EXM is part of the core installation of version 10.1 of the Sitecore Experience Platform, and is accessible from the launchpad.

Creating an email campaign

In the EXM dashboard there are two types of email campaigns to choose from:

• Regular email campaign: Has no defined content or recipients

• Automated email campaign: Used in Marketing Automation campaigns. An automated email is sent when the contact triggers an event. For example, subscribing to a newsletter

Marketers can choose from a selection of default and custom templates. They can also import HTML or create an email from an existing web page in Sitecore. There are four stages, represented by tabs, of creating email messages for an email marketing campaign.

1. General

2. Recipients

3. Message

4. Delivery

1. General

The fundamentals of the email campaign are set up here:

• Name

• Description

• Location

• Campaign Group

• From name

• From email

• Reply to

2. Recipients

Recipients are assigned to campaigns. Recipient lists are stored and managed in the List Manager. There are two types of lists:

• Include Lists: These are the people receiving the email campaign. Using the dropdown icon, marketers can select which list/lists they want to assign to the email campaign. Marketers can Add a list from a file, Create a segmented list or Remove lists. More than one list can be assigned to an email, regardless if the same recipient name is on another list

• Exclude Lists: These are the recipients not receiving the email campaign. This list is a Global opt-out list or an unsubscribed list

3. Message

This is where the email campaign message is built. The email template is displayed in the body section. Marketers can open the editor to edit the text and images. Components can be added and configured for personal and relevant content.

EXM allows marketers to assign custom tokens via the client API. This means that dynamic, personalised content can be contained within emails that have the power to trigger more personalised messages.

This feature greatly enhances recipient engagement and can be a main driver in delivering effective and engaging email campaigns. In addition, marketers can also configure tests by clicking the plus icon to add different email variants.

4. Delivery

The final step is to configure the delivery options, which are broken down into:

• Schedule delivery: Allows marketers to Send message now, Schedule message delivery or Send a recurring delivery

• Notification: Assign an email to receive a notification when the delivery schedule is complete

• Personalisation: If personalisation has been assigned to the email, marketers check this box to activate personalised components in the email

• Classification: The Send Service Email checkbox sends a service email to all recipients, including those in the Global opt-out lists. Service emails are important (non-marketing) communications to contacts. For example, COVID -19 updates

• Multi-language: If you’re running multiple sites in multiple languages your email campaigns need to be executed efficiently so that recipients are directed to the relevant landing page. This is achieved with improved click handler support that connects multiple sites and languages using Hostname Mapping. By checking this checkbox, EXM sends emails to recipients in their preferred language

• Sending mode: Emulates the sending process without actually sending the email campaign

Reporting

EXM's reporting dashboard gives marketers an overview of the analytics performance of each email campaign.

Essential metrics like, Sent, Opened and Delivered are easily visible. Marketers can also drill down further into recipient activity via a variety of filters.

Working with Codehouse

As a long standing Sitecore Partner, we have extensive experience working with Sitecore and Email Experience Manager. We've helped many customers from a variety of sectors get the very best from Sitecore's marketing tools.

If you want to get more from EXM contact our dedicated team of experts. They're available to help you get the best from the application so that you achieve your digital goals.