Creating Your First One-time Campaign

Before designing our email layout, we have to choose an email campaign type and define the purpose of the email to give our guests a reason to click on it in their inbox. Follow the steps below to choose an email campaign and enter a custom subject line.

1. In toasttab.com, navigate to the Marketing section and select Email Marketing. 

2. On the Email marketing dashboard, select Create Email Campaign.

3. You will then be prompted to choose an email campaign template. In this article, we will take a look at building a one-time "blast" campaign for our guests. 

4. Next, name your campaign and if applicable, choose a location whose guests you'd like to send to. When finished, select Continue. 

5. Choose whether to send the campaign now or a future date and time. If you're scheduling your campaign for a future date, select the date icon to choose a date and the time icon to choose a time.. 

6. Next, select Edit Design to access the email builder and customize your own email.

7. When finished, select Save in the top-right corner. Then, select Review & Send.

8. Selecting Review & Send brings you back to the screen with all of the campaign information. Only after saving the email template does the Send button at the top show up in blue. Select Send and select Send Now or Schedule when prompted to confirm.

9. You will receive the following success message!

This is the moment we've all been waiting for! Creating an eye-catching email design is crucial to the adoption of your email campaign. Not a graphic designer? No problem. Our email builder provides you with many templated blocks where you can enter text, upload content or change the background image. Follow the steps below to learn how to customize each section and drag and drop additional content into your email layout. 

Customizing Individual Sections:

1. To remove sections from the current email template, select the trash can icon on the right side of the block. 

2. To duplicate a section, select the dual-document icon. 

3. To move the section to appear in another part of the email, use the up and down arrow icons on the right side of the block or select and hold a section to drag it up or down with your mouse. 

4. To replace an image, choose the image and then select the document icon in the top-left of the block. 

5. Then, choose your desired image and select Save to finalize your changes. 

6. To edit your preview text, simply select the text field in the first section of the email and enter a new message. 

Remember, this is the subsequent text that appears after your subject line in the diner's inbox. Use this opportunity to summarize the content and purpose of the email, especially on the mobile devices. It should compliment your subject line and draw attention to your campaign. 

7. To change the number of columns, padding, borders or background of a section, select the pencil icon on the left side of the email block. 

Adding New Sections & Call-to-actions

1. Drag and drop a column selection into the body of your email. 

2. Then, drag and drop any desired content blocks into your new section. 

3. Follow the prompts to then upload or insert content accordingly. 

4. To add a call-to-action button to your email, drag and drop a button from the content tab into the desired section of the email. Then, enter the text you would like to appear on the button. This is where you can direct your diners to: "Check out our menu!" "Order Now!" or "Reserve a Table!" for example. 

5. After you've entered in an action for diners to take, be sure to paste the URL for the page you want your diners to be directed to. If you offer online ordering for example, consider pasting your restaurant's online ordering link. Or, if you allow diners to redeem loyalty points on online orders, consider pasting your reward card look-up link to let diners view their balance. 

6. To change the color, border and padding of your call-to-action button, select the pencil icon and make a selection from the dropdown menu. 

Finalizing Your Email Design

1. Select Preview & Test to view a proof of the email or send yourself a test mail.

Note: If you select Preview email, you have the option to view your email in both mobile and desktop form. 

2. When you're finished with the preview, select Review & Send to finalize your changes. 

Congratulations! You've designed a beautiful email for your guests, now what? It's time to review your campaign details and send it out to your diners. Follow the steps below to complete a final review and schedule a date for your email to be sent. 

1. Review the Audience, Date and Content for accuracy. If you need to make any other last-minute adjustments, select Design email to return to the email builder. 

2. When you're ready, select Send and confirm on the following page.