activecampaign-email-marketing

name

activecampaign-email-marketing

description

Create, manage, and optimize email campaigns for Laguna Beach Tennis Academy using ActiveCampaign. Use when Claude needs to: (1) Create email campaigns for program launches, camps, or events, (2) Build automation workflows and nurture sequences, (3) Manage contact lists and segmentation, (4) Design luxury-branded email templates following LBTA brand guidelines, (5) Set up triggered emails for registrations or trials, (6) Analyze campaign performance or optimize email strategy.

ActiveCampaign Email Marketing

Create professional email campaigns for LBTA that drive registrations while maintaining the luxury brand aesthetic.

Quick Start

Creating a Campaign

1. Choose campaign type from references/campaign-templates.md
2. Use HTML template from assets/templates/ matching campaign type
3. Customize content with program data from /data/*.json
4. Create via API using scripts/create_campaign.py

Campaign Types

• Season Launch - Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall registration announcements
• Program Spotlight - JTT, camps, high-performance programs
• Newsletter - Monthly updates with tennis news and community stories
• Nurture Sequence - Trial follow-ups, re-engagement campaigns
• Event Promotion - Camps, clinics, special events

Brand Guidelines for Emails

Visual Standards

• Typography: Playfair Display (headlines) + Work Sans (body)
• Colors: Black/white primary, beige (#F8E6BB) accents, minimal orange (#F8A121)
• Buttons: Black background, white text, uppercase, 2.5px letter-spacing
• Spacing: 40%+ white space, generous padding
• Images: WebP format, editorial quality, no stock photos

Copy Standards

• Tone: Calm, confident, authentic - never salesy
• Voice: Founder-led, personal, specific
• Forbidden: "Maximize", "elite", "world-class", exclamation points in headlines
• Preferred: "Book a Trial", "Start Training", "Join the Community"

Technical Standards

• Mobile-first: Test at 320px, 375px, 768px
• Accessibility: 7:1 contrast, alt text on all images
• Performance: Images <350KB, inline critical CSS
• Compatibility: Test in Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook

Working with ActiveCampaign API

Authentication

Set environment variable:

export ACTIVECAMPAIGN_API_KEY="your-api-key"
export ACTIVECAMPAIGN_URL="https://lbta.api-us1.com"

Create Campaign

python scripts/create_campaign.py \
  --name "Winter 2026 Registration Open" \
  --subject "Winter Classes Start January 5th" \
  --template "assets/templates/season-launch.html" \
  --list "All Contacts"

Send Test Email

python scripts/send_test.py \
  --campaign-id 123 \
  --email "[e-mail]"

Campaign Strategy

Segmentation

See references/segmentation-guide.md for detailed audience targeting:

• Junior Parents - Ages 3-17 programs
• Adult Players - Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced
• High Performance - Tournament players, college-bound
• Trial Leads - Booked but not registered
• Past Students - Re-engagement campaigns

Timing

• Season launches: 4-6 weeks before start date
• Early bird reminders: 1 week before deadline
• JTT registration: 6 weeks before season
• Camp promotions: 8-12 weeks before camp dates
• Newsletters: Monthly, first Tuesday of month

Email Sequences

See references/campaign-templates.md for pre-built sequences:

• Welcome Series (3 emails over 7 days)
• Trial Follow-up (4 emails over 14 days)
• Registration Nurture (5 emails over 21 days)
• Re-engagement (3 emails over 30 days)

Templates

All templates in assets/templates/ follow LBTA brand guidelines:

• season-launch.html - Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall registration
• jtt-announcement.html - Junior Team Tennis campaigns
• camp-promotion.html - Camp registration emails
• newsletter.html - Monthly newsletter template
• trial-followup.html - Post-trial nurture sequence
• event-invitation.html - Clinics, showcases, events

Customizing Templates

1. Update hero section with season/program details
2. Replace pricing from /data/*.json (never hardcode)
3. Update CTAs to correct registration URLs
4. Add program-specific content blocks
5. Test responsive layout at all breakpoints

Automation Workflows

Create automations using scripts/create_automation.py:

Welcome Series

Triggered when: Contact subscribes to newsletter

• Email 1 (Immediate): Welcome + academy overview
• Email 2 (Day 3): Program options + trial booking
• Email 3 (Day 7): Success stories + registration CTA

Trial Follow-up

Triggered when: Contact books trial lesson

• Email 1 (Day 1): Pre-trial preparation
• Email 2 (Day 2): Post-trial thank you + feedback request
• Email 3 (Day 5): Program recommendations
• Email 4 (Day 10): Early bird deadline reminder

Abandoned Registration

Triggered when: Contact starts but doesn't complete registration

• Email 1 (1 hour): Cart abandonment reminder
• Email 2 (24 hours): Testimonial + benefits
• Email 3 (3 days): Scholarship info + final reminder

Best Practices

Subject Lines

• Keep under 50 characters for mobile
• Use specific dates: "Winter Classes Start January 5th"
• Avoid spam triggers: No ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation
• Test A/B variants: Question vs. statement, urgency vs. benefit

Preview Text

• 50-100 characters that complement subject line
• Don't repeat subject line
• Include CTA or key benefit

Content Structure

1. Hero section - Visual + headline + subhead
2. Primary message - 2-3 paragraphs max
3. Visual break - Image or divider
4. Supporting content - Details, pricing, dates
5. CTA section - Primary + secondary buttons
6. Footer - Contact, social, unsubscribe

Performance Optimization

• Inline CSS for email clients
• Use tables for layout (email HTML standard)
• Optimize images - WebP with JPEG fallback
• Test deliverability - Check spam score before sending

Data Sources

Always pull dynamic data from single source of truth:

• Programs/Pricing: /data/winter2026.json, /data/year2026.json
• Schedules: /data/schedule-2026.json
• Coaches: /app/coaches/ pages
• Testimonials: /app/success-stories/ pages

Never hardcode prices, dates, or program details in email templates.

Testing Checklist

Before sending any campaign:

• Mobile responsive (320px, 375px, 768px)
• Images have alt text
• All links work and use UTM parameters
• Prices match /data/*.json files
• CTAs point to correct URLs
• Unsubscribe link present
• Preview text set
• Test email sent and reviewed
• Spam score < 5
• Brand guidelines followed

Advanced Features

Personalization

Use ActiveCampaign merge tags:

• %FIRSTNAME% - First name
• %LASTNAME% - Last name
• %CHILD_NAME% - Custom field for junior programs
• %CHILD_AGE% - Custom field for age-appropriate programs
• %LAST_PROGRAM% - Custom field for returning students

Dynamic Content

Show different content blocks based on:

• Program interest - Junior vs. Adult vs. High Performance
• Engagement level - New lead vs. trial booked vs. past student
• Location - Laguna Beach vs. nearby cities

A/B Testing

Test variations of:

• Subject lines - Question vs. statement
• CTA copy - "Register Now" vs. "Book Your Spot"
• Hero images - Action shots vs. lifestyle
• Pricing display - Prominent vs. subtle

Troubleshooting

Low Open Rates (<20%)

• Improve subject line specificity
• Clean inactive contacts
• Test send time (Tue-Thu, 9-11am PST)
• Verify sender reputation

Low Click Rates (<2%)

• Make CTAs more prominent
• Reduce content length
• Improve visual hierarchy
• Test CTA copy variations

High Unsubscribe Rate (>0.5%)

• Reduce email frequency
• Improve content relevance
• Check segmentation accuracy
• Review tone/messaging fit

Resources

• API Documentation: references/activecampaign-api.md
• Campaign Templates: references/campaign-templates.md
• Segmentation Guide: references/segmentation-guide.md
• Email Best Practices: references/email-best-practices.md

Support

For ActiveCampaign account access:

• Account: lbta.activehosted.com
• Support: [e-mail]
• Founder: Andrew Mateljan