Email creation platforms are designed to streamline email production processes, but many lack the necessary features needed to deliver a truly agile experience. Unfortunately, it is easy to become overwhelmed when evaluating a new marketing technology solution — with so many options to choose from, marketing operations leaders must dig through a number of martech tools before determining which one best aligns with their needs.
This is especially true when it comes to email creation platforms. Often you will find email marketing tools that come with a long list of bells and whistles, but there is a core set of functionality needed to enable a truly agile email creation process. To streamline your email production cycles and dramatically reduce the time it takes to move an email from idea to delivery, it’s crucial your email creation solution includes the following nine features.
1. Modules and Templates in Email Creation
A sophisticated email creation platform offers users both modules and templates to create email campaigns. By having access to both, teams gain differing levels of design flexibility, while taking advantage of reusable email assets.
2. Drag and Drop No-Code Functions
An email creation solution that offers no-code functionality democratizes the email creation process. It also frees up your developers to work on more high-value projects: A platform that takes care of the complexities and idiosyncrasies of HTML allows your developers to focus their time on more complex campaigns, while the end-user never has to worry about breaking any code.
3. Review and Approval Features
One of the most time-consuming aspects of email creation is the review and approval process. An effective platform comes with native functionality for commenting and approvals so that the review process happens within a single, collaborative work environment.
4. Brand and Compliance Guardrails
An HTML code editor or ESP builder allows you to use templates or modules, but the best email creation platforms add a very important layer on top: Granular brand guardrails. These guardrails make it possible for admins to define specific brand guidelines to enforce brand standards, along with regulatory and compliance rules.
5. Integrated Content Sources
An email creation platform should integrate with your digital asset management platforms (DAMs) so that your team can easily access pre-approved brand logos, images and creative assets.
6. Email Export Services
In addition to integrating with your DAM, your email creation platform must also integrate with your ESP and MAP so that your finished HTML assets can be passed via a secure API connection directly into the proper place within your email deployment platform.
7. Automatic Link Validation and Tracking Parameters
A comprehensive email creation platform comes with functionality to ensure your links work properly, as well as the ability to automatically append tracking parameters. Link validation should include the ability to automatically detect any missing, broken, or malformed links within an email.
8. User Role Optimization in Email Creation
The end goal of an email creation platform is to democratize access, giving users of all levels the ability to create successful, on-brand emails, but that doesn’t mean everyone should have access to every configuration option within the platform. User role optimization allows admins to set permissions for various user levels.
9. Custom Elements
While drag and drop, no-code functionality covers most needs, more complex campaigns may require customization. Custom elements give teams the ability to create their own HTML and CSS code and embed it within the established granular guardrails for brand and compliance rules. This gives teams the flexibility to build more complex and unique modules that better fit their design needs.
To find out more about why these features are so important, be sure to check out our newly released ebook: An Introduction to Email Creation Platforms. It is an invaluable resource for any marketing operations leader looking to add more speed and agility to their email marketing programs.
Not only does it offer a deep dive into the nine “must have” features listed here, it provides a comprehensive overview of all the things you should expect from your solution beyond the technology.
