Uploading your own template

[Jessica_Carlson]

What is the best program to make a template in for design and upload it into my marketo account? Sending out an email newsletter and would like to import my own design.

[Tracey_Bartz1]

Are you trying to upload a new email template? Or just upload the code for an email for a one-time send?

If you want to upload a template, those should be imported in the design studio. Not in a program.

If you are uploading the code for an email for a one-time send (not to be used as a template) you can just build the newsletter program like you normally would, create an email based on any template and then just edit the code of the email and replace the code with your new code.

[Jessica_Carlson]

To clarify, I am trying to design my own template that I can keep in marketo for future newsletters. I found the design studio is limiting in design and must know code. I wanted to see if anyone has recommendations for another platform to create an email template in then upload template into marketo. Does this make sense? Essentially, being able to create the template design elsewhere and then upload the generated code.

[Dave_Roberts]

Knak has a templating tool that'll do something like this -- you can modify stuff on their platform and then import your work there into Marketo, they've been at it for a while and from what I hear it's pretty easy on the end-user.

If you're using "just some email layout builder tool", there is a "Marketo layer" to think about if you go this route -- I wouldn't expect most tool to produce "Marketo-ready" html but they'd probably suffice to build out an email layout. One thing to be really aware of is that Marketo's Email 2.0 is module-based rather than "layout" or "template" based so the architecture of the template itself is more like a collection of modules than a "layout". Both the modules and the variables that make it super easy to update stuff have Marketo-specific syntax so this is something that you'd want to kind of lay over some HTML you made outside of Marketo.

There are a few rules to check out in terms of the Container and Modules - specific elements and classes that need to be added for your email template to be valid. Here's a link to some of that syntax and examples that I keep bookmarked b/c it's a really useful resource for getting your custom HTML templates to gel with Marketo: Email Template Syntax - Marketo Docs - Product Documentation. If adding this code isn't something you're familiar with, it might still save you some time to spin up a design in whatever web tool and hand that off to a developer who should be able to wrap your code in some basic Marketo syntax pretty quickly which saves you some time on development.

[danelboston16]

why does Marketo make everything so hard?! jeeeeez!!!! LOL 

[Jo_Pitts1]

@danelboston16 ,

that 'hardness' allows for a LOT of flexibility.

The fact that you can code your own HTML means that you've got no excess weight from some template builder's decisions and means you can get exactly the look you are after.

The analogy would be something like:

C++ is hard to use, but Chrome (written in C++) is easy to use.

HTML/CSS Is hard to use, but templates (once written in HTML/CSS) are easy to use.

And in fact, compared to MANY Marketing Automation tools out there, Marketo's front end email editor is remarkably bullet proof and easy to use (and yes, there are plenty of irksome caveats to that), while still allowing a good degree of flexibility (think about module variables... SO useful).

Cheers

Jo

[danelboston16]

I hear you, and I agree! But I still get frustrated that some things in the system are not intuitive nor compatible with other drag and drop systems that allow for easier use of the system. I love Marketo and I love what it brings to the table. But sometimes I wish I didn't have to learn how to code just to create an email template. Doesn't seem very efficient and doesn't seem very user-friendly and doesn't really allow for proper adoption for a novice like myself. 

[danelboston16]

HEY! So I have been on the same exact journey and It seems like no one is able to break it down. Here is what I have learned. 

*****Disclaimer****

My advice is for people that are SUPER NEW to Marketo. I Only use layman's terms to describe everything. So if it does not sound very professional... oh well. 

BEAR WITH ME! 

1. YOU CAN'T JUST MAKE YOUR OWN DESIGN in a third party software! Well.. kinda... Let me explain 

In order for you to make your own design in cloud-based design software  (Figma, Canva, Vise) AND YOU WANT TO USE THAT DESIGN. You have to magically turn it into HTML CODE. No way around that! NOW! If you want to shell out $10,000 you can use a super easy software called KNACK and it will just magically do it for you. If you are like ME and your boss will be like "Um naw bruh, I'm not shelling out $10,000" Then here is what you do! 

2. IF you are using FIGMA or Adobe XM or SKETCH - USE THESE PEOPLE!

I came across an amazing cloud-based system called ANIMA. They have a plug-in that will allow you to pull your work over to them (just copy and paste a URL! yasss) And hit the CONVERT TO HTML CODE button! And viola! If you are not using FIGMA or ADOBE XM or Sketch. Then I suggest you start looking into them. Those three systems have the most integrations and play nicer with tech.

Pero liiiiiike, there's some pros and cons 

Pros: Super easy and very intuitive to work with, plus super cheap to work with too. $39 a month per user, so if it's just you or a few others, it's super easy to get started. 

Cons: You will need a coder to help you out! The Code is separate from HTML and CSS. So you will need to give your code to a developer and have them figure out to compile it. I don't have a developer so, I have to learn the whole thing myself. Soooo.. pray for me. 

MAIN TAKEAWAYS:

You have to turn that sucker into HTML CODE. No way around it, once you figure out how to do that. Then you should be golden

Not all systems are created equal. Some systems are still tricky to use and not intuitive. (JUST LIKE MARKETO!) But if you have mad google skills, you should be fine. 

DEVELOPER! You might need a developer on your team!  IF you don't have a developer on your team, this is an opportunity to learn how to be a low-grade developer!  Thus, adding it to your resume will allow you to charge more for your work. 

GOOD LUCK!!!!

[SanfordWhiteman]

Can Anima generate email-compatible HTML? They don’t mention anything about email as an export destination.

[Dave_Roberts]

This sounds too good to be true!! I've seen a bunch of email tools come and go and the good stuff is usually expensive so it kind of sets off a red flag for me here. I don't know that you've got to pay 10k per year per user for good stuff, but from what I've seen in the past -- you really do get what you pay for with email code.

Would you mind posting some of the code you get back from the design-to-html conversion?
I'd be curious to look thru it and give you a developer's take on the quality of the codebase. I've got sooooo many questions...

Have you tested the code using a tool like Litmus or Email on Acid to see how it performs on mobile and across different inboxes?

Have you tried plugging it into Marketo? Does it make modules using the Email 2.0 syntax and all that good stuff? Are there variable built in that allow you to change things like font-size and color and all that jazz?

Have you found a developer to work with to handle the implementation, if so how much does/did that add to the total cost of the project?