Building an Email Template

A well-built email template saves your team time and keeps your practice looking polished every time you reach out to patients. This article walks you through creating and saving a reusable, branded email template using the drag-and-drop builder inside Dental Marketing Tool.

Why Templates Matter

Instead of composing the same seasonal promotions, recall messages, or appointment follow-ups from scratch each time, templates let you design the email once and reuse it whenever you need it. Any team member can grab a saved template and send it without worrying about formatting or forgetting the practice logo.

Templates are the backbone of any email campaign you send. Building a small library of them, one for recalls, one for special offers, one for event announcements, means you can move quickly when the timing is right.

Getting to the Template Builder

1. From your dashboard, open the Marketing tab in the main menu.
2. Click Emails, then select Templates.
3. Click the New Template button in the upper right corner.
4. Give your template a clear internal name, something like Spring Whitening Promo or Patient Recall - 6 Month, so it is easy to find later.
5. Click Continue to open the builder.

Working in the Drag-and-Drop Builder

The builder is made up of a canvas in the center and an element panel on the left. You add content by dragging blocks from the panel onto the canvas.

Layout and Structure

1. Start with a Section block. Sections act as rows and control the column layout of each part of your email.
2. Choose a one-column, two-column, or three-column layout for each section depending on what content you need to display.
3. Drag additional sections below the first to build out your full email from top to bottom.

Adding Your Practice Branding

1. Drag an Image block into the top section. Upload your practice logo or choose one you have already uploaded.
2. Set the image width and alignment to match your brand. Centered logos with a white or practice-color background look clean on any device.
3. Use the Background Color setting on each section to apply your brand colors as section backgrounds.

Writing Your Email Body

1. Drag a Text block into the section where your main message goes.
2. Click inside the text block to open the text editor. Type or paste your message directly.
3. Use the toolbar to adjust font size, weight, and color. Keep body copy readable, typically 15 to 16 px, and avoid using more than two or three font colors in one email.
4. For a clear call to action, drag a Button block below your text. Label it something direct like Book Your Appointment or Claim Your Offer and link it to your booking page or a landing page.

Personalizing with Merge Fields

Inside any text block, you can insert merge fields that automatically fill in each patient's information when the email sends. Look for the Merge Fields option in the text toolbar. Common fields include the patient's first name, your practice name, and your phone number. A simple opening like Hi {{contact.first_name}}, makes the message feel personal without extra effort.

Checking Your Design on Mobile

Most patients will open your email on their phone. Use the Preview toggle at the top of the builder to switch between desktop and mobile views before you save. If a logo looks oversized or text runs edge to edge on mobile, adjust the section padding or image width settings until it looks right at both sizes.

Saving and Organizing Your Template

1. When you are happy with the design, click Save in the upper right corner.
2. Your template is now available any time you start an email campaign or send a one-off email to a contact list.
3. To edit an existing template, return to Marketing > Emails > Templates, find the template in your list, and click the edit icon.

Putting Your Template to Use

Once your templates are built, you can select them directly when sending an email campaign to a patient list. If you are reaching patients who have gone quiet, a polished reactivation email is a great place to start. See Reactivating Old Patients for a step-by-step walkthrough of that workflow.

And if you plan to run outreach across multiple channels, the Marketing Overview gives you a full picture of the email, text, and social tools available inside the platform.