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Marketing Cloud

Using Custom Email Templates

August 23, 2023 by lauren.galena

Marketing Cloud email templates serve the purpose of streamlining and optimizing the process of creating and sending emails. eComm has provided numerous branded templates that you can utilize. However, you may choose to create your own custom templates. This wiki covers the benefits of using templates and instructions for how to create an email from a custom template saved in your Business Unit.

Benefits of Email Templates to Build Your Email

A few benefits of using Marketing Cloud email templates to build your email include:

  • Consistency: Email templates ensure a consistent brand identity and messaging across communications.
  • Efficiency: Email templates save time and effort by providing a predefined structure and design for emails. Instead of starting from scratch each time, you can use templates as a starting point and customize them as needed.
  • Testing and Optimization: Templates can be designed and tested for optimal performance. You can experiment with different layouts, colors, call-to-action placements, and more to determine which elements resonate best with your audience.
  • Analytics and Reporting: By using templates consistently, you can compare the performance of different templates over time, helping you understand what strategies are effective and making data-driven decisions for future communications.
  • Scalability: Templates can be used across different communications, making it easier to scale up marketing efforts while maintaining a consistent look and feel.

Reasons for Using Custom Email Templates

Here are some reasons why you might decide to build and use your own custom email templates versus using the CU-branded templates provided by eComm. Custom templates:

  • Allow for precise alignment with your business needs.
  • Enable you to incorporate unique design elements that you may require.
  • Can be designed with specific content blocks that align with your marketing goals and objectives.

The instructions below outline how to use custom templates after they have been created in your Business Unit. 

How to Access Custom Templates in Marketing Cloud

  1. Log into Marketing Cloud. Navigate to the email studio page and click on the "Content" tab.
  2. Click "Create" in the upper right corner of the screen. Click "Email Message". From here, select "Template" from the drop-down menu. You'll have the option to choose between four tabs: Basic, Empty, Themed, and Saved.
  3. Click on the "Saved" tab.
  4. Click the "Folders" button. Two options will appear in a folder menu on the left side of the screen: "LOCAL" and "SHARED."
  5. Click the "LOCAL" tab. Note: Click on the "SHARED" tab if you will be using a template that has been shared with you from another Business Unit.
  6. Click on the template you'd like to use and then click "Select" in the lower right corner of the screen.
  7. Name your email and select the folder where your email should be saved.
  8. Start working on your email. Note: Any edits you make to the layout of the email will not be reflected in the template. If you want to make changes to the template, you will need to edit the template. 

Related Wikis

Note that items followed by an * can only be completed with the help of your eComm Specialist.