Creating an email template - even using merge tags - using the Next Generation Editor in Churchteams
Go to Communicate > Email > Send. Choose a Filter (from the middle Filters column), click the green Run Report, then "Email via Churchteams."
We like to call our email editor NED - Next-generation EDitor. For the purpose of this tutorial, we will use the "Newsletter 2 Column" default template. There are some default/pre-set templates found in the Email Templates dropdown menu just under the Subject line. Notice the orange numbers in the image below, which will highlight the next 6 points.
- Preview the email. Click the Actions dropdown to see your email on desktop or mobile. This means NED is already mobile-optimized for you. Check out the mobile preview (right).
- Show structure. Adds dashed lines to see the different sections of the layout.
- Rows. Here's where you choose the layout based on different structures of rows. You can stack the rows as you see in this image.
- Content. You can choose the type of content you want in each section of each row. Just drag, drop, and edit.
- Basic Editor. Check the box to switch to the old editor.
- Same scheduling options. In fact, all the email marketing tools you love like Email History, Lists, and Templates are still in place.
Two-stepping with NED. If you're a communication tools pro, all of this is intuitive, but if not, you may be used to just typing in the content of the email and sending it. NED's default template is perfect for that. Just type in your text and send it. But, to really dance with NED, you have to adjust your thinking just a little bit from one to two steps:
- Choose the layout. These are the rows. They build the structure (skeleton) of the email.
- Then add the content. The content tab gives you those options. Content fills it in (meat of the email).
Other important stuff.
- Images. When you drag the image icon into the email, you will have options to use images you previously uploaded into NED, but there is also a library of free images you can search and select from.
- Editing images is done after you select an image. Just click to apply effects and more.
- Images in the old editor must be downloaded to your computer first and then re-uploaded into NED's image library. Sorry for a little extra work here.
- There is an Undo option in the bottom left of the editor when working with an email.
- Merge tags. Yes! NED allows you to personalize your emails with first and last names and an unsubscribe option. Here's what you'll see when you are entering text and click the Merge Tags button.
*A note about using Merge Tags: Personalizing emails with merge tags could cause some members to receive duplicate emails. When a member is using his/her email address for him/herself in addition to having their email on the profile of a child and/or a spouse, for example, the system will use that same email but create a separate personalized tag for the name of the person for which that email is associated. Because the personalized tag is different, even though the email address is the same, the member would get more than one of the same email -- each personalized to the member whose record has the email address.
Email History is available for any Emails sent via Churchteams by going to Communicate > History. Learn more about Email History.