Email Marketing & Lifecycle Automation

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Provider

Coursera
Pricing

Paid Course
Languages

English
Certificate

Certificate Available
Effort

17 weeks, 1 hour a week
Sessions

Self-Paced
Level

Beginner
Subtitles

English

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Overview

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Start your email marketing journey by learning the core tools and strategies used by professionals every day. In this course, you will learn to launch and schedule campaigns in Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Klaviyo, write conversion-focused email copy, and design responsive email templates. You will also explore the lifecycle marketing framework, mapping customer stages to campaign goals and automating basic workflow actions to move buyers through the funnel. By the end of this course, you will be able to: launch and schedule email campaigns across Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Klaviyo; write benefit-led, conversion-focused email copy; design responsive email templates using drag-and-drop builders; map lifecycle stages to campaign goals; and build basic automated workflow sequences for onboarding and nurturing. This course includes a hands-on project where you design and present a complete lifecycle campaign from scratch.

Syllabus

Launch Emails: Build Campaigns Across Platforms

Successful email marketing depends on more than strategy; it requires accurate execution within the tools that bring campaigns to life. This module introduces the shared campaign-building logic used across Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Klaviyo, helping you understand how audience selection, content configuration, scheduling, and sender settings work together to support a successful send. Through platform demonstrations and hands-on practice, you build and validate campaigns using a structured setup process designed to reduce errors and improve consistency. By the end of this module, you will be able to build and schedule professional email campaigns confidently across multiple marketing platforms.

Launch Emails: Analyze Performance Against KPIs

Launching a campaign is only the beginning. To improve results over time, you need to understand what campaign data is telling you and how performance should be evaluated in context. This module introduces the key performance indicators used across different lifecycle stages and demonstrates how to interpret metrics such as open rate, click rate, conversion rate, deliverability, and unsubscribe rate together rather than in isolation. By the end of this module, you will be able to evaluate email campaign performance using lifecycle-specific KPI frameworks.

Launch Emails: Evaluate Audience Fit

Even well-designed campaigns underperform when they reach the wrong audience at the wrong time. This module focuses on evaluating whether campaign objectives, content, and calls to action align with the audience's lifecycle stage and level of engagement. You learn how to assess send plans using structured evaluation criteria, identify mismatches between audience readiness and campaign intent, and make recommendations that improve relevance and effectiveness. Through scenario-based analysis, you practice applying audience-fit principles to real marketing decisions. By the end of this module, you will be able to evaluate email send plans and determine whether they are appropriate for the intended audience and lifecycle stage.

Conversion Copy: Apply Techniques

Effective email copy does more than communicate information—it motivates action. This module introduces the core principles behind high-performing lifecycle email copy, including the psychology of attention, conversion-focused messaging structures, and reader-centered writing techniques. You explore how subject lines, body copy, and calls to action work together to guide engagement while reducing friction. Through practical examples and drafting exercises, you apply proven frameworks to real marketing scenarios and develop copy that is clear, relevant, and action-oriented. By the end of this module, you will be able to write conversion-focused lifecycle emails that align message structure, tone, and audience intent.

Conversion Copy: Analyze Variants

Strong email performance depends not only on writing copy, but also on evaluating it objectively. This module focuses on building the analytical judgment required to assess email copy against clear performance criteria rather than personal preference. You examine copy variants through the lenses of clarity, relevance, motivation, benefit communication, audience readiness, and tone. Using structured audit frameworks and comparative review exercises, you learn how to identify strengths, diagnose weaknesses, and justify recommendations with evidence. By the end of this module, you will be able to evaluate email copy systematically and make defensible decisions about which messages are most likely to drive engagement and conversion.

Conversion Copy: Messaging Frameworks

Consistent results require more than individual emails - they require repeatable messaging systems. This module explores how to design benefit-led messaging frameworks that support automated email sequences across different customer lifecycle stages. You will learn how to translate audience needs, motivations, and behaviors into coherent message architectures that maintain relevance over time. By the end of this module, you will be able to create structured messaging frameworks that support scalable, audience-focused email journeys and integrate effectively into automated marketing workflows.

Email Design: Responsive Layouts

This module focuses on designing responsive email layouts that perform effectively across mobile and desktop inbox environments. You will explore the principles behind mobile-first design, spacing, readability, and modular layout structure, then apply those principles directly in Mailchimp using industry-standard workflow practices. The module emphasizes practical execution rather than visual theory, helping you make layout decisions that support engagement, usability, and campaign consistency across devices. By the end of this module, you will be able to build and test a responsive email template in Mailchimp that aligns with modern inbox design expectations.

Email Design: Hierarchy and Evaluation

Strong email performance depends not only on responsive layouts, but also on how clearly information is prioritized for the reader. This module introduces practical approaches to visual hierarchy, eye-tracking behavior, and content emphasis within lifecycle marketing emails. You will evaluate real template examples and practice identifying design choices that improve readability, reinforce branding, and guide subscriber attention toward key actions. The module emphasizes critical review and decision-making skills used in professional email production workflows. By the end of this module, you will be able to assess and critique email templates for clarity, hierarchy, and brand consistency.

Email Design: Building in Klaviyo

Email design workflows often require adapting the same core design principles across multiple marketing platforms. This module focuses on applying responsive design and layout-building skills within Klaviyo’s template environment, including its structure for sections, blocks, and reusable styles. You will work through a practical build process that mirrors real-world campaign production tasks and reinforces platform-specific workflow considerations. The module emphasizes transferable design judgment rather than tool memorization, helping you work confidently across email platforms. By the end of this module, you will be able to create and evaluate responsive email templates in Klaviyo using structured, workflow-ready design practices.

Lifecycle Structure: Stages and Funnels

Effective lifecycle marketing depends on having a clear structure for how customers move from initial awareness to long-term engagement. This module introduces practical lifecycle stage frameworks used to organize marketing programs, define progression criteria, and align messaging with customer behavior. You will explore common lifecycle design patterns and apply those concepts directly in HubSpot to structure a scalable customer journey framework. The module emphasizes operational clarity and strategic alignment rather than abstract funnel theory. By the end of this module, you will be able to map lifecycle stages and configure a structured framework that supports measurable marketing workflows.

Lifecycle Structure: Analyzing Lifecycle Funnel Performance

A lifecycle framework is only valuable if marketers can identify where customers progress, stall, or disengage. This module focuses on analyzing lifecycle funnel performance using progression metrics, conversion indicators, and stage drop-off analysis. You will examine how funnel reports reveal operational weaknesses and marketing opportunities across the customer journey, then apply those insights within HubSpot reporting workflows. The module emphasizes analytical decision-making and practical diagnosis rather than passive dashboard review. By the end of this module, you will be able to interpret lifecycle funnel data and identify areas where marketing workflows require optimization or intervention.

Lifecycle Structure: Creating Lifecycle Messaging Matrices

Lifecycle marketing strategies become actionable when messaging is intentionally aligned to customer stage, behavior, and business goals. This module introduces the structure and purpose of lifecycle messaging matrices used to coordinate communication across acquisition, onboarding, retention, and reactivation efforts. You will build a practical messaging matrix in Klaviyo while evaluating how message timing, audience intent, and channel objectives influence campaign planning decisions. The module emphasizes workflow integration and scalable communication planning within real marketing operations. By the end of this module, you will be able to create a lifecycle messaging matrix that supports coordinated, stage-specific customer engagement strategies.

Automation: Triggers, Actions, and Branching Logic

Marketing automation is only effective when workflows are built with clear logic, accurate triggers, and reliable decision paths. This module introduces the operational foundations of automation design, including triggers, actions, conditional branching, and workflow sequencing within HubSpot. You will explore how automation logic shapes customer experiences and practice configuring workflows that respond dynamically to subscriber behavior. The module emphasizes structured workflow thinking and execution accuracy rather than platform memorization. By the end of this module, you will be able to configure automated workflows using triggers, actions, and branching logic that support scalable lifecycle marketing operations.

Automation: Multi-Step Sequences

Automated sequences allow marketing teams to deliver timely, personalized communication at scale without relying on manual execution. This module focuses on designing multistep onboarding and nurturing sequences that guide customers through a structured engagement journey. You will examine how sequence timing, message progression, and behavioral triggers influence customer experience outcomes, then apply those principles in Klaviyo through a practical workflow build. The module emphasizes repeatable automation strategy and workflow integration across marketing operations. By the end of this module, you will be able to create multistep automated sequences that support onboarding, engagement, and customer nurturing objectives.

Automation: Performance Analysis

Building automation workflows is only part of the process; marketers also need to evaluate whether those workflows are performing as intended. This module focuses on analyzing automation performance through flow reports, trigger accuracy, engagement metrics, and conversion behavior across HubSpot and Klaviyo environments. You will practice interpreting workflow data to identify operational weaknesses, audience friction points, and opportunities for optimization. The module emphasizes analytical decision-making and continuous workflow improvement within real marketing operations. By the end of this module, you will be able to assess automation performance and identify workflow adjustments that improve engagement and lifecycle progression.

GenAI Module: AI-Assisted Copy & Design

Creative professionals who understand how to direct generative AI tools are already outpacing those who don't — not because they work harder, but because they've reallocated their creative energy more effectively. This module establishes the foundational literacy required to work alongside GenAI tools in a modern agency environment: what an AI-assisted copy and design workflow actually looks like across the full production stack, how to construct prompts that produce brand-relevant outputs rather than generic approximations, and how to evaluate AI-generated material with the same critical rigor applied to any other creative input. Using a three-level literacy framework — tool awareness, directed use, and critical integration — learners develop the judgment to know not just how to use these tools, but when, where, and why. By the end of this module, you will be able to identify where GenAI tools add genuine value in a creative workflow, construct brief-driven prompts that preserve brand distinctiveness, and critically evaluate AI-assisted output before it enters a client-facing process.

Project Module: Designing a Lifecycle Campaign

In this project, you will act as a Junior Lifecycle Marketeer for a new fitness app. You will combine your skills in design, copy, and automation to build a 3-part "Welcome Series" that guides a new user from their first login to their first workout.