This tutorial focuses on the setup of transactional emails that are sent to your customers when certain user actions occur (e.g. registering to your service or requesting a password reset). Please note that it doesn’t include marketing campaign emails.
As a broadcaster, you have three email management options depending on the level of customization that you require:
- Basic: This is the default option. Choose it if you want to use Cleeng default emails, enriched with improved templates and with basic customization options - logo and color adjustments. In this option, Cleeng Mailchimp account will be used.
- Advanced: Choose it if you require more customization to your emails, and you want to have full control over the visual aspect and content. In this case, you will need your own Mailchimp account and you will be responsible for email handling and management.
- Your own email/marketing automation integration: The customization options will depend on the tool you choose. Please note that in that case, you will be responsible for the setup and maintenance.
|
Cleeng Standard Email Solution Basic Customization |
Cleeng-Mailchimp integration Advanced Customization |
Other email/marketing automation integrations | |
|
Setup effort |
⚫ | ⚫⚫ | ⚫⚫⚫ |
| Maintenance effort |
⚪️ (Handled by Cleeng, if a new email template is added by Cleeng, it’s turned on by default) |
⚫⚫ | ⚫⚫⚫ |
| (Sending) Platform |
Cleeng |
Broadcaster’s own Mailchimp account | Dependent on Broadcaster’s integration |
| Visual customization |
Logo and color |
Full template customization | Dependent on Broadcaster’s integration |
| Content customization |
You can choose which email templates will be sent. Content customization within the templates is not possible. |
You choose, set up, and customize the emails to be sent | Dependent on Broadcaster’s integration |
| Translations |
Provided by Cleeng |
Click 'Sync templates' to import template translations provided by Cleeng |
Not provided |
| Limitations |
No impact on email content, or additional visual aspects |
No additional parameters can be added, only those defined by Cleeng If Cleeng is MoR - Cleeng data must remain as is in the Invoice template |
If Cleeng is MoR - Cleeng data must remain as is in the Invoice template |
Option 1 - Basic Customization
It is the default option that offers basic branding customization. In this option, emails are sent using a Cleeng Mailchimp account.
Step 1. Customize logo and color
By adding your logo and selecting the main color, you can harmonize the visual elements of your emails with your brand identity. Moreover, by maintaining a consistent color scheme that aligns with your established brand, recipients are more likely to recognize and trust the communication as legitimate.
The Main Color allows you to define a specific color that will be applied to buttons and hyperlinks within the transactional emails sent to the end users.
The Logo will be visible on the top of each transactional email.
Go to Dashboard > Admin & Tools >Transactional Emails > Branding (tab)
Adjust the settings and click 'Save'.
Step 2. Select which emails should be sent
How to select email templates
You can turn on/off emails directly in the Cleeng dashboard.
To select the templates you want to send, go to your Cleeng Dashboard > Admin & Tools > Transactional emails > Templates (tab).
You can enable/disable the functionality of sending transactional emails by setting the Enable sending transactional emails to On/Off respectively.
Once enabled, you can choose which emails are sent to your customers. Turn the button to On for each of the templates you want to enable.
Note:
If you have never disabled/enabled any given template (never physically changed the setting), the default settings are as follows:
- If you use the Cleeng Mailchimp account, templates are enabled by default.
- If you use your own Mailchimp account, templates are disabled by default.
For more information on email templates please refer to What emails are sent to my customers?
Option 2 - Advanced Customization
Here is the top-level overview of the setup you need to do:
Key concepts:
Mailchimp account - a prerequisite to be able to set up an Advanced Customization option for sending transactional emails. You need to have your own Mailchimp account and Mailchimp Standard monthly plan or higher to be able to use this option.
Mailchimp Transactional (product original name: Mandrill) - Mailchimp Transactional is the current name for Mandrill - a paid Mailchimp add-on that allows clients to send one-to-one transactional emails triggered by user actions, like requesting a password or placing an order.
As per Mailchimp information: “Throughout the Mailchimp Transactional guides and docs, you may notice the occasional reference to the product’s original name, Mandrill. Mandrill is in the process of being fully integrated into Mailchimp proper, and while this process is ongoing, you will from time to time see artifacts of this migration."
Step-by-step guide
It is recommended to start with Advanced Customization configuration in the sandbox environment to be able to test it before going live in the production environment.
Follow the steps below to perform advanced email configuration.
Step 1: Create Mailchimp account.
If you already have a Mailchimp account, go straight to Step 2.
If you don’t have an account yet, go to Mailchimp's webpage to create it. You need to select a Standard monthly plan or higher.
Step 2: Connect Mailchimp with Mailchimp Transactional.
While you are logged in to Mailchimp:
- First, you need to buy a block of emails.
- Then, in Mailchimp Transactional (previously called Mandrill) you have to add and verify a domain that you want to use with your Mailchimp account (for more information, see Mailchimp documentation).
Step 3: Connect Mailchimp Setup with Cleeng.
The setup consists of 3 steps.
- Add Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill) API key.
Navigate to the Settings of your Mailchimp Transactional account. You can get your API Key here.
Click Create New Key and give it a description.
Note:
Copy your generated API key immediately and store it in a secure location. Otherwise, you will not be able to see or copy it in the future.
Remember to keep your Mailchimp Transactional API key secure, as you would a password.
Go to Cleeng Dashboard > Admin & Tools > Transactional emails > Mailchimp Integration (tab).
Enter the Mailchimp Transactional API key in the provided box.
- Provide a domain
For custom emails, you need to provide a sending domain.
- Sync templates with Mailchimp Transactional
Add Cleeng templates to Mailchimp Transactional (previously called Mandrill) by selecting the Sync templates button.
The templates provided by Cleeng include translations.
After the successful import of Cleeng templates into your account, the information 'Templates imported' will appear.
If new templates are added, the button will become active again, and you will be able to import the newly added templates to the ones you already have.
For more information on available templates, please see What emails are sent to my customers?
Step 4: Customize templates.
You can customize templates in one of the three ways.
Option 1: Customize HTML template directly in Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill).
Option 2: Customize the templates with visual editor in Mailchimp.
1. Add template to Mailchimp and customize content & design:
- Copy HTML from Mailchimp Transactional template
- Create template using the option “Code your own” in Mailchimp
- Paste the code and click the Edit design button.
2. After editing, save your template in Mailchimp under the same name as in Mailchimp Transactional.
3. Export to Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill): select the Send to Mandrill option from the menu.
Option 3: Create template from scratch using a visual editor in Mailchimp
1. Create a template in Mailchimp editor or code it yourself.
2. Add content & design.
3. Add Cleeng data variables (parameters) in the template content.
4. Export to Mailchimp Transactional under the Cleeng template name.
Translations:
Please note that each language version is stored as a separate template. So, if you want all your language versions to be adjusted, you need to customize each one separately. For example, if 'Welcome email' is available in English, Spanish, and German, you need to adjust 3 templates: English, Spanish, and German. If you customize the English one only, Spanish and German will stay with the default content and design.
In the case of Advanced Customization, you can add translations to other languages. In that case, you need to create new templates in Mailchimp and reach out to our Broadcaster Support Team, so that they add support for that localization.
Step 5: Activate Mailchimp account.
When you are ready, select the Activate Mailchimp account button. From this moment emails will be sent from your account.
Once you activate your Mailchimp account, there will be two actions available:
- Edition: via the Edit button. Please note that you will be able to edit the domain, but not the API key.
- Deactivation: via the Deactivate button. Please note that once you deactivate your account, default emails will be sent from Cleeng Mailchimp account.
Note:
After you activate your account, go to the templates settings: Dashboard > Admin & Tools > Transactional emails > Templates (tab) to make sure that the email templates you want to send are enabled.
If you have never enabled/disabled any template (never physically changed the setting), after migration to your Mailchimp account, all of the templates will be disabled.
If the setting has been changed in the past, the templates are enabled/disabled according to the setting.
Please also note that templates will be enabled by default after you deactivate your Mailchimp account.
See more on enabling templates in the How to select email templates section above.
Step 6: Test your setup
Test your setup in the sandbox account.
Once you’re happy with the results, you can switch to the production environment and repeat the setup process.