padding between content blocks

If you have two images stacked on top of each other and there's an unwanted gap between them, it's caused by the default padding on each block. To remove the gap:

1. Click the upper block to select it.
2. In the block settings panel, set Bottom Padding to 0.
3. Click the lower block to select it.
4. Set Top Padding to 0.

This eliminates the space between the two blocks. The same approach works for any adjacent blocks where you want tighter spacing.

Working with Content Blocks

All email content is placed in content "blocks." Email Builder provides multiple blocks that you can click and add. The blocks determine what kind of content can be entered as well as the styling and editing options available. Click "+Add new block" to start building your email.

After creating content blocks, they can be dragged and dropped to re-order the content.

Click "Preview" in the top right-hand corner to check out your email!

Preview on Different Devices

You can see how your email will appear on different devices in real-time with the click of a button. This ensures your emails look great whether opened on desktop, tablet, or mobile.

Additional Email Builder Features

• Side-by-side content: Render images and text side by side with simple click and selection
• Color customization: Change colors for text, titles, subtitles, links, footer text, content background, and page background
• Customizable buttons: Choose colors, link to URLs, customize button text, and add dynamic components
• Tables: Add simple tables to arrange data intuitively in your emails
• Contact cards: Personalize emails with contact images and details

Email Builder Limitations

1. Emails built in the legacy Email Builder cannot be edited in the new Email Builder and vice-versa
2. Emails started in the legacy builder cannot be switched mid-creation to the new Email Builder

Campaign Setup Process:

6. Continue adding email events until you have finished creating the campaign
7. Configure campaign timing and delivery settings (fixed intervals between emails)
8. Preview and test your emails before publishing

note

Campaign Limitations: Campaigns provide straightforward drip sequences but lack conditional branching, trigger responses, or dynamic timing. For more sophisticated email marketing with conditional logic and smart triggers, consider using Automations instead.

Method 2: Using Email Templates in Automations (Advanced Smart Marketing)

Automations are intelligent marketing workflows that support both drip sequences AND conditional logic. Unlike simple campaigns, automations can respond to contact actions, form submissions, business events, and data changes in real-time. This advanced approach enables both scheduled sequences and smart, responsive communication based on contact behavior and business intelligence.

Setting Up Email Automation

To create automated email sequences:

1. Go to Partner Center > Automations
2. Click Create Automation or select an existing automation template
3. Choose your trigger (form submission, contact creation, opportunity stage change, etc.)
4. Add email steps to your automation workflow:

Email Automation Steps:

• Send Email to Contact - Send personalized emails to individual contacts
• Send Email to Company - Send business-focused emails to all contacts at a company (up to 50 contacts)
• Start Campaign for Contact - Trigger an existing campaign sequence for the contact
• Start Campaign for Company - Trigger an existing campaign sequence for the company
• Campaign Step - Use existing campaigns as building blocks within automation workflows

Email Template Creation in Automations

When adding email steps to automations:

1. Select Email Step: Choose "Send Email to Contact", "Send Email to Company", or use the "Campaign" step
2. Create Email Template: Click "Create new email" to access the Email Builder, or select existing campaigns
3. Design Your Email: Use the same Email Builder interface with full personalization capabilities
4. Add Dynamic Content: Include contact, company, and business data relevant to the trigger
5. Set Conditions: Add logic to determine when emails should send

Using Campaign Steps in Automations: The "Campaign" step allows you to incorporate existing drip campaigns as building blocks within your automation workflows. This lets you combine the simplicity of pre-built campaigns with the advanced conditional logic of automations.

Automation Email Benefits

Drip Sequence Capabilities (Like Campaigns, But Smarter):

• Create time-based email sequences with conditional branching
• Add waiting periods, decision points, and dynamic timing
• Support complex drip logic that campaigns cannot handle

Advanced Conditional Logic:

• Branch workflows based on contact responses or actions
• Create different email paths based on contact/company data
• Stop, pause, or redirect sequences based on real-time conditions

Trigger-Based Delivery:

• Respond immediately to contact actions (form submissions, login activity, email clicks)
• Send relevant content based on business events (product activation, opportunity changes)
• Nurture leads automatically based on engagement and behavior patterns

Advanced Personalization:

• Use trigger data in email content (form responses, opportunity details, product activation status)
• Reference specific business events that triggered the email
• Include real-time data like snapshot reports or product usage metrics
• Dynamic content that updates based on current contact/company state

tip

Choose the Right Method:

Use Campaigns (Drip Marketing) When:

• You need simple, time-based email sequences
• You're doing straightforward marketing campaigns with predetermined timing
• You want to quickly set up basic drip sequences without complex logic
• Your email flow doesn't require conditional branching or trigger responses

Use Automations (Advanced Smart Marketing) When:

• You need conditional logic and branching in your email sequences
• You want trigger-based responses to contact actions or business events
• You need both drip sequences AND responsive communications
• You want advanced personalization based on real-time contact/company data
• You're implementing sophisticated lead nurturing with multiple pathways
• You need emails that adapt and respond to contact behavior dynamically

Recommendation: Automations provide superior flexibility and intelligence. Consider using automations for most email marketing needs, as they support everything campaigns can do plus advanced conditional capabilities.

Campaign Timing Configuration:

7. Adjust the "days before starting" or "days before previous event"

8. Configure your campaign delivery settings

Campaign Configuration Settings

In the Campaign configuration section of a campaign, you can configure the following settings:

Time Zone Settings

By default, campaigns are sent in your local time zone. To change this setting:

1. Select a time zone from the dropdown
2. Click Save

Included Days

By default, emails are only sent Monday-Friday. However, the delays that are set between campaign events count all the days of the week. If an email is scheduled to send on a day that's not included, the email will be sent on the next included day.

note

For example, a campaign includes two emails: the first email occurs on Day 1, and the second email occurs on Day 4. The included days are Monday-Friday.

• If the first email is sent on a Monday, the second email will be sent on Thursday.
• If the first email is sent on Wednesday, the second email will be sent on Monday.
• If the first email is sent on Friday, the second email will be sent on Monday.

To change this setting:

1. Select the days that emails should be sent on
2. Click Save

Rate Limiting

This option limits the number of emails that can be sent on behalf of each salesperson per day. The limit only applies when adding a list to a campaign (not adding individual accounts). Only the first email step of a campaign is affected—the remaining emails in a campaign are sent with the delays set in the campaign. Pausing and resuming a campaign will bypass the limit.

note

For example, if a company has 4 salespeople, and the limit is set to 2 recipients per day, then 8 recipients will be added to the campaign per day. Each recipient will receive subsequent emails in the campaign with the delays that are set in the campaign.

By default, the limit is disabled. To turn on the limit:

1. Toggle Rate limit ON
2. Enter the maximum number of recipients that should be added to the campaign per salesperson per day (from a list)
3. Click Save

Campaign Sender Settings

You can change the 'sender' email address and name in Partner Center > Marketing > Email Settings > Sender and Reply Settings.

Scheduling Campaigns Walkthrough Video

Testing and Optimizing Marketing Emails

Whether you're using campaigns or automations, thorough testing ensures your emails perform effectively across different email clients and devices.

Email Testing Process

Email clients like Gmail, Apple Mail, and Outlook display emails differently. Always test your emails before sending to ensure optimal presentation and functionality.

Testing Methods:

For Campaign Emails:

1. Click Preview under any email in your campaign

2. Click Send Yourself a Test Email

3. Enter the test email address, then click Send Test
4. Test each email in your sequence

Advanced Preview: Testing as Specific Accounts

You can preview email campaigns as a specific account to ensure proper functionality and see exactly how dynamic content will appear for different businesses.

To preview campaigns as a specific account:

1. From the campaign details page, click the 3-dots next to the email you want to preview
2. Select Preview
3. Click Send test email

4. By default, the email will be previewed as a Generic account. To change this, click on the field and select an account that you'd like to preview the email as

5. In the next field, enter email addresses to send the preview. You can send to yourself or trusted reviewers
6. Click Send

The test email will be customized with the selected account's data, showing you exactly how dynamic content will appear.

note

Preview Limitations:

• The preview doesn't apply to recipient-based dynamic components (recipient names, phone numbers, email addresses)
• In test emails, you'll see generic information for contact fields, but recipients will see their real personal information
• This feature is not available when editing an email directly

note

Note: For test campaigns to send successfully, there needs to be an account linked to the user receiving the email.

Publishing and Activation

For Campaigns: Once testing is complete, click Publish to make your campaign available for sending.

For Automations: Turn on your automation to begin trigger-based email delivery or use the "Manual" trigger to trigger the automation manually. Monitor initial sends to ensure proper functionality.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Error: "Your company hasn't set up campaigns yet"

If you're getting the error "Your company hasn't set up campaigns yet. To use them, reach out to your administrator," this is because the required contact information for campaigns is not configured.

Why this happens: The contact information is required to send marketing campaigns. This error occurs when there is no contact profile selected to be used for the campaign (when "None" is selected, campaigns will be disabled).

How to fix it:

1. Navigate to Administration: Go to Administration > Customize > Market
2. Edit Market Settings: Click on the pencil (edit icon)
3. Access Email Settings: Click the Email Settings tab
4. Configure Contact Information: Under Required Contact Information for Campaigns, select either:
   • Partner's Contact Information - Uses your partner account contact details
   • Market's Contact Information - Uses market-specific contact details

Video Walkthrough:

Other Common Setup Issues

Campaign Won't Publish:

• Ensure all required email content is complete
• Verify that contact information is configured (see above)
• Check that campaign has at least one email event

Dynamic Content Not Working:

• Verify that CRM contact fields and CRM company fields are populated
• Test preview emails with specific accounts that have complete data
• Check that dynamic content syntax is correct