Email templates: Marketing vs. Transactional
When choosing between marketing and transactional email templates, you must consider both your personalisation needs and unsubscribe features.
Here's an explanation of these email template options:
Marketing templates
Marketing email templates:
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Are ideal for emails focusing on individual personalisation such as first name, surname, or location, etc. These are called Contact Properties.
See Personalisation.
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Must include an unsubscribe link, which can be replaced with a link to your preference centre.
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Are primarily used for promotional activities.
Transactional templates
Transactional email templates:
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Are suited for emails requiring more than basic personalisation, incorporating transactional data variables like last purchase or holiday destination.
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Have an optional unsubscribe link.
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Are typically used for contractual activities.
Choosing your template type
Before creating your template, ask yourself:
Does your email template:
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Need personalisation, such as first/last name?
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Require referencing data attributes like purchased products or loyalty credits?
If your answer is 'yes' to the first question:
Marketing templates are suitable, offering personalised contact properties.
If 'yes' to both questions:
Transactional templates are more appropriate, enabling a mix of contact properties and data attributes.
Note: While both template types can include unsubscribe mechanisms, marketing templates automatically contain one, while transactional templates require manual addition to the email footer.