RealCampaign designs are based in HTML, giving you multiple options to create and edit templates as you market yourself and your listings.
RealNex provides a few out-of-the-box templates for your use as a starting point.
RealNex also gives you access to the HTML source code editor, opening the door to designing emails exactly how you envision.
This article will show you the quickest and easiest ways to create and edit RealCampaign templates:
Table of Contents
- RealCampaign Content Editor - Tour
- Editing Pre-Existing Templates
- Building Templates with External Tools
- Import and Save your Design in RealNex KRM RealCampaigns
RealCampaign Content Editor - Tour
Before getting into editing, let's take a quick tour of the RealCampaigns editor -
The Content tab is where the magic happens - any edits to the email itself are done here.
When it comes to making the edits themselves, the Editing Toolbar should seem familiar from other software you've used - as a quick overview, here is what each button does:
As you continue through the article, we'll review which buttons/functions are relevant to the task at hand!
Editing Pre-Existing Templates
RealNex KRM RealCampaigns comes with a library of templates out-of-the-box.
Available under the "RealNex Templates" tab, click on the "Property Introduction - Image Top - 2 Columns" template, then click Select:
Once in the editor, preparing your email marketing comes down to three steps:
Editing Text
Click into any area with text to delete and replace the holding text with the text for your email
Catch your reader's eye! Don't forget to use the editing tools at your disposal to edit and format your text and bring it to life!
Adding Merge Fields (Mail Merge)
Merge fields let you easily customize your emails to each recipient, adding a nice personal touch to each individual who reads your emails:
Use the Preview tab to click through each recipient and preview what the email will look like when they read it!
Here's how to do it yourself:
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Edit the text to insert the field
- When ready, click the { Fields } button
- When ready, click the { Fields } button
- Select First Name, then click Insert
In addition to Recipient fields, you can also pick your own (Sender) Personal or Company data as merge fields!
Edit/Update Links (and/or Buttons)
Call-to-action (CTA) buttons are a great way to get your recipients to interact with your email marketing.
In RealCampaigns, updating a button's link is as simple as editing a hyperlink!
We'll review how to edit the button link in this template, but continue on to the Building Templates with External Tools section to learn how to create your own templates with buttons you've designed!
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Click into the button's text and highlight it, clicking the Insert/Edit Link button in the editing toolbar
- Update the link information and click Ok to continue
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A - URL
- Paste your link here
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B - Text to display
- The text you highlighted
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C - Title (Optional)
- The "name" of this link - useful for maintaining organization if your email contains multiple links
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D - Target (New window recommended)
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Determine how the link is opened when clicked:
- None - Link opens over the currently-viewed page
- New window - Link opens in a new window, preserving your email for easy access
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Determine how the link is opened when clicked:
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A - URL
- Edit Button Size/Text
- Click into the text within the button to edit it
- Hover your cursor over the button's edge and click, hold, drag-and-drop to adjust its size
Update Images and Media
- Click into a space with an existing image, clicking the Insert/edit image button in the editing toolbar
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Click into the Upload tab and select your upload method:
- Click Browse for an image to search for the image from your computer, or
- Drag-and-drop an image into the space below
- Once uploaded, click Ok to apply the image
That's how easy it is to update the image!
Building Templates with External Tools
Need more flexibility in designing your templates? The RealCampaign editor lets you import your customized design by giving you the option to paste HTML code into the editor.
The Goal? Create a Template to save in RealNex.
Once saved, the template will be available for you to edit any text, replace images, and/or update any relevant links under the My Templates tab:
While you can use any editor that lets you export/copy HTML code, there are two options we recommend for their intuitive Drag-and-Drop editor:
stripo.email
The following links will take you outside of the RealNex Knowledge Base and into the Stripo Help Center.
There are many options and features in Stripo, the steps listed below are quick basics to get you started.
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Create an account (free)
- Follow steps 1-4 in this article
- Confirm you are in the new editor (link to article)
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Understanding the Stripo Template Layout
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Stripo emails are created using a hierarchy of elements
- Stripe > Structure > Container > Block (navigating between elements)
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Stripo emails are created using a hierarchy of elements
- Create an email template (link to entire article - key subsections linked below)
- Copy, move and delete elements in a Stripo email template
beefree.io
The following links will take you outside of the RealNex Knowledge Base and into the Beefree Help Center, unless otherwise noted.
- Sign up for a free account (links to sign up page)
- Create a new email from a template
- Building content in Beefree
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Additional Beefree Resources
- Building with settings, rows, & columns
- Editing your email with content blocks
- Managing Designs
Import and Save your Design in RealNex KRM RealCampaigns
After you have completed your Stripo or Beefree template design, bring them into RealNex in three steps:
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Prepare for Import
- Preparing in RealNex KRM
- Exporting Template
- Import Template
- Save Template
Prepare for Import
In RealNex KRM
- Pick a RealNex Template and click Select to continue
- Click the Source code button in the Editing Toolbar
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Delete existing HTML Code
- Right-click on the text, click Select All, and hit Backspace on your keyboard
- Right-click on the text, click Select All, and hit Backspace on your keyboard
Export Template HTML Code
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Stripo
- In a New Tab/Window, Open the Template you want to bring into RealNex
- Click Export > File > HTML
- Click Show HTML code, then Copy to Clipboard
Continue on to the Import Template section
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Beefree
- In a New Tab/Window, open your Projects
- Hover over the Template to bring into RealNex, click the "Options" button, then Export
- Click the "Copy HTML" button
Continue on to the Import Template section
Import Template
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Paste HTML Code and Apply
- Right-click into the Source code editor, click Paste, then click Ok to apply
- Right-click into the Source code editor, click Paste, then click Ok to apply
Save Template
- Click Save as Template
- Name the Template and Save
- Acknowledge the confirmation message
That's all it takes to import and save a Template into KRM RealCampaigns.
The next time you prepare a RealCampaign to send, select your new template under the My Templates tab and refer to the Editing Pre-Existing Templates section above to edit this RealCampaign!