Does Mailchimp have you pulling your hair out? I get it. It’s not the easiest email platform to maneuver. However, once you have templates in place, it really doesn’t have to stress you out!
Stop the frustration and save time and money with these 5 simple steps to creating your own customized Mailchimp email templates.
1️⃣ Determine the types of emails you will be sending
👉 TIP: You’ll want a different template layout for an E-Newsletter than for a Welcome email
A few examples of different kinds of emails your business may require are:
- E-Newsletters
- Welcome Sequence
- Webinar Reminders and Follow-Up
- Special Announcements
- Teasers to build interest prior to a launch
Consider the core 3-5 types of emails you'll be sending regularly and create their custom templates in advance. This way they are ready when you are!
2️⃣ Chose your preferred layout from one of the pre-designed templates
👉 TIP: Column templates can be tricky if your graphics vary in size. Start with single column templates as you learn the program!
My favorite layout is the 1 column basic template. You can use the Image + Text block to add photos or graphics to the left or right of copy to provide dimension. This template is versatile and fits most layout needs.
3️⃣ Drag and Drop your content blocks and graphics using the "Blocks" section of the email creator
"Blocks" are the tool you'll use to customize your email design. They are drag n' drop for ease of use.
Insert dividers to separate your opening letter from subtopics in an E-Newsletter.
Use Image + Text to add graphics, alternating photos left and right, to balance out your copy.
Customize your Social Follow buttons by changing between color, black, or white icons to complement your email colors. Don't forget to add the links to the social buttons! 👍
👉 TIP: You can duplicate content blocks you’ve already created to save time!
4️⃣ Customize your colors using the "Style" section of the email creator
👉 TIP: Keep your brand color codes handy – this will save you lots of time finding the perfect color!
Change the color for the background of your email under "Page." Use a darker color under for "Page" and white for "Body" to help the text stand out more.
Or, keep the entire "Page" white to make it look more like an Outlook style, non-graphic email.
Customize your Header and Footer so they can be read easily (ie. white text with a darker background, black text with a lighter background). The "Style" section is also where you set colors for links.
5️⃣ Save your layout as a template
👉TIP: Click Template drop down, then “Save this design as a template.”
Once you've put in the hard work of mapping out your color scheme, design preferences and customizing your layout, be sure to save it as a template so you can easily find it later.
Save a separate template for each of your pre-determined email types (See Tip 1). This way your design and colors will carry through every time you send the designated style of email.
⭐️⭐️ SUPER STAR TIP: Under Campaigns, click the drop down to the right of your primary email template, select "Replicate."
Hopefully you already know this one, but if you don't, this is a HUGE TIMESAVER, especially if you send weekly or monthly emails. You can use a pre-saved template for this purpose, but I find that over time I make small adjustments to my emails and don't always take the time to save those changes in a new template.
Replicating your email essentially creates a DUPLICATE of that original email, allowing you to use it as a type of template without all the generic text and also while keeping any minor design changes you've made to the emails over time. Now, all you have to do is swap out the text, graphics, links etc. No need to adjust the layout design or colors!
👉TIP: Pay special attention to details like updating links and swapping out photos to ensure there is no carry over from the email you replicated. You want to use the original email as a guide, but want to be sure the content is entirely fresh and all links point to the new content you're emailing your list.
If you made it this far in this blog post, then congratulations! 🎉 YOU JUST CREATED YOUR FIRST MAILCHIMP TEMPLATE! Time to PARTY!
I see posts on social media all the time about how frustrating Mailchimp can be to a brand-new user. But, trust me, once you learn how to customize your email design in Mailchimp, frustrations will be in the past.
👉 Still have❓ Contact me for personalized help creating on-brand customization for your Mailchimp emails!
In addition to Mailchimp template creation, I also provide support in streamlining your "audience" email lists and maximizing "tags" and "segments" for optimal list efficiency.