Customize Email Campaign Template Content, Blocks & Variable

ShippingEasy Content Team

Updated October 10, 2023 12:46

Creating content for your marketing messages can often take time and be a tedious process. That does not need to be the case if you are subscribed to Customer Marketing. With ShippingEasy's built-in drag and drop template editor, creating your own e-mail marketing content has never been easier!

BEFORE EDITING A TEMPLATE

If you have not started drafting a template: check out the guide for creating a Campaign template.
Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge are not fully supported. Some features of the template editor will not work when using these browsers.
Templates created before September 26, 2018, will use a legacy editor. ShippingEasy upgraded the template editor in Sept. 2018. Previously created templates can be edited using the legacy editor.

While it is not possible to convert existing templates over to the new editor, you may consider pausing any active campaigns and setting up a new campaign.

Once you have selected a campaign to edit, you will see a tabbed menu of the areas within your campaign that you can edit. It is divided into three sections: Content, Blocks, and Body.

Content includes text, images, links to social media, and more!
Blocks are convenient containers for saving rows of content.
Body is where you control overall settings like the font and background color.
Images are where you can search for, add, and edit images from a gallery of content.

Blocks

Blocks enable you to group your content into rows. There are a variety of ready-to-use block formats, including those with multiple columns to show multiple sections of content at once.

Insert Rows

In the campaign, hover over the area you wish to add a row and click the word "Row" once it appears.

add row option marked in campaign editor

Then click the + either above or below the row.

After you add a row, click the new row with the mouse and then click the row format you want to use to select the number of columns for the row.

option to add rows with row menu showing

Format Rows

Once a row has been added to the template, the following can be edited:

The background color of a row
Background image of a row
Padding
The background color of a column
Insert content into cells

Formatting Rows

Click on the row you wish to format within the template editor.
Use the row menu to adjust how the row displays in your template.
If you wish to add content elements, see the next sections about content.

Save Blocks and Reuse Rows

If you have a row of content that you want to reuse in other email campaigns, you can save that row as a block. Blocks are a great way to establish your brand content and quickly use it consistently across multiple campaigns.

Saving a Block

Hover over the row you want to save as a block and click the word Row once it appears.
Click the third bookmark button to save the row as a block.
Enter a Category name. The category will be used to group similar blocks together in your "Blocks" list. Optionally, add one or more Tags. Tags are useful when searching through your "Blocks" list for a specific block.
Click Save.

Reusing a Block

In the campaign, click the Blocks tab.
Drag the block that you want to reuse from the list of blocks on the right to the campaign. Let go of the mouse to have a new row created with the content from the block.

Content

The content tab contains several "drag and drop" features that allow you to create a professional-looking email template with minimal effort.

Insert Content

Inserting Content into Your Template

Use the information below to choose the content element you wish to insert into the template.

In the template editor, click on the element in the menu and drag it to the desired position in the template.

Icon	Action	Description
	BUTTON	This allows you to add buttons to your template. You can modify the color of the button, the text contents, the roundness of the button, as well as insert a link to take your customers to your website.
	DIVIDER	A simple divider to help segment various portions of your email providing an easy-to-read, clean feel.
	HTML	Allows you to enter custom HTML. Great for pasting in designs made elsewhere, or for advanced users who can design by using code.
	IMAGE	Allows you to insert an image into your template. The image may either be uploaded directly from your computer or be a link to an image already hosted on a website. Note Custom images must be JPG, GIF, or PNG format and no larger than 1 MB. Images wider than 480 px will require mobile users to scroll to see full images.
	SOCIAL	Allows you to add your social links into your template with built-in social icons. Choose from a wide variety of options and provide your customers with easy access to your social platforms.
	TEXT	The text field allows you to enter blocks of text. Choose from up to 25 fonts, and personalize your message by clicking the "Personalize" option on the text formatting toolbar.
	VIDEO	This allows you to insert a YouTube or Vimeo video directly into your e-mail. Simply add your YouTube/Vimeo link after adding the video into your template.

Format Content

Once a content element has been added to the template, it can be edited.

Click on the content element you wish to format in the temple editor.
The content menu will reveal a format menu specific to the type of element. In this example, we edit an image element.
Use the formatting tools to customize how the element displays in your template.

Personalize with Variables

Want to deliver a personalized message to your customers? Using variables, you can easily create content that speaks directly to your customer and includes information on their order.

In the body of an email, insert variables using a special syntax. Each field variable is enclosed in curly brackets: {{ }}.

For example: {{buyer.full_name}}

When ShippingEasy creates the email, it will substitute in the correct value for that field. These values are pulled from your contact details, order details, and store settings.

All variable data may not be available for all contacts.

Just because a variable is available to insert into a template does not guarantee that your contacts, orders, or store has this data. The variable will only populate if the corresponding setting has been supplied the information. Customer data can be used in any campaign, while Order and Store data should only be used in automated campaigns. If the data for a variable is not available, the field will be blank in the template. Be particularly mindful of this limitation if you upload your own customer lists.

Using the Editor to Insert variables

The fastest way to add variables to a template is using the content formatting menu. This can be seen whenever the cursor is clicked into a text block.

Expand the Merge Tags menu to see a list of available Contact, Store, and Order variables. Then select the variable you wish to add. It will be inserted at the cursor location.

merge tags option marked in customize campaign page

Copying and Pasting Variables into a Template

There are a wide variety of different field variables that ShippingEasy can substitute for you. You can copy and paste these variables directly into the message of the email, wherever you would like them to appear.

Available Campaign Variables - Automated and Regular Campaigns:

Customer Variables
Email	{{buyer.email}}
First Name	{{buyer.first_name}}
First Order Date	{{buyer.first_order_date}}
Full Name	{{buyer.full_name}}
Last Name	{{buyer.last_name}}
Last Order Date	{{buyer.last_order_date}}
Order Count	{{buyer.order_count}}
Phone	{{buyer.phone}}
Status	{{buyer.status}}
Total Spend	{{buyer.total_spend}}

Customer Shipping Address Variables
Shipping Address Line 1	{{buyer.address_line_1}}
Shipping Address Line 2	{{buyer.address_line_2}}
Shipping Country	{{buyer.country}}
Shipping Formatted Full Address	{{buyer.formatted_full_address}}
Shipping State	{{buyer.state}}

Customer Billing Address Variables
Billing Address Line 1	{{buyer.billing_address_line_1}}
Billing Address Line 2	{{buyer.billing_address_line_2}}
Billing Country	{{buyer.billing_country}}
Billing Formatted Full Address	{{buyer.billing.formatted_full_address}}
Billing State	{{buyer.billing_state}}

Available Campaign Variables - Automated Campaigns only

Store Variables
Address	{{store.address}}
Email* *Variable not available to Amazon sellers.	{{store.email}}
Logo	{{store.logo}}
Name	{{store.name}}
Packing Slip Message	{{store.packing_slip_message}}
Phone	{{store.phone}}
Store Name	{{store.store_name}}
Website	{{store.website}}
Website With Protocol	{{store.website_with_protocol}}

LuLaRoe

For LuLaRoe customers, any templates that reference "Visit our Facebook Page" are going to use the {{store.URL}} variable controlled by the website listed in-store settings.

Order Variables
Contact URL	{{order.contact_url}}
Feedback URL	{{order.feedback_url}}
List of Items	{{shipment.line_items \| sort: 'name' \| columns: 'sku\|qty\|item name\|price\|total'}}
Order Date	{{order.order_date}}
Order Number	{{order.order_number}}
Product Name	{{product.name}}
Product Recommendations	{% product_recommendation count: 3, heading: 'You may also like…' %}
Request Item Review	{{ shipment.line_items \| include_only: 'has_product_url' \| sort: 'name' \| columns: 'image \| name \| review button', ' - \| valign:middle \| - ', 'no_header' }}
Total Items	{{order.total_items}}
Tracking Number	{{order.tracking_number}}
Tracking Number URL	{{order.tracking_number_link}}

Undo or Redo Edits

In deciding the final look of your campaign, you may want to try various text, images, and color combinations. The template editor allows you to undo or redo the most recent edits you have made to your campaign, allowing you to make any changes without fear of messing up the template.

Undoing an Edit

To undo the most recent edit, click the "Undo" icon - the half-circle that points to the left in the lower-left corner of the template:

undo option marked in customize content toolbar

Redoing an Edit

If you have undone an edit, but decide that you do in fact want the previous edit, click the "Redo" icon - half-circle that points to the right in the lower-left corner of the template:

Redo button marked on customize campaign page

Saving an Edit

It is important to save your work often when editing a campaign. Clicking "Save" in the upper left corner of the editor will allow you to navigate away from the campaign. Once saved, you are still able to undo and redo any changes.

Save while working on campaign button marked

Link to Social Media

Most templates include links to update your social media accounts. Be sure to add your company's social media links to the corresponding icons when editing the template:

social media options on customize content page

Body

The body section of the editor allows you to quickly edit the background of the entire template, the width of the template, and the font used throughout the entire template. This tab is mostly used for making large changes at once.

Confirm That Your Contact Information is Correct.

It is required that you disclose a valid, physical postal address in marketing emails to comply with anti-spam legislation. By default, this information is populated with the Ship From Addresses details.

Be sure your account details are up to date with the correct information reflected in the email. This can be managed on the MARKETING SETTINGS page.

Images

The images section of the editor allows you to search from a wide gallery of free content that you can easily access to use in your campaign.

add image option on customize content menu

Search and Edit Images

You can use the Search Bar to find images related to your keyword search.

Click and drag the image you would like to use into your campaign.
Click the image in the campaign to make the editor tools appear. These can be used to modify content to create unique designs.
The image editor includes a host of tools to edit and enhance your images. Clicking the "Apply Effects & More" button will show you the following options to further edit images:

Editing Option	Description
Filter	Add one of 10 different filters to your image.
Resize	Maintain the aspect ratio while resizing your image to fit within your content.
Crop	Resize the image to crop it as necessary.
Transform	Reverse and flip the position of your image.
Text	Add custom text to your image.
Draw	Add markings to your image with an adjustable drawing brush.
Shapes	Include triangles, octagons, cylinders, and more to your image.
Stickers	Add various types of sticker art to your image.
Frame	Add a frame to your image. Also includes the ability to adjust the width and opacity.
Corners	Add corner effects to your image.
Background	Customize the background of your image with a variety of colors and textures.
Merge	When you have added an editing element to your image, you can opt to merge the layers into one cohesive image.

Create New Images Using Magic AI

Unlock the power of AI-generated imagery for your email campaigns using the Magic AI tool. Write a prompt to describe what you wish to show and Magic AI will generate a unique image for you!

Click See the Magic button from the Images library on the righthand side.
Type in a prompt describing what kind of image, environment and style you want. Try to be as detailed as possible!
Review your prompt or select an updated suggestion from Magic AI to get as close to your image idea as possible. If you do not make edits or do not want to use a suggested prompt, click the Proceed Anyway button.
Select the theme of the image, such as modern, fantasy or in the style of a specific artist like Picasso. Then, click Generate.
Click Use Image to choose one of the four images generated from your prompt. To generate another round of images, click Regenerate.
Drag the image from the Image Library into your campaign template.