Email Builder

Table of contents

Introduction

PatientNow’s HTML email creator allows practices to create beautiful marketing emails with ease. Some useful features of the editor include, but is not limited to:

  • Setting brand colors and fonts
  • Background images
  • Saveable modules for repeat use
  • Pre-loaded images and content
  • Pre-constructed email templates

This guide will provide how-to instructions on the most commonly used features.

Note that most settings are defaulted to be optimized for a wide range of email service providers. PatientNow suggests leaving most default settings, such as padding and mobile settings. Advanced users with HTML experience may want to delve into additional features, which is beyond the scope of this article.

Accessing the Email Creator

  1. Log in to PatientNow.
  2. Navigate to Back Office > Design Studio
  3. The Email Creator will open in the default browser.

Getting Started: Choosing a Template

PatientNow provides several email templates that can be used as a jumping off point for your own email campaigns. Use a pre-designed template to add your own content, or create an email from scratch.

Use a Pre-Designed Template

  1. Open the Design Studio from within PatientNow (Back Office > Design Studio.)
  2. Pre-designed email templates will appear at the top.

  1. Click on an email template to open.
  2. Add your own content! (See Creating an Email: Using the Content Tab for details.)

Start a New Template

  1. Open the Design Studio from within PatientNow (Back Office > Design Studio)
  2. Click the + New Template button.

  1. Start designing your email! (See Creating an Email: Using the Content Tab for details.)

Branding: Using the Appearance Tab

The Appearance tab of the editor is where practices can set their default colors and fonts for consistent branding across all email campaigns. In the Appearance tab find:

  1. General Settings
  2. Stripes
  3. Headings
  4. Button
  5. Mobile Formatting

PatientNow suggests leaving default settings for Mobile Formatting and all padding options as these are set to be optimized for most email servicers and mobile devices. 

  1. General Settings

General Settings is where most branding will occur. 

Background Color, Font, and Line Spacing

The default background color is white (#fffff), but may be changed to any desired color. If using a background image (see background image), it is recommended to set the background color to transparent.

Standard fonts available are supported by most email service providers. The non-standard fonts may not be supported in the most common email service providers. Users may set the font to match the practice’s branding for consistency.

Line spacing may also be configured. The editor offers single spacing, 1.15, 1.5 and double spacing. Double spacing is the default.

Underline Links, Responsive Design, RTL, and Background Image

The option to underline links, automate responsive design, RTL (right to left) text direction, and background image are all options that can be turned on or off using a toggle. 

PatientNow recommends leaving the underline links and responsive design toggled on. 

RTL text direction only needs to be toggled on for languages that are written from right to left. 

Toggle Background Image on to add a background image to the entire email. Background images may also be added to specific sections of the email rather than the entire space using the Content tab.

Toggling the Background Image on will open up additional settings. 

  1. Click on the image icon to choose an image from the image library (jump to Add an Image.)
  2. Toggle on Repeat Image to have the image repeated along the entire length of the email. This is useful for smaller images or patterns / designs.
  3. Toggle on Center Image to center the image horizontally. 
  4. Choose the position of the image using the X  an Y position options. Type left, center, or right for X axis position, and top, center or bottom for Y axis position.
  1. Stripes

Stripes are the largest sections available in the editor. From largest to smallest the sections are:

  • Stripes: Largest element – spans across entire width
  • Structures: Columns and spacing – may be drag & dropped into Stripes
  • Containers: Individual columns in the Structure
  • Blocks: Elements that may be drag & dropped into Containers (jump to Add Blocks)
  • Text
  • Image
  • Button
  • Spacer
  • Video
  • Social
  • Banner
  • Menu
  • HTML editing

Stripes can be configured to keep content appearance consistent across all emails created in the practice. Most practices will want to configure their stripes to match practice colors and fonts. See below for details.

Configuring Stripes

There are four types of stripes:

  • Header
  • Content
  • Footer
  • Info Area

When adding a stripe to an email, the type of stripe can be selected, and all configuration done in the Appearance tab for these sections will be used automatically.

Stripe Headers and Footers can have a specific: 

  • Text size
  • Background color
  • Content (text) background color 
  • Font color
  • Link color
  • Background image

Stripe Content can have a specific:

  • Text size
  • Content background color
  • Font color
  • Link color

And Stripe Info Areas can have a specific:

  • Text size
  • Font color
  • Link color
  1. Headings

The line spacing, text color, and size for Headings 1, 2, and 3 may also be configured in the Apperance tab. The defaults are:

  • 1.15 line spacing
  • Arial font
  • Font sizes 30 (Header 1), 24 (Header 2), and 20 (Header 3)
  • Font color #192352. 

Text may also be configured to default to bold or italicized or both.

  1. Button

In the button section, format:

  • Button color
  • Highlighted button color (if Highlight hovered buttons is toggled on)
  • Font
  • Font color
  • Text size
  • Border color and size
  • HIghlighted border color and size (if Highlight hovered buttons is toggled on)
  • Border radius (for rounded buttons)

HIghlight hovered buttons highlights the button when the mouse passes over the button. Toggle this on for highlighting effect and set highlighted button color, highlighted text color, and highlighted border color.

Note: If using rounded buttons, display in Outlook will not be optimized. Toggle on “Support of Outlook” for best results in Outlook. Please note that this option can increase email size to up to 1 KB / button

  1. Mobile Formatting

PatientNow suggests leaving Mobile Formatting in its default settings as it is optimized for mobile. Advanced users may adjust Mobile Formatting as they wish.

Creating an Email: Using the Content Tab

PatientNow provides a variety of templates that can be used and edited to tailor it to your practice’s clients with your content and your style (see Branding: Using the Appearances Tab for details.) Emails may also be created from scratch.

  1. Add a Stripe
  1. Hovering over a stripe.
  2. Click the + at the bottom of the Stripe.

  1. Select the type of Stripe from the Messages drop down menu.

  1. Add a Structure
  1. Click Content > Structure.
  2. Drag and drop the desired Structure type into the appropriate Stripe.

  1. Add Blocks
  1. Click Content > Blocks.
  2. Drag and drop the desired block into a Container.

Note: Images, text, and buttons may be added directly from the Structure by hovering over the Structure and clicking on the appropriate icon.

Add an Image

Video Example

  1. Drag and drop the Image block into a Container.
  2. Click on the new Image Container.
  3. Click on an image from the image library, or upload your own.
    1. Any uploaded images will be stored in the image library for future use.
  4. Make any adjustments desired in the Content tab such as:
    1. Change the size.
    2. Adjust alignment.
    3. Change the image.

Add Text

Video Example

  1. Drag and drop the Text block into a Container.
  2. Click in the Text block to open formatting options at the top of the editor.
  3. Make further adjustments in the Content tab.

Add a Button

Video Example

  1. Drag and drop the Button block into a Container.
  2. Click on the new Button Container.
  3. Type Button label.
  4. Changes to the button formatting from the Appearance tab may be made if desired from the Content tab.

Add a Spacer

Video Example

  1. Drag and drop the Spacer block into a Container.
  2. Click on the new Spacer Container.
  3. Make any desired adjustments in the Content tab such as:
    1. Change the weight.
    2. Change the width.
    3. Change the color.
    4. Remove the line.
    5. Change the padding (up to 40.)

Note: The maximum padding allowed in the Content tab is 40. For more padding, make adjustments in the Appearance tab.

Add a Video

Video Example

  1. Drag and drop the Video block into a Container.
  2. Click on the new Video Container.
  3. Make adjustments to the video in the Content tab such as:
    1. Change the video thumbnail.
    2. Change or remove the play button.

Add Social Media Links

Video Example

  1. Drag and drop the Social block into a Container.
  2. Click on the new Social Container.
  3. Make adjustments to the social links in the Content tab such as:
    1. Change the logos style.
    2. Add URLs to each logo.
    3. Add or remove additional social media logos.
    4. Change the spacing between the logos.
    5. Change the alignment of the logos.

Add a Banner

Video Example

  1. Drag and drop the Banner block into a Container.
  2. Click on the new Banner Container.
  3. Click on an image from the image library, or upload your own.
    1. Any uploaded images will be stored in the image library for future use.
  4. Make any adjustments desired in the Content tab such as:
    1. Crop
    2. Resize.
    3. Add a filter
    4. Add a link
    5. Add an additional image

Add a Menu

Video Example

  1. Drag and drop the Menu block into a Container.
  2. Click on the new Menu Container.
  3. Add menu items and links in the Content tab.
  4. Make any additional adjustments in the Content tab such as:
    1. Add, remove,  or change the weight of the divider between item
    2. Change the color of the items font
    3. Change the size of the items font
    4. Change the background color of menu items (background color is changed individually)

Settings

Settings includes:

  • Naming / renaming the template
  • Creating an email subject line
  • Creating preheader text
  • Selecting a tab

Merge Tags

Merge tags may be added to the subject line by clicking the Merge Tag button and clicking to select the tag.

Emojis

Emojis may be added to the subject line by clicking the emoji icon and clicking to select the desired emoji.

Tab Name

When emails are sent from PatientNow, a copy resides in the documents section (Users/Roles > Tabs). Set the tab name for where the correspondence should reside.

Saving a Template

  1. Click the Save button.
  2. Select Save and Exit to save the template and return to the Design Studio main page.
  3. Select Save as New to save the template as a new template under Email Templates.

Organizing Templates

Folders

Templates may be organized into folders for ease of navigation. To create a new folder:

  1. Click on the new folder icon.
  2. Name the new folder.
  3. Click Save. 

Folders will be listed and the number of templates in each folder is indicated in parentheses.

Move a Template

  1. Click to check the template checkbox.
  2. Click Move to.
  3. Select the appropriate folder.

Delete a Template

  1. Click to check the template checkbox.
  2. Click Delete.

Rename a Folder

  1. Click on the ellipses to the right of the folder name.
  2. Click Rename.

  1. Type the new folder name.
  2. Click Save.

Delete a Folder

  1. Click the ellipses to the right of the folder name.
  2. Click Delete.