How to Create Marketing Emails in Google Docs

Want to know how to complete mail merge in Gmail, design, and send creative and compelling messages using only Google Suite?

If you’re running a small business, the marketing side of your operation can quickly become overwhelming. Marketing is tricky if you aren’t an expert, and even for experts it can still be unpredictable.

One of the best ways that you can get started marketing your small business through email. Email marketing is still one of the best ways to get your name out there and get a high ROI. The issue is, most people have no idea how to begin email marketing. That’s why we’re going to be walking you through how to construct an effective and visually appealing email in Google Docs. Once you’ve created your mailing list and executed a mail merge using a gmail mail merge extension, it’s time to get started crafting your first marketing email. Let’s get started!

Getting Ready for Your First Email Marketing Campaign

Before you can start designing your first email, you need to execute an mail merge in Gmail

Our tips and tricks are perfect for small business owners.

For first time email marketers, the amount of work it takes to get started can be daunting. First you have to collect addresses, then you have to complete a mail merge in Gmail so you can start automatically sending messages to your target audience. To start a mail merge in Gmail, you have to create an address list in Google Sheets. Once your address list is complete, you can download a mail merge extension, which will get your mail merge started. Only once your mail merge in Gmail is complete can you move on to the design process in a Google Docs Mail Merge.

Designing a Marketing Email in Google Docs: The Basics

After you’ve completed your mail merge in Gmail, it’s time to move on to the design process

Make sure your messages look great on all mobile devices.

Not everyone is a graphic designer, and that’s ok! That’s why we’re here to help you design your first mass email message after your mail merge in Gmail. By using the simple design principles and our instruction, you’ll be able to knock your first campaign out of the park. Let’s go over some of the key design features you should have when you are composing your message.

1. Keep it simple – for your first campaign, it is important not to overdo it on the design elements. It is easy to use a “more is more” approach to design, but in most cases you will end up overwhelming your audience with unnecessary clutter.
2. Optimize for mobile – these days, it is safe to assume that the majority of your recipients will be reading your message on their smartphones.
3. Make sure your message is readable – readability is key for all emails, if your text is too small or there are design elements that interfere with your message, it is far more likely that your message will get marked as spam.

Now that you know the most important things to keep in mind while you’re designing your message, let’s find out how you craft an effective email.

Designing Marketing Emails in Google Docs in 3 Steps

After your mail merge in Gmail is successful, it’s time to start designing

Before you send your first email, ask others for advice on readability.

Now that you know the basic design principles, you’re ready to design your first marketing email using these 3 steps:

Step 1: The Header

It’s always a good idea to start at the top of the email with a header. To get started, you can use a block of color to outline your message. It is also recommended that you set up a table in your Google Doc so you can differentiate your header from the rest of your message.

After that, you should open up the “table properties” setting in your document and set the column width to 5 inches. After that, set the table border to 0 pt, make sure your cell vertical alignment is set to middle, and choose the center alignment for your graph. Once these formatting steps are complete, you can start applying images and text to your header.

Step 2: The Body

After you’ve created your heading, it’s time to move on to the body of your message. Start by creating content columns and centering them in your message. Depending on the intended content of your message, you may want to create one or two columns. First, you should set your total column width to 4 inches and set the cell padding to 0.15. After that, depending on your chosen layout, you can add text to one or more text boxes. During this step, it is important to double check and make sure you aren’t overwhelming your reader with content and that all of your body content is properly centered.

Step 3: The Footer

When you’re satisfied with the content in the body section, it’s time to wrap things up by designing your footer in Google Docs. Start with a one column one cell table to section off where your footer will be. Then, you can add images or text just like you did with the header — it’s that simple! Once you’ve added all of your relevant content to the footer, it’s time to proofread all of your content to make sure it is ready to send.

And there you have it! Every step from your mail merge in Gmail to your message design. After you’ve proofread your message in the Google Doc, remember to make sure that all of your content is easily visible on mobile devices. Once that’s taken care of, you’re ready to hit send!