Getting started with Salesforce Marketing Cloud’s Email Studio, and feeling overwhelmed? It may feel like stepping into a new world, but not to worry — you aren’t alone! Wherever you are in your Salesforce journey, this guide will hand hold you through creating and sending your first email using Email Studio. Pretty soon, we’re sure you will feel confident in using Email Studio to drive the results you need!

Read on, and let’s get started!

1. Log Into Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Start by logging into your Salesforce Marketing Cloud account. Make sure you have the necessary credentials to access Email Studio. Once logged in, you’ll land on the SFMC dashboard. From here, make your way to Email Studio by selecting the "Email Studio" tab. You’ll find this located on the main screen or in the main menu under “Digital Marketing.”

2. Navigate to Email Studio

Inside Email Studio, you’ll see several tools and options. These are designed to help you with various aspects of email marketing, such as creating emails, managing lists, setting up automations, and more.

To get started, you’ll focus on Content and Subscribers within Email Studio, as these are the core areas for creating and sending emails.

3. Create a New Email

Once you're in Email Studio, find the Create button. This option will allow you to start a new email campaign. You’ll be prompted with several choices to begin your email creation process:

• Create New Email: You can start from scratch using a blank template.
• Use a Template: SFMC provides pre-designed templates that you can personalise according to your needs.
• Email Template Library: For more advanced campaigns, SFMC offers a variety of templates that are customizable and mobile-optimized.

For simplicity’s sake, let's start by creating a new email. Click Create New Email.

4. Choose Your Email Type

Once you click to create a new email, you'll be asked to choose the type of email you want to send. There are three main types:

• Text-Only Email: A simple email, often used for straightforward messages like newsletters or updates.
• HTML Email: A more advanced option that allows for the inclusion of images, videos, and complex layouts.
• Template Email: Allows you to pick a pre-designed email template that you can customize.

For this example, we’ll choose HTML Email to give your campaign a visually appealing look.

5. Design Your Email

Now comes the fun part: designing your email. In SFMC, you can use a drag-and-drop editor, which makes designing easy and intuitive.

• Drag-and-Drop Blocks: On the left side of the editor, you’ll see various content blocks like text, image, button, and divider. You can simply drag these blocks into your email layout.
• Text Blocks: For your text content, you can drag a text block and start typing directly into it. You can format the text, change fonts, adjust the size, and add links.
• Image Blocks: If you want to include an image, just drag the image block into your design, and then upload your image. You can also adjust the size and placement of images to fit your design.
• Button Blocks: For calls to action (CTAs), use the button block. Customize the button text (e.g., "Shop Now," "Learn More") and link it to your desired URL.

The editor offers many customisation options. Play around with the blocks and see how easy it is to create a well-structured email that represents your brand and message.

6. Personalize Your Email

One of the best features of SFMC is the ability to personalize emails based on the subscriber data you have. You can insert personalization tokens (like a subscriber’s first name or recent purchase) directly into the content to make the email feel more tailored and engaging.

• Personalization Tokens: These are placeholders that pull in data from your subscribers’ profiles. For example, if you have a field for a subscriber's first name, you can add a greeting that says “Hello, [First Name]!” and SFMC will automatically replace it with the subscriber’s actual name.

To add personalization, simply click on the location in your email where you want to add the token, then select Personalization from the toolbar and choose the field you want to use.

7. Preview Your Email

Once you’ve designed your email, it’s important to preview it before sending. This helps ensure that everything looks good on both desktop and mobile devices. SFMC provides a Preview option where you can view how your email will appear to subscribers.

• Preview Mode: This feature shows you how your email will look on various devices (desktop, tablet, and mobile) so you can confirm that the design is responsive.
• Test Your Personalization: You can send a test email to yourself to see if the personalization tokens are working correctly.

8. Set Up Your Audience

Next, it’s time to choose your audience. SFMC allows you to target your emails to specific lists of subscribers. These lists are typically stored in your Subscriber Data within the platform.

• Choose a Data Extension or List: You can either select a predefined data extension (a table that holds subscriber data) or a simple email list to send your email to.
• Segment Your Audience: If you want to target specific groups within your list, you can use filters or segments based on subscriber attributes like location, behaviour, or preferences.

Remember, sending relevant emails to the right audience is key to higher engagement rates.

9. Define the Email Subject and From Information

Before you send the email, you’ll need to define your subject line, sender name, and reply-to address.

• Subject Line: Write a compelling subject line that encourages recipients to open your email. A good subject line is short, clear, and action-oriented. You can also use dynamic content to tailor subject lines based on the recipient's attributes.
• From Name and Email Address: Set the name and email address that will appear as the sender. It’s best to use a recognisable name that aligns with your brand, such as “Customer Support” or “Your Company Name.”
• Reply-to Address: You can also specify an email address for responses, in case the recipient wants to reply to the email.

10. Test Your Email

Before sending to your full list, always do a test send to ensure everything looks and works as expected. This is especially important to check that all links, images, and personalization tokens are functioning properly.

To do this, click the Send Test button and send the email to yourself or a colleague. This gives you a chance to double-check everything, including the email’s formatting, links, and any spelling or grammar mistakes.

11. Send Your Email

Once you’re happy with your email and have tested it, it’s time to send it. In the Email Studio, click the Send button. SFMC will ask you to confirm the details of your send (like the audience, subject line, etc.), and once you confirm, your email will be sent to your chosen recipients.

You can also schedule your email for a later date and time if you prefer.

12. Track the Results

After your email has been sent, it’s time to measure how well it performed. SFMC provides detailed analytics on your email campaigns, including:

• Open Rates: How many recipients opened your email.
• Click Rates: How many recipients clicked on links within your email.
• Unsubscribe Rates: How many recipients unsubscribed after receiving the email.
• Bounce Rates: How many emails were undeliverable.

Use these metrics to assess what worked well and where you can improve for future campaigns.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it — you’ve successfully created and sent your first email in Salesforce Marketing Cloud’s Email Studio! Wasn’t that easy?

While it may seem like a lot of steps at first, not to worry. With practice, it’ll quickly become second nature. Don’t forget to track your results and refine your approach as you go. Each campaign is an opportunity to learn and grow. Happy emailing, and here's to many more successful campaigns ahead!

Ready to go further?
If you found this guide helpful, just imagine what you can achieve with expert support. Join Nevolearn's SFMC training to deepen your skills and get guidance from the experts!