A One-Time Campaign sends a single message in bulk to a selected or filtered group of your customers. It's the fastest way to get one announcement in front of your audience, such as a store closure, an upcoming sale or event, a limited-time deal, or a seasonal greeting. Unlike an automated campaign that sends on a recurring trigger, a blast goes out once, exactly when you tell it to. This article walks you through building one from start to finish: creating the campaign, choosing who receives it, designing the email, and sending it.
Before sending out an email campaign, keep the following in mind:
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This campaign type is a one-time message. To send them again, you'll need to edit and reannounce the campaign.
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Each email you send costs one credit. 1,000 monthly email credits are included with your Vagaro subscription. You can get more by changing your Email Marketing plan.
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Campaigns will only be sent to customers with an email address associated with their Customer Profile.
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Campaigns may land in the customer's spam folder, bounce, or fail to send. Vagaro will not refund emails that fail to send.
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Campaigns will not be sent to customers you have blocked from online booking.
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Campaign recipient lists will not include customers who have opted out of marketing from Vagaro. However, this does not apply to customers who have blocked your email address. The system will attempt to send emails to these customers, resulting in a bounced email. Vagaro will not refund any of these emails.
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Any customers with invalid email addresses will not receive this campaign.
Prerequisites: This feature requires an Email Marketing plan.
Start by creating a new campaign from the Marketing area. Here you'll set the delivery method to email and write the subject line, which is the first thing customers see in their inbox and often what decides whether they open your message. You can write the subject yourself or let Vera, Vagaro's AI assistant, draft one for you, and you can personalize it with each customer's name.
To start your campaign:
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Select More
→ .
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At the bottom of the screen, select Create Campaign.
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Make sure the delivery method is set to Email, or choose to send an Email & Text.
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Enter the Email Subject Line. You can customize the header with the following options:
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While editing the subject line, select Insert First Name or Insert First & Last to add the customer's name. It appears as a placeholder at first, but when the message is sent, Vagaro replaces it with the customer's actual name from their customer profile.
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Select Next.
You'll go to the main campaign setup screen.
To start your campaign:
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Go to Marketing
, then select Create Campaign under Email & Text Marketing.
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On the campaign dashboard, select Create Campaign in the top-left corner. The Delivery Method pop-up appears.
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Make sure the delivery method is set to Email, or choose to send an Email & Text.
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Enter the Email Subject Line. You can customize the header with the following options:
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Select Save.
You'll go to the main campaign setup screen.
Next, change the campaign type to One-Time Campaign and decide when it goes out. You can send the blast immediately or schedule it for a specific date and time. These steps are the same on all devices. Your screen may look slightly different from the screenshots shown here.
To choose the campaign type:
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From the campaign setup screen, select Campaign Type.
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Select One-Time Campaign, then select Next.
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Choose whether to Send Now or Schedule.
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Optionally, complete the following additional steps:
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If you Schedule your campaign, set the Send Out date and time.
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If you Send Now, turn on Post on Facebook to connect your Facebook account and post on your page.
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Select Save.
Now decide who receives your email blast. You can apply a quick filter to target a common group, such as new customers or high spenders, or build custom filters to reach an audience that meets the exact criteria you set.
A filter is a rule that picks out a group of customers, such as everyone who spent over $100 in the last year. Bundle several filters into a filter group to define precisely who's included, then add more groups to target several audiences at once.
To choose the recipients:
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From the campaign setup screen, select Recipients.
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Choose from the preset filters or create a custom one:
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All customers: Send this campaign to all customers in your Customer List.
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Specific customers: Choose who you want to send this campaign to.
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Customers who aren't currently booked: Filter this campaign to customers with no upcoming bookings.
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Customers who haven't visited in a while: Filter this campaign to customers who haven't visited in a set number of months. A customer's last visited is their last completed or checked-out appointment.
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New customers: Filter this campaign to customers who have no or very few bookings.
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High-spending customers: Filter this campaign to customers who've spent more than a certain amount.
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Custom: Create your own filters for this campaign.
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If you're a multi-location business, use the Locations list to select which location's customer list you want to use. It can be one location or all locations.
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If you choose a filter other than All Customers, customize the campaign filters as needed.
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Configure Filter Group 1:
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Attribute: The customer data you're filtering for. It's the "what" you're checking, like Customer Info, Things We Sell, Activity, Employee/Customers and Custom Fields.
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Operator: The comparison or logic applied to that attribute. It's the "how" you're checking for and defines the relationship between the attribute and the value.
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Value: The specific input you're comparing against. It's the "what to match" and the target the operator measures the attribute against. This option may not appear if a value isn't required.
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Add Filter: Add an additional filter.
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AND/OR: Choose whether both of these filters should apply (AND) or whether they're separate (OR) and only one needs to apply to capture the cohort.
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Delete: Remove the additional filter you added.
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Optionally, select Add Filter Group to configure another group of filters.
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AND/OR: Choose whether both of these filter groups should apply (AND) or whether they're separate (OR) and only one needs to apply to capture the cohort.
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Delete
: Remove this filter group.
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Select Apply Filters and review the Customers and Employees you'll send this campaign to and the customers who have Opted Out.
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Select Save.
To choose the recipients:
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From the campaign setup screen, select Recipients.
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Choose from the preset filters or create a custom one:
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All customers: Send this campaign to all customers in your Customer List.
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Specific customers: Choose who you want to send this campaign to.
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Customers who aren't currently booked: Filter this campaign to customers with no upcoming bookings.
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Customers who haven't visited in a while: Filter this campaign to customers who haven't visited in a set number of months. A customer's last visited is their last completed or checked-out appointment.
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New customers: Filter this campaign to customers who have no or very few bookings.
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High-spending customers: Filter this campaign to customers who've spent more than a certain amount.
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Custom: Create your own filters for this campaign.
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If you're a multi-location business, use the Locations list to select which location's customer list you want to use. It can be one location or all locations.
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If you choose a filter other than All Customers, customize the campaign filters as needed.
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Configure Filter Group 1:
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Attribute: The customer data you're filtering for. It's the "what" you're checking, like Customer Info, Things We Sell, Activity, Employee/Customers and Custom Fields.
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Operator: The comparison or logic applied to that attribute. It's the "how" you're checking for and defines the relationship between the attribute and the value.
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Value: The specific input you're comparing against. It's the "what to match" and the target the operator measures the attribute against. This option may not appear if a value isn't required.
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Add Filter: Add an additional filter.
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AND/OR: Choose whether both of these filters should apply (AND) or whether they're separate (OR) and only one needs to apply to capture the cohort.
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Delete: Remove the additional filter you added.
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Optionally, select Add Filter Group to configure another group of filters.
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AND/OR: Choose whether both of these filter groups should apply (AND) or whether they're separate (OR) and only one needs to apply to capture the cohort.
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Delete
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Select Apply Filters and review the Customers and Employees you'll send this campaign to and the customers who have Opted Out.
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Select Save.
Now give your email its look and feel. A theme sets the colors, fonts, and imagery that carry your brand through the message, while a layout sets the structure, or where the header, text, images, and buttons sit on the page.
You can pick a ready-made theme and layout to get going quickly, or build your own from scratch for full control. Whichever you choose, nothing is locked in, so you can always make changes to the design later on.
To choose your email template:
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From the campaign setup screen, select Email Design.
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Hover over or select the theme you like, then select Select Theme. All the available layouts will appear.
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Hover over or select the layout you like, then select Use This Layout to begin designing your campaign or select Preview to see a preview of the email.
You can now begin building out your email.
To build an email theme from scratch:
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From the campaign setup screen, select Email Design.
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Select Build Your Own to open the theme builder.
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Customize the look and theme of your email by selecting options in the Colors, Images, and Font tabs.
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Colors: This is the color palette of your site used for font colors, the background, headings, and so on. Select the color options at the top to see palettes that contain that color.
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Images: This is the image set you used on your home page and cards on your site. At the top, select an industry type, like salon or spa, to see images tailored for your business.
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Fonts: This is the font pairing, the two fonts used for your paragraphs and headings. Select the font types at the top to see pairings that include that font.
The preview on the right will update based on your selections.
Tip
Get inspired by selecting Generate Combination to create a random theme.
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Select Apply Theme to move on to the email layout.
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Hover or select Start from scratch, then select Use This Layout.
You can now begin building out your email.
With your theme and layout set, the email designer opens. This is your workspace for building the body of the email, piece by piece. Everything a customer sees in the message is made of elements, the individual building blocks such as text, headings, buttons, and images, and many of them fill in automatically with your business information, like your logo, address, and booking links.
If you started from a template, the designer is already filled with placeholder elements that you can edit, rearrange, or remove. If you built your own theme, you'll start with a mostly blank canvas and add each element yourself. Either way, nothing is permanent, so you can keep adding, moving, and fine-tuning elements until the email looks exactly the way you want.
Every email is built from a handful of element types you can mix and match. Here are the elements you can add:
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Banner Image: A wide, full-width image across the top of your email, ideal for a hero shot or headline graphic.
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Business Logo: Your business's logo, pulled from your Vagaro profile.
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Image: A photo or graphic you upload or choose to add visual interest.
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Text: A block of body copy for your main message, details, or fine print.
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Heading: Larger, bold text that titles a section or draws the eye to a key point.
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Divider: A horizontal line that separates sections and adds visual spacing.
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Button: A clickable call-to-action, such as Book Now, that links to a page you choose.
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Service: Features one or more services you offer so customers can book it.
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Class: Features one or more classes so customers can view it and sign up.
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Product: Showcases a retail product from your inventory.
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Daily Deal: Promotes a daily deal you're running.
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Membership: Displays a membership customers can purchase.
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Package: Displays a package that bundles services together.
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Discount: Highlights a discount or promotion.
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Fill a Form: Invites customers to complete one of your forms.
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Staff: Introduces a staff member or your team.
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Leave a Review: Invites customers to leave a review of your business.
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Social Links: Adds links to your social media profiles.
Note
The placeholder prompts on banners and footers, such as Drop Text, Button, or Image here, are just on-screen guides in the designer. They won't appear in the email your customers receive.
To add an element, select Elements at the bottom of the screen, then select the one you want. It drops into the builder, where you can slide it into place.
When you drop an element, its settings open along the bottom of the screen. To change an element that's already in your email, select it to reopen those settings. Each element has its own set of options, so take a moment to look through them, since what you can adjust changes from one element to the next.
You can also rearrange and manage elements at any time:
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Move: Select an element and drag it to a new spot. For a text element, select the Move
icon first, then drag. As you position an element, circular markers appear on screen to show where it can go. Use them to divide your email into clear sections and keep everything aligned.
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Delete: Select the element, then select Delete
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Duplicate: Select the element, then select Duplicate
to drop in an identical copy.
To add an element, find it in the Email Elements panel and drag it into the builder. Release it where you want it to appear.
As you drag, circular markers appear on screen to show where the element can go. Use them to divide your email into sections and line everything up neatly.
When you drop an element, its settings open in a panel on the right side of the screen. To edit an element that's already in your email, select it to reopen that panel. Each element has its own set of options, so review them carefully, since what you can adjust varies from one element to the next.
You can also rearrange and manage elements at any time:
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Move: Select an element and drag it to another spot in the email. For a text element, select the Move
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Delete: Select the element, then select Delete
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Duplicate: Select the element, then select Duplicate
With your elements in place, it's time to fine-tune the wording and lock in your design. If you started from a template, the copy is already written for you, so you can keep it as is or select any text to make it your own. Rewrite the wording, personalize it with each customer's name, and style it to match your brand. When everything reads the way you want, save your design to move on.
If you started from a template, the written content is already added for you. If you like it as is, select Save in the top-right corner to finalize your design, or edit the text to make it your own.
To change existing text, select it and start typing, just like any other editor. To add more, select Elements at the bottom of the screen and choose a Text or Heading element.
When your email looks the way you want, select Save in the top-right corner to keep your design.
If you started from a template, the written content is already added for you. If you like it as is, select Save to finalize your design, or edit the text to make it your own.
To change existing text, select where you want to make a change and start typing, just like any other editor. To add more, drag and drop a Text or Heading element into the builder.
When you select text, a formatting toolbar appears at the top of the designer. Here's what each tool does, grouped by what it's for:
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Write
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Vera
: Use Vagaro's AI assistant to write the text for you.
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Appearance
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Font Color: Change the color of the selected text.
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Font: Change the typeface of the selected text.
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Size: Change the size of the selected text.
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Text Style: Set the selected text as a paragraph or heading (Paragraph, Heading 1, or Heading 2).
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Format
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Bold
: Make the selected text bold.
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Italicize
: Make the selected text italic.
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Strike Through
: Add a line through the selected text.
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Underline
: Underline the selected text.
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Align
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Align Left
: Line up the selected text along the left margin.
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Align Center
: Center the selected text.
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Align Right
: Line up the selected text along the right margin.
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Lists and spacing
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Bullet Point
: Format the selected text as a bulleted list.
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Numbered List
: Format the selected text as a numbered list.
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Indent
: Move the selected text farther from the margin.
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Outdent
: Move the selected text back toward the margin.
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Insert and remove
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Insert: Insert the customer's first name or first and last name. It appears as a placeholder at first, but when the message is sent, Vagaro replaces it with the customer's actual name from their customer profile.
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Link
: Add a hyperlink to the selected text.
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Delete
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When your email looks the way you want, select Save to keep your design.
Finally, give your campaign one last review and send it on its way. You'll confirm you've checked everything for accuracy, then send the blast to your recipients. Not quite ready? Save it as a draft and pick up where you left off later. If you're short on email credits, you'll have the option to upgrade your plan or send anyway and accept the extra charge.
To confirm and send the campaign:
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From the campaign setup screen, select the checkbox to confirm you've reviewed all changes for accuracy.
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Select Send.
Note
You can save a draft of your campaign by selecting Save as Draft instead of announcing it right away.
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If you don't have enough credits for the campaign, the Usage Alert popup will appear. You can choose to Upgrade Plan or Announce your campaign and accept the extra charge.
This campaign will be added to the Sending Queue. If you choose to send the campaign right away, it may take a moment to send to your customers. If you want to make changes to a campaign that's in the queue, you can duplicate the campaign and mark the old campaign as Inactive. If you don't do this, both campaigns will send.
Comments
6 comments
I have customers who are on my opted out list, but would like to know how they can opt back in to receive my newsletters. Where should I direct them?
Hi Cat,
That depends on how they opted out of your newsletters. If they blocked the emails, they'll need to undo that with their email. Otherwise, they can update their notification settings here: https://support.vagaro.com/hc/en-us/articles/26945292866075.
Thanks, Jamie
I was trying to get this link to work as I'm running into this same issue again, but it takes me to a broken page. Is there a way I can change the customer's notification settings for them, as some of my guests are not tech savvy, but would like to receive emails from me.
Hi Cat, here's the article you mentioned: Customers Aren't Receiving Notifications and Reminders – Vagaro Support.
You can try to complete the steps in this article; however, if they opted out of emails, they need to opt back in themselves.
Thanks, Jamie
There used to be a feature to send an email out to one email address as a test. Is that not available anymore? or do I need to change the recipients to the one address and then duplicate the email and send out again to more customers?
Hi Mime, you can still do this. The steps have slightly changed. See the screenshot below to see how to do it on the web when you're drafting your campaign.
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