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 "andrew@lagunabeachtennisacademy.com"

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: support@lagunabeachtennisacademy.com
• Founder: Andrew Mateljan