Check out the infographic, or read the transcription below. For more information on optimizing your email creation process, check out The Ultimate Guide to Email Optimization + Troubleshooting<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n A standardized production process is crucial for email success. It not only ensures quality and consistency across sends, but it saves your team valuable time. That\u2019s especially critical due to the number of campaigns marketers are working on\u2014and the fast turnaround times.<\/p>\n According to data from Litmus\u2019 2016 State of Email Production report<\/a>:<\/p>\n While each brand\u2019s process is different, each workflow should encompass the following elements:<\/p>\n Strategy & Goal Setting \u2192 Content Creation \u2192 Email Design \u2192 Email Development \u2192 Quality Assurance \u2192 Approvals \u2192 Send \u2192 Post-Send Reporting<\/em><\/p>\n Defining your email marketing campaign strategy and goals<\/a> helps guide the direction of your campaign, and makes it easier to measure the success of your efforts.<\/p>\n Before you write a single word or write a line of code, ask yourself:<\/p>\n Set deadlines<\/strong><\/p>\n When writing your campaign copy, keep your audience in mind and tailor your message appropriately. Use relatable, positive language, and ensure that your call-to-action (CTA)<\/a> is clear.<\/p>\n Draft content \u2192 Edits \u2192 Finalize copy<\/em><\/p>\n Top 3 content planning tools<\/p>\n Choose the content planning tool that makes most sense for your company. Which encourages collaboration and feedback? Which will keep things organized?<\/p>\n According to findings from the 2016 State of Email Production report<\/a>, out of all production tasks, the majority of senders spend the most time in the email design phase.<\/p>\n Email design \u2192 Edits \u2192 Finalize email design <\/em><\/p>\n Templates<\/strong> If you\u2019re interested in using templates, you can build them yourself, or use a third party\u2019s template. Your email service provider (ESP) may have templates available, or you can choose from over 25 free responsive, hybrid, and mobile-aware templates in Litmus Community Templates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Design Programs<\/strong> Top 3 most popular design programs:<\/p>\n After email design, email coding and development is the production task that senders spend the most time with. Over 44% of respondents reported that they spent over three hours in the coding and development phase.<\/p>\n Build HTML email \u2192 Edits \u2192 Finalize HTML email<\/em><\/p>\n HTML Email Editors<\/strong> Top 3 most popular email editors:<\/p>\n Other development tools to consider<\/strong> CSS inliner<\/strong><\/em> Tool options: MailChimp inliner<\/a>, Campaign Monitor inliner<\/a>, Litmus Builder<\/a><\/p>\n HTML framework<\/strong><\/em> Tool options: Custom created framework, HTML email boilerplate<\/a>, MailChimp\u2019s Blueprints<\/a><\/p>\n Static site generator<\/em><\/strong> Tool options: Handlebars, Middleman<\/a>, Assemble<\/a><\/p>\n Task runner<\/strong><\/em> Tool options: Grunt<\/a>, Gulp<\/a>, Codekit<\/p>\n Preprocessor<\/strong><\/em> Tool options: Sass<\/a>, Haml<\/a>, Less<\/a><\/p>\n Postprocessor<\/strong><\/em> You\u2019ve spent time carefully planning your goals, content, and design. Now it\u2019s time to ensure everything works as you intended. Regardless of whether you have a pre-tested template or it\u2019s an email built from scratch, every email should be thoroughly tested before every send.<\/p>\n Thoroughly test your email \u2192 Make any necessary changes \u2192 Test it again!<\/em><\/p>\n 74% of companies have a pre-flight checklist they run before every send.<\/p>\n You should test dozens of elements before sending, including your subject line, image load time, links, images, and rendering.<\/p>\n Preview your email before sending <\/strong> 54.5% of companies use email preview software to test the rendering and functionality of their emails across email clients and devices before sending.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s possible to manually preview your emails, it can be time-consuming and costly to purchase all of the different apps and devices. Luckily, there are some solutions. Here are some of our favorites:<\/p>\n Movable Ink + Litmus<\/em><\/strong><\/a> Litmus Checklist<\/em><\/strong><\/a> Your Email Service Provider<\/strong><\/em> It\u2019s time for the big event! With a proper quality assurance process in place, the actual send should be a breeze. After pressing send (or scheduling it to go live), it\u2019s time to sit back and relax. You did it!<\/p>\n In the first step of your workflow, you determined the goals of your campaigns. Now, it\u2019s time to see if you met those goals. If your goal was content downloads, then see how many of your subscribers downloaded your report. If your goal was upsells, then see how many of your customers upgraded their accounts. Those are the main goals of the campaign, and therefore the metrics that are most important.<\/p>\n Other metrics to look at for each campaign include:<\/p>\n *All data is taken from Litmus\u2019 2016 State of Email Production report<\/a>. More than 900 professionals involved in email marketing took our Email Production Survey between Aug. 27 and Nov. 24, 2015. They represented a diverse range of industries and company sizes. <\/em><\/p>\n![\"Optmize-Your-Email-Production-Workflow-001\"](\"https:\/\/www.litmus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/optmize-your-email-production-workflow-001.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nOptimize Your Email Production Workflow<\/h2>\n
THE PRODUCTION PROCESS<\/h3>\n
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Strategy & Goal-Setting<\/h4>\n
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Content Creation<\/h4>\n
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Email Design<\/h4>\n
\nThe majority of senders use an email template in one way or another. Only 14.1% of companies code all or most of their emails from scratch.<\/p>\n
\nTo create any images or to design the layout of your campaign, you\u2019ll need to use a design program.<\/p>\n\n
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Email Development<\/h4>\n
\nWhether you\u2019re building an email from scratch or updating a template, you\u2019ll need an HTML email editor. There are lots of options available, including Movable Ink\u2019s Email Builder tool<\/a> and Litmus Builder<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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\nWhen it comes to the email design and coding phase of the workflow, other tools to consider to streamline your process include:<\/p>\n
\nSince not all email clients support CSS, inliners transfer your CSS code from the head of your email to all the tags through your email so you can get desired rendering.<\/p>\n
\nAn HTML Email Framework contains pattern-based elements such as tables, images, buttons, and links that help you quickly create emails.<\/p>\n
\nA static site generator is a build system for flat files that allow you to templatize and break down elements, making them easier to edit and control.<\/p>\n
\nTask runners automate repetitive tasks such as inlining CSS and sending test emails.<\/p>\n
\nA preprocessor converts code written in a preprocessing language into standards-compliant HTML or CSS that can be rendered by a browser.<\/p>\n
\nA postprocessor sanitizes your CSS and converts it into standards-compliant CSS to ensure compatibility across email clients.<\/p>\nQuality Assurance & Testing<\/h3>\n
\nDue to the seemingly countless email apps available\u2014each with their own rendering quirks\u2014it\u2019s crucial to preview your emails across numerous email clients before sending. Ensure that your email is easy to interact with and legible across all environments. This is a vital step in the quality assurance process.<\/p>\n
\nWithin Movable Ink\u2019s Email Builder tool you can preview your email in 50+ email clients in seconds. Previews are powered by Litmus.<\/p>\n
\nPreview your emails in 50+ emails clients in seconds, plus get a guided check of the most critical elements that affect campaign performance.<\/p>\n
\nMany ESPs, like MailChimp and Campaign Monitor, include preview tools in their solutions. You can run a test directly within their platform.<\/p>\nThe Send!<\/h4>\n
Post-Send Reporting<\/h4>\n
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