Well, spring is finally in the air.  Even if you’re living in the cooler parts of the country like me (where the temperature still dips below freezing well into April, mercilessly killing countless hopeful tulips), you’ve probably seen a day or two already where you thought about venturing out without a coat.  If you live somewhere where it’s warm all year long, just count your blessings.  You’ll never need to get your jollies by venturing out for Sunday brunch at an outdoor café when it’s a balmy 55-degrees.

I know, I know, you’re just dying to know what my spring fever has to do with e-newsletter tips.  In fact, my tendency to wander off the subject may be itself a symptom of the season.  That’s entirely my point.  All of us, including your readers, tend to lose focus a bit this time of year.  In the depths of winter, people are much more inclined to spend their time hunched at their desks reading your e-newsletter than they are when the fresh buds are starting to poke out from tree limbs.  Chances are, they’d rather spend their springtime hours thinking about their weekend plans than reading your carefully crafted content.  To keep your readers from wandering too far, you may want to come up with some alternative methods of recapturing their attention.

Do Your Readers a Favor:  Give Them Something New and Different

Here’s what I’m getting at: this is a great time to put something out there for your subscribers that’s totally new and different.  Wake them up with something they’ve never seen from you before.  We all like to add a few items to our wardrobe when the weather changes, so why not do the same for your e-communications? (Ok, so maybe I was reaching a little with that analogy, but just humor me).

This does not mean, however, that you should drastically alter the layout of your regular e-newsletter, into which you’ve probably poured a great deal of thought and effort.  Instead, try adding a new template to the mix that’s a variation of your layout.  You can get your readers’ attention with announcements, promotions, invitations to spring events, or anything else you can think of.  However, in order to send something with a different look and feel from your regular newsletter, you’ll need to create a different template.  So without any further dilly-dally, here are a few tips on creating and using multiple templates.

Creating a New Template

Remember that we’re going to keep your existing e-newsletter layout.  Therefore, in order to change the layout (number of columns, background colors, etc.) for your new template without changing the layout of your existing e-newsletter, you’ll need to create a new issue with a new name for the template.  

To do this, start by selecting “New Issue” on the Main Menu.  Fill in all the fields as you would normally, with a name for the issue (we’re calling it “Spring Promotion”).  In the field labeled “Layout Template Name,” type in a name for your new template.  In the example below, we’ve used the name “Promotion Template.”  Save the issue and the layout of that issue will now be independent from that of your e-newsletter.

The template name will display beneath the issue name on the main menu.

You can then make changes to the layout of that issue without affecting your other template(s).  Remember, from this point on, you’ll want to make sure that the changes you make are only to this new template – only alter the layout of the “Spring Promotion” issue.  



You may want to use the same color theme and typefaces as your regular e-newsletter to keep continuity, but since this is a promotion, you might want to go with a single column layout.  And you could add new graphics or other treatments that support your theme for this issue. 

Once your template is complete, you can continue creating your e-newsletter just as you would any other issue.  

Template Options

Once you have your new template complete and your Spring Promotion issue is mailed, here are some things to consider about your new template:

1. Future changes to your alternative template.  
   In the future, if you want to make changes to this “promotion” template, they should be made to this “spring promotion” issue.  If you use this template again a few months down the road and you want to make changes to the layout, one of two scenarios will come into play.
   

   1. If you make changes to the layout of the issue you used to create the template (the  “spring promotion” issue), those changes will apply to every issue that uses that template (a “summer promotion” issue, for instance).
   2. If you make changes to the layout of issues that use this template in the future (like the “summer promotion”), those changes will apply only to that particular issue.

2. Applying the new template to future issues.
   If you want to use this template again, you can create future issues using the new template by simply choosing the template name when creating the issue.  Also, if you ever need to apply the template to an already existing issue, you can select “Edit Issue Properties” and select the appropriate template from the drop-down list.
   
   
   
3. Setting a default template.
   If you find yourself in a scenario where you are working with a number of different templates and you want to be sure to apply the right one automatically to new issues, you can select a default template.  In this scenario, it is best to name all of the templates that you use, including your original.  Once you’ve done that, you can choose a default template by selecting “Publishing Options” from the main menu.  In the “Content Options” section, you’ll find a drop-down menu that allows you to select a default template.  Select the template you want to use as a default and then save.  From that point on, every issue will default to that template, until you select another.