Emails in HubSpot used for email automation—also known as “drips”—or one-time mass email communication.

Emails are sent to lists, which we covered earlier in this video.

To see your college’s emails, navigate in HubSpot to Marketing, and then Email.

Here, you will see the emails that are already in place for your college. If you have questions about existing emails in the system, reach out to your local college Marketing department for clarification.

In general, the emails for your college were created in collaboration with your local Marketing team, so these will contain consistent branding, proper formatting, and compliance.

If you are unable to see emails or do not have access to create them, you will need to reach out to your college enrollment and marketing teams for permission.

If you need to create a new email, you are strongly encouraged to reach out to your local Marketing office for assistance first.

When you are ready, it is recommended that you clone an existing email to preserve the branding and compliance we just mentioned.

To do this, find an email with a layout and design you like, hover over the email title, and select Clone.

Here, you will select your College, referred to as a “Business unit” in HubSpot.

You will also need to choose whether you want this email to be a Regular email or an Automated email. A Regular email cannot be used in workflows for email automation, meaning it can only send to existing lists. An Automated email, on the other hand, is dynamic and can be sent as users are added to lists that exist in workflows.

For this example, we will select a Regular email.

Please note that you can change the email type in the editing phase, though not after an email has been published.

Emails in HubSpot work off drag-and-drop elements. You will see on the left that there are various image, text, and button options that you can drag directly into the email builder.

When adding your own images to an email, these images are uploaded to Library > Files. This folder is one that is shared amongst all of the colleges. In order to help others keep track of their images, please name your images starting with your college acronym or move them once uploaded into your college specific folder. 

Once you add elements, HubSpot uses standard word processing tools to format your message.

You can also build emails with personalization tokens in them. For example, if you would like to reference a student’s name in the greeting, you can select Personalize, Contact, and First name.

Before sending your email, you will also need to format the Settings tab.

Here, you need to indicate the From name, the From Address, the Subject line, and any other details you would like.

Once done, you can preview your email to ensure it looks correct on desktop and mobile devices. It is strongly recommended that you send yourself a test email to ensure that any personalization or content appears correctly to the recipient. 

When you are ready to send your email, navigate to the Send or schedule tab, select the Contact list you would like to send to, and choose Send now or Schedule for later.

When you are sure everything is correct, select Review and send.

Also be sure to add your email to the correct folder using the actions dropdown.

For detailed instructions on managing and creating emails, see our HubSpot Knowledge Base.

📧 Email Best Practices and Resources

About Maricopa’s HubSpot Email Marketing Tool

💻 Watch Our Video on Emails

[pending video links for email]

📄 Step-by-Step Instructions for Planning Your Email

🏆 Email Best Practices

1. Implement Email Filtering/Segmentation

Maricopa utilizes HubSpot’s powerful email segmentation and personalization tools to engage audiences, including prospective and current students, alumni, and other key stakeholders. Creating the correct list to send an email ensures the right messages reach the right people. Creating and segmenting the proper email list is a crucial first step in crafting effective email campaigns.

Why Does Email Segmentation Matter

Email segmentation helps you target specific groups with content relevant to their needs and interests, making your communications more effective. By segmenting your list, you ensure you are reaching your target audience. For instance, prospective students receive information about admissions, current students stay updated on events and deadlines, and alums receive updates on giving opportunities or news.

• Determine List Criteria

  • Use HubSpot's list criteria to group contacts based on specific characteristics, such as program interest, geographic location, engagement level, or academic progress. You can create active and static lists (which update automatically). Identify the data in your CRM (like academic programs, previous event attendance, or engagement history) and use that to build your lists.

  • More details can be found here: HubSpot List Criteria Guide | Create and use lists

Example Segments

2. Components of a Successful College Marketing Email

9 Critical Components for Optimized Marketing Emails

To effectively communicate with prospective students, current students, and alums, here are the critical components of a successful college email:

• Copy:

  • The body of your email should be consistent with your institution's voice, whether formal, friendly, or academic. Leverage the Maricopa Community Colleges editorial style guide to create proper and consistent writing. This guide adheres to the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook with a few Maricopa-specific anomalies.

    Stick to one main topic, such as an upcoming event, application deadlines, or new program announcements.

  • Example: "Join us for our Virtual Open House to learn more about our nursing program!"

• Brand Standards

  • Follow Brand Standards in email marketing are essential because they ensure consistency, professionalism, and recognition across all communications.

• Images:

  • Choose high-quality, optimized images that look great on any device. Images of campus, student life, or recent events help capture attention and visually engage the email.

  • Example: Use photos from recent campus activities or virtual tours to bring your email to life.

• Call-to-Action (CTA):

  • A well-crafted Call-to-Action (CTA) is crucial in any email campaign. It eliminates confusion, providing a clear, direct path for the recipient to follow. Whether it's applying for a program, signing up for a campus tour, or registering for an event, the CTA needs to clearly define the action you want the recipient to take.

  • Example: "Apply Now for Fall 2024" or "Sign Up for Our Campus Tour."

• Timing:

  • According to studies, emails sent on Tuesday at 11 AM ET have the highest response rates. For colleges, consider timing emails around essential events like admissions deadlines, enrollment periods, or mid-semester updates.

• Responsiveness:

  • Since 55% of emails are opened on mobile devices, ensure your email is optimized for all screen sizes. This includes using mobile-friendly layouts, readable fonts, and images that scale correctly.

  • Example: Students often check emails on their phones, so make sure all the links and forms are easily accessible

• Personalization:

  • Personalization goes beyond just adding a student's name to the subject line. You should tailor content based on the recipient's specific interests, program of study, or lifecycle stage in the admissions process.

  • Example: "Hi [First Name], are you ready for orientation next month?" or "Hey [First Name], explore financial aid options for [Program Name]."

• Subject Line:

  • Use clear, actionable, and enticing subject lines. Ensure they align with the body of the email and are personalized when possible.

  • Example: "Your Next Step to Becoming a [Program Name] Student" or "Explore Scholarship Opportunities at [College Name]."

• Email Preview Text:

  • The preview text is the snippet of text that appears next to or below the subject line in an email inbox, providing a brief summary of the content. It is the first piece of information recipients see after the subject line and plays a crucial role on the emails open rate and engagement.

  • Example: Subject line: "Don’t Miss This Opportunity,” the preview text could add value with something like, "Apply today for Fall 2024 programs before deadlines approach."

3. Use Email Marketing Templates

Email marketing templates are a valuable resource for colleges looking to streamline their email campaigns. These templates can save your team time by eliminating the need for custom design, coding, and user experience setup from scratch.

Our in-house designers and developers have crafted user-friendly templates to simplify the email creation process. This allows your team to focus on what truly matters—crafting compelling content that resonates with prospective students, current students, alumni, and other key stakeholders.

How to access email templates

1. In your HubSpot account, navigate to Marketing > Marketing Email.

2. In the top right, click Create email.

3. In the dialog box, select an email type.

4. Click the Drag and drop tab.

5. Existing templates will be listed under the Saved templates section.

6. Click Manage saved templates in the top right panel.

7. Click the View dropdown menu or Sort by dropdown menu to filter the list of templates.

8. To preview, manage, or create a new email from one of your templates, click the Actions dropdown menu, then select an option:

   1. Preview: render the desktop and mobile version of your template.

   2. Edit: modify your template using the drag and drop email editor.

   3. Clone: duplicate a template.

   4. Use this template: create a new email using the template.

More details can be found here: Manage and edit your saved marketing email templates.

✅ Email Planning

Email Planning Template Resource - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Fu52Wkh0NtgQs4JjwYXhSAw3045SH_C-iQKFhBMdTk8/edit?usp=sharing

1. Identify the goal of your email

As with any marketing effort, the first step in email marketing is clearly defining your desired outcome. Are you promoting a new program, providing registration updates, or nurturing leads? Each type of campaign requires different strategies and approaches. By determining the purpose of your email campaign, you can create targeted objectives and set clear goals for success.

Consider these common Email use cases.

2. Define Your Audience:

Effective emails, whether part of a campaign or standalone, begin with a clear audience understanding. Start by identifying your target audience, which involves understanding their demographics, interests, and pain points. Tailor your messaging to address these pain points and meet the specific needs of your audience. Segmenting your audience and personalizing emails ensures you deliver relevant content to the right people at the right time.

3. Build Your Email List:

Create an email list with prospects who are excited to hear from you. There are many creative ways to grow your email list. Instead, successful list building focuses on two key components that work together to increase your subscriber count: lead magnets and opt-in forms.

Lead Magnets: Incentives you offer in exchange for a prospect's email address. Examples include newsletter subscriptions, admissions checklists, or guides on specific academic programs.

Opt-in Forms: The RFI forms on your college's website, landing pages, and social media channels are used to capture email addresses.

4. Establish a Timeline

.