Creating a Campaign

MarketingAdmin

Learn how to create and send your first campaign. This guide walks you through every step of the campaign creation process.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

• A segment to target (or plan to send to all members)
• Your message content ready
• Any images or links you want to include
• Approval to send (if required by your club)

Creating Your Campaign

1

Start a New Campaign

1. Navigate to Marketing → Campaigns
2. Click the Create Campaign button
3. Choose your campaign type:
   • Email - Rich content with images
   • SMS - Short text messages
   • Push - App notifications
   • Multi-channel - Combine channels

2

Name Your Campaign

1. Enter a descriptive Campaign Name
   • Example: "January Newsletter 2024"
   • Example: "Pro Shop Sale - Weekend"
2. Add internal Notes (optional)
   • Only visible to staff, not members
3. Select a Category for organization

3

Select Your Audience

1. Choose who receives this campaign:

   • All Members - Everyone in your database
   • Segment - A specific group you've created
   • Manual Selection - Pick individuals

2. Review the Audience Size shown

3. Optionally set Exclusions:

   • Exclude recent contacts (e.g., contacted in last 7 days)
   • Exclude specific segments

4

Create Your Content

For Email:

1. Enter your Subject Line
2. Add Preview Text (the snippet shown in inbox)
3. Use the visual editor to design your email:
   • Add text blocks, images, buttons
   • Use merge tags for personalization: {{firstName}}
   • Preview on desktop and mobile

For SMS:

1. Write your message (160 characters recommended)
2. Add opt-out instructions (required)
3. Include any shortened links

For Push:

1. Write your notification title
2. Add the message body
3. Set the action (open app, open URL, etc.)

5

Review and Test

1. Click Preview to see how it looks
2. Send a Test to yourself or colleagues
3. Check all links work correctly
4. Verify personalization renders properly
5. Review on mobile devices

6

Schedule or Send

Choose when to send:

• Send Now - Dispatch immediately
• Schedule - Pick a future date and time
• Save as Draft - Finish later

Click Schedule Campaign or Send Campaign to confirm.

Campaign Content Tips

Email Subject Lines

Great subject lines are:

• Short - Under 50 characters
• Specific - Tell them what's inside
• Personal - Use their name when appropriate
• Action-oriented - Create urgency or curiosity

Good Example	Why It Works
"John, your tee time is confirmed"	Personal, specific
"Last chance: 20% off this weekend"	Urgency, clear offer
"New course improvements revealed"	Curiosity, news

Avoid	Why
"Newsletter #47"	Boring, no value proposition
"AMAZING DEAL!!!"	Spammy, all caps
"Click here"	Vague, suspicious

Personalization Tags

Use these tags to personalize your content:

Tag	Output
{{firstName}}	John
{{lastName}}	Smith
{{membershipType}}	Gold Member
{{handicap}}	12.4
{{lastVisit}}	January 15, 2024

Always set fallback values for personalization. If a member doesn't have a first name on file, {{firstName|"Member"}} will show "Member" instead of a blank space.

Image Guidelines

Aspect	Recommendation
Hero image	600px wide, under 200KB
Format	JPG for photos, PNG for graphics
Alt text	Always add for accessibility
File size	Keep total under 500KB

Using the Email Editor

Adding Content Blocks

The email editor uses drag-and-drop blocks:

Block Type	Use For
Text	Paragraphs, headings
Image	Photos, graphics
Button	Call-to-action links
Divider	Visual separation
Columns	Side-by-side content
Social	Social media links

Styling Your Email

1. Brand colors - Use your club's colors consistently
2. Fonts - Stick to web-safe fonts (Arial, Georgia, etc.)
3. Whitespace - Don't crowd content; let it breathe
4. Mobile - Always preview on mobile view

Testing Your Campaign

Never send a campaign without testing first! Even small errors can make your club look unprofessional.

Test Checklist

• Subject line displays correctly
• Preview text is compelling
• All images load properly
• Links go to correct pages
• Personalization works (check merge tags)
• Unsubscribe link works
• Looks good on mobile
• No spelling or grammar errors

Sending Test Emails

1. Click Send Test in the editor
2. Enter email addresses (comma-separated for multiple)
3. Click Send Test Email
4. Check your inbox within a few minutes

Saving Templates

Save time by creating templates for recurring campaigns:

1. Design your campaign
2. Click Save as Template
3. Give it a descriptive name
4. Find it later under Templates when creating new campaigns

Common Issues

"Audience size is 0"

• Check your segment criteria
• Ensure members haven't all unsubscribed
• Verify the segment is saved and active

Images not loading

• Check image URLs are accessible
• Ensure images aren't too large
• Use supported formats (JPG, PNG, GIF)

Personalization showing raw tags

• Verify the tag syntax is correct
• Check that the data exists in member profiles
• Add fallback values for safety

Next Steps

• Scheduling & Sending - Pick the perfect send time
• Campaign Analytics - Track your results
• Campaign Best Practices - Expert tips