The Organized Chaos of Email Creation

Because creating emails wasn't already challenging enough, many of us are faced with managing dozens of emails across multiple platforms on a daily basis. In this session, we'll cover requirements and workflows for tracking both recurring and transactional emails. We'll start with asset management: partials, variables, and style guides. Then, we'll move into custom reporting, visual "send flows", and UX flows. You'll leave with a plan to stay sane and shred down the time it takes you to build an email.

Transcript

1. The Organized Chaos
   of Email Creation
   @dandenney
   

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2. Good

   Morning!
   

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3. The Chaos
   4-6
   PROMOTIONALS
   2
   SERVICES
   9,628,374
   SENDS VIA MAILCHIMP
   >180,000
   SENDS VIA MANDRILL
   26
   TRANSACTIONALS
   MONTHLY
   

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4. The Organized-ization?
   Building Iterating
   2
   SECTIONS
   

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5. "Be regular and orderly in your
   life, so that you may be violent
   and original in your work."
   "Be regular and orderly in your
   life, so that you may be violent
   and original in your work."
   - Gustave Flaubert
   

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6. "Be regular and orderly in your
   workflow, so that you may be
   violent and origin
   al
   in your emails."
   

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7. Building Goals
   - "No Media Queries" first
   - Push the limits of clients
   - A/B test content
   - Build from UX flows
   

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8. A story of how design adds value to a simple notification e-mail
   http://www.proxyclick.com/blog/proxyclick-journey/a-story-of-how-design-adds-value-to-a-simple-e-mail
   

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9. BIGGEST
   challenge in creating emails
   The
   

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10. BIGGEST
    challenge in creating emails
    The
    is time.
    

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11. "Time is what we want most,
    but what we use worst."
    - William Penn
    

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12. DRY
    

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13. RYALAP
    

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14. The Big Secret
    Choosing the right tool for the job.
    

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15. I am a Tool.
    

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16. You are a tool, too. :)
    

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17. Time-Saving Techniques
    - Updatable global assets
    - Partials
    - Automated code creation
    - Variables
    

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18. (Story Time)
    "Hi Code School Team!"
    

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19. 26
    TRANSACTIONALS
    2
    SERVICES
    9,628,374
    SENDS VIA MAILCHIMP
    >180,000
    SENDS VIA MANDRILL
    

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20. Updatable Global Assets
    - Logos
    - Social Icons
    - Any image in all emails
    

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23. Partials
    - Code shared in each email
    - At minimum, a single reusable template
    

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24. screenshot of files
    

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25. _footer
    _footer-mandrill
    

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26. One Template?
    It'd be cool, but I can't.
    Meh.
    

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27. Automated Code
    - Copy/paste
    - Styleguide
    - Snippets
    - Emmet
    

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28. 
    
    
    
    
    

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29. 
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

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30. Styleguides are cool
    

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32. Snippets
    "Do it. Just do it. Don't let your dreams be dreams."
    

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33. Emmet, yo
    

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34. Variables
    - Colors
    - Font stacks
    - Sizes
    - Tracking URLs
    - Meta
    

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35. Variables
    

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36. Watch Me
    

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37. Variables as a GUI
    

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38. Recap
    - Updatable global assets
    - Partials
    - Automated code
    - Variables
    You are a tool, but often not the
    best tool for repetitive tasks.
    

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39. Today 12-1:15
    Tomorrow 2-2:40
    Tomorrow 11:20-12
    Today 3:30-4:15
    Today 2-2:40
    Tomorrow 2:50-3:30
    

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40. Iterating
    

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41. Organization Techniques
    - Custom Reports
    - Send Flows
    - UX Flows
    

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42. (Story Time)
    Meet Jean
    

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43. "We're not very standardized ATM. CM for
    some stuff, Mailgun & Sendgrid for other stuff, &
    the rails app lol"
    "I've not done much with email in a while because
    of focus elsewhere; email at [company name]
    breaks my heart - it really does."
    "I'm hoping to find time to give it more attention
    in the future, but we really need a team of people
    focused on it."
    

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44. What ESPs are you using for promotional and transactional emails?
    https://litmus.com/community/discussions/3645-what-esps-are-you-using-for-promotional-and-transactional-emails
    

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45. Custom Reports
    - Your important data
    - Custom views
    - Automation
    Do as I say, not as I do ;)
    

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46. Tomorrow 11:20-12
    

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47. Custom Reporting
    

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49. Send Flows
    - List of emails
    - Trigger details
    - Viewable links
    

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50. Basic send flows
    

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51. Basic send flows
    

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52. UX Flows
    - List of emails
    - Email CTAs
    - Target CTAs
    

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53. Basic UX flow list
    

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54. Basic UX flow list
    

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55. Recap
    Create your own reporting and
    document all of your emails.
    - Custom Reports
    - Send Flows
    - UX Flows
    

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56. Reap the Rewards
    

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57. Thank You!
    Grab me or @dandenney
    Questions?
    

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