HubSpot Email Marketing: Drag & Drop the Need for Developers

With all the modern forms of communication, one might think email marketing is in jeopardy of extinction. Well that couldn't be more of a false perception.

Like the Tawny Owl in Finland that's had to evolve from grey to brown to blend in better with its surroundings that are being affected by climate change, email is also taking on new forms.

In this blog, learn how you (the non-developer) can create modern, beautifully optimized emails with HubSpot's drag and drop editor.

The Email Evolution is Here

The evolution of animals might be hard to notice, but the rate at which technology changes is blatantly obvious. Take the transformation of the phone for example. This hasn't taken thousands of years and shifts in our planet's climate to occur.

Looking back to only the 1930s, the rotary phone has literally gone from a clunky, hunk of plastic that plugged into the wall with the sole ability to make a phone call—to a small, wireless, hand-held computer that has a vast amount of capabilities and functions.

Email marketing is on a similar path.

What was once considered a spammy form of digital communication and marketing is now evolving and being used in a more sophisticated, personalized way. This is due to the creation of email SPAM legislation, coupled with the use of new technology like:

• Artificial Intelligence
  • AI-powered systems make it possible to set up automated or drip campaigns that are driven by customer data and are based on what stage someone is at in the customer journey.
    ~ SmartInsights
• Machine Learning
  • As personalization and relevance become more and more critical for email marketers, machine learning is being applied to segmentation, marketing timing, and even copywriting.
    ~ Emerj
• AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)
  • AMP technology will make it possible for subscribers to participate in surveys, complete a checkout process, or fill a contact form—all from within the email itself. No need to click through to a landing page!
    ~ Uplers
  • With dynamic email, you can easily take action directly from within the message itself, like RSVP to an event, fill out a questionnaire, browse a catalog or respond to a comment.
    ~ Google

The Rise of Drag & Drop Editors

In addition to the trends in email marketing mentioned above, another big change we are seeing is with email design.

According to CIO Dive, "equipping non-technical staffers with alternative methods to build software, bring business and product closer together.

And HubSpot completely agrees.

Their drag-and-drop email editor makes creating a marketing email easy for the average person, with no coding experience. Now anyone can simply drag email elements into place, add content, and send.

To get started in HubSpot, head over to Marketing > Email.

• Click 'create email'.
• You then have the option to create a regular, automated or blog/RSS email.
• Next, on the 'drag and drop' tab, choose a template based on the type of email you want to create.
  • This section has various types of templates based on everything from holidays to newsletters to event invites to give you some ideas of how to get started.
  • You also have 1 blank template option, if you want a clean slate and to start completely from scratch.
• To add more content to your template, click and drag a new element into the email editor.
• To modify your template, hover over an element and click the blue edge on the left to drag it to a new position.
• You can duplicate an element by 'cloning' it and use the trashcan to delete.

To customize your template, go to the left sidebar and click the 'design' tab. This is where you can change the fonts, headings, colors, border, and spacing.

The next area of your template you'll want to check out is the 'section settings'. This is where you can:

• Specify the number of columns and how they should be arranged in that section under 'column layout'.
• Customize spacing, colors, and patterns for that section of your email.

Now you are ready to click an 'element' and customize its content!

• Images, buttons, and dividers can be customized in the left pane
• Text elements can be edited inline and styled with the rich text toolbar

When you are ready to send your email, you will head over to the last tab called 'Send or Schedule'.

This is where you can either send your email immediately, or schedule it for a future date.

*HOT TIP: For Marketing Professional and Enterprise users that have access to workflows, you will also have the option to convert your email to automated under the 'Actions' button on the top right of your screen. This is great for when you get into lead nurturing automation campaigns.

HubSpot Email Marketing Drag & Drop Benefits

This new drag-and-drop email editor ultimately makes creating a marketing email simple, intuitive and fast.

Gone are the days and weeks of going back and forth with a developer to create the perfect template that will just continue to need modifications over time, costing you WAY too much money.

Now anyone, at anytime can create an optimized, modern email that's ready to send.

Once you create your first one, the amount of time will decrease as you get to know the software and you can work off previous templates, making tweaks here and there as needed.

This decreased time is a major benefit and it can help you get information out quicker to leads and prospects, allowing you to further increase sales.

Conclusion

That concludes our recap of the HubSpot email marketing drag and drop editor.

If you found this article helpful, you may also enjoy:

• Free HubSpot Email Tracking Expands the Customer Experience
• How to Create an Email Newsletter People Want to Read
• HubSpot Email Marketing Tips for Successful Campaigns

If you want to speak to a HubSpot Specialist about your specific email marketing needs, feel free to book a complimentary 30min chat, by clicking the button below.