Help Center | Building Advanced Email Campaigns

Building Advanced Email Campaigns

Build an Advanced Email Campaign

iFOLIO's Advanced Email Builder gives you full control over your email layout and design, with drag-and-drop editing tools for creating polished, custom campaigns.

iFOLIO streamlines the campaign sending process in 3 simple steps.

1. Choose Builder & Customize

2. Choose iFOLIO Link Options

3. Load List, Schedule, & Send

Step 1: Choose Campaign Builder

Access Campaigns from inside the iFOLIO Admin Dashboard, by clicking the Campaigns tab. Select Advanced Email from the Campaign Builder options, and click Start Designing.

Create Your Email

The Advanced Email Builder gives you a full visual editor to design your email from scratch or from a saved template. When you open the builder, a default starter template loads on the canvas — ready to customize. Click Save Draft at any point to save your progress.

Design-Ready Layouts

Each section of your email is built from a block, and each block is assigned a layout that controls how content is arranged inside it.

When you add a new block, the Email Layouts panel opens. Choose from 14 layout options — text only, image only, divider only, and a range of side-by-side combinations at different proportions (50/50, 33/67, 67/33), plus two- and three-column image layouts.

All layouts are built on a 12-column grid, so content stays aligned and renders cleanly on both desktop and mobile.

To change a block's layout after it's been placed, click the block to select it, then click the Swap Layout icon in the floating toolbar. The Email Layouts panel will reopen, and your existing content will carry over into the new layout where possible.

Adding & Managing Images

To add or change an image in your email:

Click an image element on the canvas to select it
Click the Image icon to open the image library, where you can select an existing asset or upload a new file
To adjust the image's size, alignment, or padding, click the Gear icon to open those settings
Use the Crop icon to crop the image directly on the canvas
Use the Link icon to attach a URL to the image

Supported image formats: JPG, PNG, and GIF.

Spacing & Padding

Spacing and padding controls live inside the Gear icon for each element. Click any block or content element on the canvas, then click the Gear icon to access padding adjustments for that element. Changes apply in real time on the canvas.

Text & Button Styling

Text
Click into any text block on the canvas to select it. A floating toolbar will appear directly above or below the content with the following controls:

Font and size
Bold, italic, underline
Bullet list and numbered list
Paragraph spacing controls
Link — highlight any text and attach a URL inline

Buttons
Clicking a button opens an editing panel with the following controls:

Content

Text — the button label displayed to recipients
Add Link — the destination URL when the button is clicked
Use tracked iFOLIO link — toggle on to attach a tracked shortlink to the button

Font & Style

Font and size
Bold, italic, underline

Appearance

Button Color — set fill and border color independently
Border Thickness — slider from 0px to 10px
Roundness — slider from 0px to 20px, controlling the corner radius
Alignment — left, center, or right

Padding

Horizontal Padding — controls internal left/right spacing within the button
Vertical Padding — controls internal top/bottom spacing within the button

Saving Your Email as a Template

Once you've built an email you're happy with, you can save it for future use.

Click Save as Template and give it a name. It will appear in the template dropdown every time you start a new campaign.
To create a variation of an existing template without overwriting it, start from your saved template, make your changes, and select Save New Template at the bottom of the builder. This duplicates the original and saves your changes as a separate template.

For teams, this means one person can build a polished base design and everyone else can work from it — keeping campaigns consistent without starting from scratch every time.

Personalize Your Message

iFOLIO supports personalization in your subject line and email body. Personalized emails have a 26% higher open rate than generic emails.

To personalize, wrap any attribute in square brackets — for example, [Name], [Membership Level], or [Renewal Date]. When you add a personalization field, make sure you've added a matching column to your campaign list in Step 3.

Learn more:
How to Personalize Your Subject Line
Campaign Content Personalization

Step 2: Choose iFOLIO Link Options

Name your campaign, select the iFOLIO page you want recipients to land on, then choose how the link will be delivered.

Shortlink (Recommended) — Each recipient receives a unique tracked shortlink. Tracks 40+ analytics per individual. Required for PURLs.
Shortlink Untracked — Recipients receive a generic iFOLIO link with no individualized analytics.
No Link — No iFOLIO link will be included in the campaign.

Step 3: Upload List and Schedule Send

Upload Your Campaign List
Download the list template and fill it in, or upload a spreadsheet you've already prepared. Each row is one recipient.

Click Download Template to get a pre-formatted spreadsheet
Click Upload List to upload your completed file
Click Use Saved List to select a previously uploaded list

If you added personalization fields in Step 1 or in an iFOLIO PURL page, make sure your spreadsheet includes a matching column for each one.

DOWNLOAD LIST TEMPLATE

Schedule Your Send

Choose when the campaign goes out:

Send Now — Campaign sends as soon as you click Schedule
Schedule for Later — Pick a future date and time

Click Schedule to confirm. If you're not ready, click Save Draft — your draft will be available from the Campaign dashboard.

Track Campaign Analytics

From Open Rates to Bounces, Shared Stats, and Heatmaps of Interest, iFOLIO's Campaign Analytics provide users with all the information you need to measure your campaign, understand customer behaviors, and capitalize on promising leads.

Learn more about iFOLIO Campaign Analytics:
CAMPAIGN ANALYTICS

CAN-SPAM Compliance for Email Campaigns

The CAN-SPAM Act applies to commercial email — messages whose primary purpose is to advertise or promote a product or service.

Emails that are typically NOT covered by CAN-SPAM include transactional or relationship messages such as:

Personalized impact reports or giving summaries to donors
Membership or subscription updates
Account confirmations or relationship news

These emails do not require an unsubscribe option.

If your campaign is commercial in nature, include a clear opt-out option in your email signature. To add one:

Copy your CRM's unsubscribe link, or create one with Google Forms or another web form tool
In the Email Signature field, add text like "Unsubscribe from future emails" and link it to your unsubscribe URL
Alternatively, include plain text like "To unsubscribe, reply to this email".

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Phone: 470 - 223 - 4818, | Email: info@ifoliocloud.com