digital marketing Archives

Design Mailchimp Emails Faster with Canva

August 11, 2026 / Mailchimp How-To / Anj

The Canva integration for Mailchimp is built for efficient email design, helping busy teams launch email campaigns on a tight schedule. Juggling design tools, managing local image files, and assembling newsletter layouts can quickly consume valuable hours.

Connecting Mailchimp with Canva simplifies this entire workflow, allowing lean teams to produce attractive, on-brand emails efficiently without needing specialized technical skills.

How Connecting Mailchimp to Canva Helps You

When you run a small team, every saved minute counts. Linking your design tool directly to your email platform cuts out the hassle of moving files back and forth.

Send Updates Faster: Move pictures directly into Mailchimp so event news, sales, or donor announcements go out right on time.
Keep Your Look Neat and Consistent: Keep your logos, brand colors, and header images ready to use so every email looks clean and recognizable.
Make Teamwork Easier: Let team members or volunteers help create graphics without worrying about messy file transfers or lost images.

If you want to see what is possible, feel free to browse our design samples and portfolio for fresh ideas.

Two Easy Ways to Work

The Mailchimp to Canva integration gives you flexibility in how you build your messages:

Pick Pictures While You Build: Grab your saved pictures, banners, and logos right from your Canva folder while you write your email in Mailchimp.
Start in Canva First: Make your graphic inside Canva, then send it straight over to your Mailchimp account as a saved draft with just a few clicks.

Quick Tips for Better Emails

Nice graphics catch the eye, but keeping a few simple habits in mind will help your readers take action:

Keep Image File Sizes Small: Large picture files can slow down how quickly your message opens on phones. Checking a guide on optimizing image size for email keeps your emails loading fast without losing quality.
Make Text Easy to Read on Phones: Many students, customers, and donors check email on their phones. Make sure your words are large enough to read easily on small screens.
Plan for Different Inbox Settings: Keep dark mode users in mind. Learning a few tricks for designing emails for dark mode ensures your graphics look great no matter how your readers view them.
Mix Pictures with Typed Words: Use graphics for visual headers, but type important details—like dates, addresses, and button links—directly into your email so everyone can see them clearly.
Preview Before You Send: Use the preview button to double-check how your images and text look together on mobile devices before hitting send.

Connecting Mailchimp and Canva makes applying these habits simple. You can easily polish your visuals in Canva and drop them right into your Mailchimp draft, and your email is ready to go!

Maximize Your Emails with Pure Firefly

Catchy pictures grab attention, but clear messaging is what keeps your audience connected. Pure Firefly helps small businesses and non-profits set up email systems that get real results. Reach out to our team today to talk about your goals, or ask about our Mailchimp Audit to make sure your emails are working as hard as you are!

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Nail Your Holiday Email Marketing: 5 Mailchimp Features

November 25, 2024 / Mailchimp How-To, Marketing Strategy / Alex Gallagher

As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to maximize your emails’ impact. Mailchimp has rolled out some exciting new features to help you craft engaging, professional emails with ease. Whether you’re fine-tuning your newsletter or boosting sales, these updates are perfect for making the most of your holiday email marketing in 2024.

1. Mailchimp’s AI Content Suggestions

Let Mailchimp’s built-in AI take the guesswork out of email creation! This powerful feature can help you generate:

Image alt text: Boost accessibility with alt text for all images & graphics.
Email copy: Quickly draft holiday promos and announcements.
Subject lines: Craft attention-grabbing preheader text

Like any AI tool, we recommend giving the generated content a quick tune-up to correct any errors or awkward phrasing. From our experience as Pro-Partners, this tool is a great way to save time, especially during busy marketing seasons!

2. Re-Send to Non-Openers in Browser

Good news: you can now re-send emails to non-openers directly in your browser, a feature previously only available on mobile. This is a great way to make sure no one misses your top-priority emails.

Pro tip: Use this feature mindfully – Re-sending too much can lead to increased spam reports and lower engagement. Focus on your most critical, time-sensitive campaigns to avoid overwhelming subscribers. For more info on sending schedules, check out our article on send frequency.

3. New Header, Body, and Footer Styling Options

Mailchimp’s new builder makes consistent email design easier than ever. As of 2024, new builder users can now separate their email into header, body, and footer sections. Then, users can set unique styles for each section. This makes it easier than ever to use alternating background colors without going block-by-block or layout-by layout.

If you spend a lot of time in the new template builder, you know this is a holiday game changer!

4. Rounded Corners, Margins and Borders

Add some pizazz to your holiday emails with Mailchimp’s updated styling options. Here are some of our favorite functionalities launched in 2024:

Image Rounding: Use the options under “Rounded Corners” to give your images a rounder, more friendly appearance.
Borders: Outline any layout or content block to draw attention to it. Choose your style (dotted, solid, etc.) and any color!
Margins: Available on text and layout blocks, margins help create an organized appearance for all your content.

These features make it easier than ever to add personality & visual appeal to your holiday emails. Give them a try on your own, or book a one-on-one walkthrough.

5. Product Recommendations

This feature was actually included in the launch of Mailchimp’s new template builder, and it continues to deliver for e-commerce users! Add the block to your template, choose how many products you want to display, and Mailchimp will pull info directly from your website.

Users can choose to display:

Items a subscriber has recently viewed
Products left in a subscriber’s cart
Top-selling items
Newly-added inventory

This smart tool helps feature the most relevant and enticing products, perfect for driving holiday sales.

Need Help with Holiday Email Marketing in 2024?

Pure Firefly’s email marketing experts are here to make your holiday campaigns a success. Book a training call to get hands-on assistance with all things Mailchimp. We also offer campaign strategy, template design, and complete account audits.

Let’s make this holiday season a success!

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relaxed small business owner surrounded by sales tags

Stress-Free Black Friday Email Marketing for Small Businesses

September 15, 2023 / Marketing Strategy / Alex Gallagher

In the race of Black Friday email marketing, small businesses may find themselves overwhelmed with questions. Here are answers to 5 of the most frequently asked questions about Black Friday email marketing for small businesses. By developing an effective strategy in advance, you can get ahead of the Black Friday frenzy and spend more time enjoying the holiday. (For maximum relaxation, you can always work with an email marketing partner.)

How Many Black Friday Emails Should I Send?

Small businesses need to strike a send frequency balance between staying at the top of their subscribers’ inboxes and overwhelming them with too much messaging. Typically, Black Friday sales should warrant between 3 and 5 emails. Here are some campaigns any small business should consider when preparing for Black Friday / Cyber Monday:

“Coming Soon:” Let subscribers know what you’ll be offering at least a week in advance
“Sneak Peek:” Give VIP customers a closer look at your deals
“It’s Here:” Announce when the sale has begun
“24 Hours Remain:” Remind subscribers not to miss this sale
“Don’t Forget to Check Out:” Use an abandoned cart automation to recover missed sales

Because Black Friday is such a major retail holiday, some small businesses may want to update their routine automations with a temporary banner or Black Friday Shoutout. An email marketing agency like Pure Firefly can work with you to create automations that convert.

When should I start planning for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

In order to effectively execute a Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday Campaign, small businesses should leave plenty of time for planning and promoting their sale. Small businesses should start planning their Black Friday email marketing in August. By starting in August, you leave your team plenty of time to develop a multi-channel marketing strategy and prepare to fulfill an influx of orders.

What marketing channels should I use to promote my sale?

Today, more and more people are using their mobile devices to access information. This makes digital marketing channels like email and social media more important than ever. If you use an email marketing platform like Mailchimp, you may find that you have a variety of useful tools already at your fingertips. Consider booking a training session with a digital marketing expert to look at your marketing options and build out a strategy in advance.

How can I stand out during the Black Friday rush?

Small businesses looking to stand out should use email marketing to reach previous and potential customers alike. Build anticipation a week or two in advance and use segmentation to target different types of customers. For example, you may reward customers who have purchased more than 3 times by opening the sale to them in advance. An abandoned cart automation can also make a huge impact on your Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales as well.

Be sure to sync up personalized, engaging email content with your marketing on other platforms. By meeting your customers where they are, you can ensure that your sale stays top-of-mind and stands out amongst competitors.

How do I know what’s working?

To evaluate your Black Friday / Cyber Monday campaign’s success, take a look back at last year’s performance and set a goal for this year. You may want to exceed last year’s Black Friday revenue by $1,000, or maybe you want to acquire 50 new customers. Most small businesses will find it most effective to evaluate success using a combination of various metrics. For example, your Black Friday announcement email may have earned a massive click rate but a low revenue if your site crashes or users are not impressed by the products you offer.

Is it your first year setting Black Friday marketing goals? Try comparing metrics to your most recent sale, or work with a marketing expert to set goals that work best for your business.

Prepare for Black Friday with Pure Firefly

Pure Firefly is a full-service email marketing agency that specializes in working with small businesses and nonprofits. As a small business ourself, we understand how every moment makes a difference when growing your business. Save time and stress by hiring us to develop your Black Friday campaign, or book a strategy call so we can work with you to refine your plan.

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email automations icon beside a woman using laptop

3 Email Automations for Agile Marketing

March 14, 2023 / Marketing Strategy / Alex Gallagher

In a time where inboxes are more crowded than ever, email automation can help you break through the noise. Automated emails engage subscribers at key points in their relationship with your brand, business, or nonprofit organization. By responding to subscriber behavior with email automations, you can create a robust & effective email marketing strategy.

Build a Welcome Email Automation

You’ve likely seen it 100 times. You’re browsing your favorite online store, and a pop-up offers 10% off when you subscribe to their emails. How would you feel if that pop-up wasn’t followed by the 10% off it promised? Email automation helps businesses deliver on their promises, building trust with new subscribers.

A welcome email is one of the simplest forms of email automation and one of our most-requested services. When a subscriber signs up, a welcome email should greet them. This email encourages new subscribers to engage, often with a promotional offer. However, welcome emails aren’t just for online sellers.

Welcome automations can help all kinds of organizations nurture positive relationships with their subscribers. An effective welcome series describes the emails a subscriber will receive, then dives beneath the surface. Woo subscribers with your company’s heartwarming origin story, or demonstrate your nonprofit’s impact with news from the communities you serve. The choice is yours, and advice from an email marketing expert can help you build the most effective strategy.

Use Automations to Reward Loyalty

Experienced business owners and nonprofit leaders know that loyalty is key. Use email automations to nourish your most loyal audience members – whether they’re avid online shoppers or monthly donors passionate about your cause.

To set up email automation rewarding customer (or donor) loyalty, consider which actions you’d like to encourage. Your email automation may be triggered when…

A customer completes their 100th purchase
Someone donates a cumulative amount over $1000
A subscriber opens every email you’ve sent in the past 3 months

If you’re using Mailchimp’s customer journeys builder to create your automation, some triggers will require an integration with an online store. You may also be able to create a workaround using tags. Consider consulting a Mailchimp Pro Partner to learn more.

Create Abandoned Cart Automations

Well-timed email automations help customers cross the finish line, so you can deliver on every sale. Set up an abandoned cart automation to reach subscribers when they put a product in their cart but don’t buy it. Abandoned cart emails boost sales, and keep your brand at the top of your subscribers’ minds.

If you’d like to use Mailchimp to create an abandoned cart automation, you’ll need to use an integration. Browse Mailchimp’s integrations to ensure your selling platform is compatible. Especially tech-savvy email marketers may also use Webhooks to set up a custom connection.

Pure Firefly Uses Email Automation Every Day

Whenever we take on a new client, email automation is a major talking point. We tailor every automation to our client’s goals and incorporate several rounds of review to ensure all automated emails are up to their brand standards. Contact us to make setting up your welcome journey or abandoned cart automation simple.

Looking for more of a quick Q&A? We offer one-on-one calls too.

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How To Use Mailchimp Landing Pages

March 9, 2023 / Mailchimp How-To / Alex Gallagher

Mailchimp landing pages are a great way to extend your marketing strategy beyond the basic email campaign. Plus, the landing page builder by Mailchimp is flexible and easy to use. If you’ve built a Mailchimp template before, it may look familiar!

With Mailchimp’s landing pages, you can create stunning signup forms, plus pages for any campaign or event.

Build Your First Mailchimp Landing Page

Mailchimp’s landing page builder is very similar to the classic builder for email templates. After setting your landing page name and choosing a template, customize any part of the page using blocks. You can find all your content blocks on the right side, including:

Regular & boxed text
Images, image and text blocks, image groups, and image cards
Signup forms
Dividers
Social follow & share icons
Buttons
Videos
Products, payment, and promo codes*

Select any of these blocks and drag it to the left side of the builder to begin designing your landing page!

*Note: In Summer 2023, shoppable landing pages will be retired from the Mailchimp landing page builder. You can still encourage sales with Mailchimp landing pages, but payment must be completed using an outside service.

How to Publish Your Landing Page

Once you’ve finished building, publishing a Mailchimp landing page is simple! Hit “save & close” to finalize your design and proceed to the next page. Choose a concise page title & attractive site icon. You can also adjust the social media preview to coordinate the landing page with your multichannel strategy.

Use the audience setting to decide which audience subscribers will join when they sign up on your Mailchimp landing page. You can also set up auto-tagging to segment your audience or trigger a new customer journey. If you’re unsure how to use auto-tagging in your email marketing strategy, consider seeking guidance from a Mailchimp expert.

You can publish your pages to either a Mailchimp domain or a custom domain. For the most professional appearance, use an authenticated custom domain to host your Mailchimp landing page. This feature requires a paid account, but free users can still customize the last half of their URL. That means everything after “https://mailchi.mp” is up to you!

Combine Landing Pages with Email Marketing Strategy

With some practice, the landing page builder is super simple to use. But don’t turn your brain off just yet (unless you want someone to design it for you). To maximize the effectiveness of your landing page, make it a part of your broader marketing strategy.

Where do smart marketing strategies begin? With a goal. You may want to increase your sales, drive traffic to your website, or grow your Mailchimp audience. Let this goal drive your landing page design!

For example, consider creating a landing page for your next seasonal sale. Whenever you send emails promoting the sale, include a link to the page. By visiting your landing page first, subscribers’ attention can be directed to products on sale. Savings will be at the top of their mind, and they will be one step closer to completing their next purchase.

Pure Firefly Can Help You Build a Mailchimp Landing Page

If you’re unsure how best to use landing pages in your email marketing strategy, our team of email marketing experts is here to help! We provide various digital marketing & design services to suit any small business or nonprofit.

Before you build the landing page for your next marketing campaign, reach out for a quote.

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Insights on Smarter Digital Marketing

March 1, 2023 / Marketing Strategy / Alex Gallagher

If you’re a Mailchimp user, don’t miss the food for thought in their Courier newsletter. A recent article asked: how do you become part of someone’s life rather than something that interrupts it? This question is a major driver behind smarter digital marketing.

For small businesses and nonprofits especially, carving out space in the budget for email marketing can be a challenge. So don’t just market more. Market smarter:

Avoid the Constant Sale: A recent study by Ben Nachlas found that companies in his inbox send more emails each year, with more frequent promotional offers. A big sale can attract attention, but don’t leave your subscribers wondering, “Didn’t they just send me this offer last week?” Sales are less likely to move subscribers if they know the next one is just around the corner.
Be an Ally, Not an Aggravation: Beyond sending promos, successful marketing strategies build a genuine connection with their subscribers. Offer something to make a reader smile, wonder, or better understand your products. Smarter digital marketing focuses on building relationships, not just making sales. This is especially important when marketing to more online generations, like Gen Z.
Contain the Churn: Engagement rates can help to understand email performance, but keeping an eye on customer churn is also essential. Pause, zoom out, and see how your business matches up with its customers and compares to competitors. If you don’t understand who your customers are, marketing to them can be a shot in the dark.

If you’re overwhelmed by all the email marketing strategy, start small! Try sharing a survey with your audience to understand their interests, or set up a basic welcome series.

Pure Firefly also offers various marketing services to help you set up that first educational campaign or target your most loyal customers. An expert training is the perfect way to begin building a smarter digital marketing strategy.

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