Creating a New Email
Before you do anything, read the 2019 Email Marketing Style Guide and the Email Marketing SOP. These are the guidelines by which you’re meant to create your email.
It’s time to create your email! Watch this handy video to watch how to read a strategy and create the email.
Some Things to Remember
Main CTA
This should be a brief, persuasive paragraph that moves the reader to book. It should center around the main goal of the email. If the email is about summer bookings, invoke the feeling of taking a weeklong trip in the summer. If the email uses a coupon code, write a persuasive paragraph about how the reader should take advantage of this amazing deal. Think about what drives you to book. After all, we are all the audience for our clients!
The main CTA should always be bookings-focused. Typically, the links should go to “check availability” or to the “bookings page.” If you’re promoting a special or a discount, link to the page on the client’s website which details that. If you’re trying to get people to stay during a holiday, ask your CSM for a date range, search the available properties during that date range, and use that as your link.
Add Section About Alt-Text and Plain Text
We can’t say it enough — alt text is important! Alt text on images is how screen readers translate photos. Therefore, we want the alt text on our email photos to be as descriptive as possible. There’s no need to try to insert a keyword in this alt text, like we do on blogs. We just want to make sure that the alt text accurately describes the photo.
Similarly, plain text is the dressed-down, image-free version of any email. After you’ve created your email using Canvas that feature text, go into the email and add the copy. That way, all audiences can see the amazing content that you’ve created.
Send to CSM for Review
After you’ve completed the emails, send a test email to yourself, to Taylor, or to your manager. Here are some key points to remember when you’re proofing emails:
- Read through your text to make sure that it’s free of errors.
- Click all the links to make sure they go the correct pages.
- Make sure your images are the same size.
- Check how the email looks on mobile (insert steps) and make sure that it still looks good. Remember, most people are checking their emails on mobile.
After you’ve proofed your email (or had Taylor or your manager proof it), send a Test Email to your CSM. Be sure to check that your client is NOT selected. The CSMs also use this function to send the emails to the clients, so you may have to “deselect” them from the list. We don’t want emails going to the clients before they’ve been cleared by the CSM!
Two Rounds of Edits
Approval Customers
- *The CC should send the CSM a test email at least 7 days before the due date unless otherwise agreed upon by the team members.
- Each email gets 2 rounds of edits. So, if the CSM has edits, they can send them to the CC to make by replying to the test email. Then, if the customer has edits, the CC will make those. Beyond the two rounds, any remaining edits/tweaks fall on the CSM.
Regular Customers
- *The CC should send the CSM a test email at least 5 days before the due date unless otherwise agreed upon by the team members.
- Each email gets 2 rounds of edits. The CSM can send them to the CC to make by replying to the test email. Beyond the two rounds, any remaining edits/tweaks fall on the CSM.
Reports
Tracking your success on Google Analytics
When you make the email:
-
Make sure that after you have replicated a campaign, you scroll to the bottom to “Settings & Tracking” and edit the Google Analytics link tracking title to reflect which email you’re doing. For example, “June MM Email 2019.” This is so you are able to distinguish between campaigns in Analytics.
Looking in Analytics to see how an email performed:
- Set the dates that you’re reporting for
- Go to Acquisition < All Traffic < Channels
- Click on Email (under Default Channel Grouping)
- At the top, click Other < Acquisition < Campaign
This will separate each campaign so you can see metrics like users to the website, e-commerce, and so on.