102 Email Creation Using the Template Editor

1 Official Eloqua Documentation

For generic Oracle documentation on the Email editor, please see here:
https://docs.oracle.com/cloud/latest/marketingcs_gs/OMCAA/index.html#Help/Emails/Emails.htm%3FTocPath%3DEmails%7C_____0 

It is important that this document will not teach how to create new templates in Eloqua, but it will briefly explain the HTML code. Anyone who knows HTML should be able to look at the code and understand how the email is built, thus, also able to change it and create brand new modules, etc. based upon the base HTML.

2 Create your email from a template

To create an email, navigate to Assets > Emails

Click on create email

Now select the template SYSTEM_EMAIL_TEMPLATE and click choose.  You will need to have created templates beforehand and obviously the name will change depending on what you saved your email template as.

3 Editing and understanding the different “blue-dotted” lines

When working with emails in Eloqua that are based upon templates, Eloqua allows us to define areas, known as modules from now on, to “Allow Delete” and/or to “Mark as Editable”. When saved, the template is then protected so when creating new emails based on a template that is protected, the user is only allowed to modify those areas that have been designed to do so.

In the code, we control this by using <nav> tags that encapsulate a specific item. Thus, <nav elq-edit=”true”> CONTENT</nav> and <nav elq-delet=”true”>CONTENT</nav> will be found throughout the code. On <img> tags, we also place the elq-edit=”true” to allow for the Replacement function of an image – <img elq-edit=”true” style=”…..>.

Each of these areas that the user can edit and/or delete is marked by having a blue-dotted line around it as shown in the image below:

In general, these lines follow these rules:

• The outermost allows to delete the module
• The middle allows for editing
• The innermost allows for replacing an image

However, when right-clicking a blue line you will be presented with the options you have – Edit, Delete and Replace. Whenever this document states right-clicking a blue-dotted line, you can also double-click.

4 Removing Sections

This email has been designed so you can remove whole sections that are not required.
Each section has a large blue box around it, navigate to the section you do not require and move your mouse over the outside of it, right click and select delete

5 Editing Text Areas

You will see a blue box around certain section of text. Right click on the section of text and then click edit.

You will now get an editor open up.

There is an area for adding your text.

There is a control bar above this are for basic formatting.  It is no different to word.

To add in an image, you need to click your mouse in the area that you want the image to be,

then find and double click on the image you want to add in.

There is a control bar above this are for basic formatting.  It is no different to word.

To add in an image, you need to click your mouse in the area that you want the image to be,

then find and double click on the image you want to add in.

You may also add field merges, a field merge will populate a value held in either a custom object field of contact field. E.g. First Name, Company Name and Country.

To add a field merge, click on the field merge icon.

All your available field merges will be in the right-hand side. Click on the area in the text that you want to see your field merge and then double click the field merge.

You will now see that the field merge has been added

6 Links in text or images

6.1 Hyperlinks
To add a hyperlink, click on the hyperlink tab.

You will see some greyed out commands on the right hand side.

Highlight the text or select the image that you wish to set a link on.

Then click enable as a hyperlink

You now have several options:

6.2 Landing Pages

Select the option for landing page and then click on the folder icon.

Navigate to the landing page you want to choose and then click choose.

6.3 File in File Storage

In the editor elect highlight the text or an image, click on enable as a hyperlink and select the option of file in file storage.

Then click on the folder option and select the file you wish to link to.

Then click save when you are finished editing.

6.4 Webpages

To create a hyperlink to a webpage, select the text or image that you want to set your link on, enable the hyperlink and select the Webpage option, enter the URL of the web page you wish to link to and if required click on redirect (for tracking purposes) finally click Save once you have finished editing that section.

6.5 System Actions

Select the text or image that you want to perform a system action with, then select the hyperlink option, enable the hyperlink and choose System Action.

You will now have several system action options.

Choose the option you require and then save the content section.

6.6 New Email Message

This function adds mailto: to a hyperlink which in turn opens the users email client.
Select the text or image that you wish to add your mailto: then click on the hyperlink table, enable the hyperlink. Finally add the email address that you wish to be displayed in the to field of the email.

Finally save the section off when you are done editing.

7 Images

7.1 Image sizes and sourcing

Image size are:
• Double images layouts – Width => 280 px Height => 190 px
• Triple images layouts – Width => 160 px Height => 160 px
• Single images layouts – Width => 600 Height => 200 px

All images will be sourced from a central repository and then uploaded to Eloqua for usage in the emails.

Using the correct image sizes is crucial, as image sizes can look correct in the template editor but display wrongly in some email clients/devices.

Replacing an image (when image is whole article)

The outermost blue dotted line is the one to select for deleting image: Right-click –> Replace

7.2 Uploading new images to Eloqua

For an image to be able to be selected using the built-in image browser for use in emails (or landing pages) in Eloqua, the image must first be added to the Eloqua’s Component library. You can find instructions on how to upload images to Eloqua’s Component library here:

http://docs.oracle.com/cloud/latest/marketingcs_gs/OMCAA/Help/ComponentLibrary/Tasks/UploadingImages.htm

Navigate to the Assets > Components > Images

Navigate to the folder you wish to upload your image into by double clicking into it

Click upload

Now either double click and then select your image or drag your image to the blue upload box, then click upload.

Your newly updated image will be displayed

8 Setting up send settings

Sender settings are the different things you can control e.g. managing link tracking, etc.

When you have finished your email click on the settings chevrons.

Click on Settings

You will now see your sender options, update these accordingly.

There are several options and functions, below is a table that describes what they.

When you have finished editing click Done.

9 Saving the email

9.1 Saving emails

Once you have finished editing the email click on Save, and navigate to the desired folder where it is to be saved.

The reason you save it is so the text version is generated on your save and now you can edit the content you have just dropped in.

9.2 Text Version of the Email

Now you need to add in your text version of the email. Click on Plain Text.

Format the text according to how you want it, It is not recommended that you just use the system generated one because it will look awful.  Untick Automatically generate plain-text version, then click save.

10 Link Tracking

To track links click on Design

Then click on Settings > Manage Links

Now check the links that you want to track (Do not check links to Eloqua landing pages or other Eloqua hosted assets e.g. File-on-File storage.  These are automatically tracked).  If you check tracking, then the form will not populate the contacts details that we already have in the contact database.

Finally click Save.

11 Sending a Test Email

11.1 Previewing your email on different devices

You can preview your email on different devices from the perspective of different contacts (e.g. to test field merges).

Firstly, click on the action button (double chevrons) and click Preview.

From here, find the contact using the search bar which you wish to view the email as and click Preview.

From here use the buttons at the top to cycle between previewing as desktop, tablet or mobile.

To exit this screen and return to your email, click cancel.

11.1 Sending a Test Email

Firstly, click on the action button (double chevrons) and click Test Content.

In the Test Content screen:

• Enter the email you wish to send to in the To: field,
• Select Test: Email Checker is the default, as this is what the majority of people will see.
• Lastly, click Perform Test and view the results.

Your email content and links will be checked by Eloqua and the results will be displayed for you.

If you’re happy with the results, progress from an Email Checker test to an HTML Email test and click Perform Test.