How to Send Your First Promo Email with Zoho Marketing Automation (No Tech Team Needed)
If you're a small business owner, chances are you've had that moment where you want to send a quick promo or update… and then stare blankly at your screen not knowing where to start.
Good news: You don’t need a designer or a marketing team to send a clean, professional-looking email campaign. Zoho Marketing Automation makes it easy—and in this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how to do it.
Watch the Tutorial on Setting Up a Promo Email in Zoho Marketing Automation
Step 1: Sign Up or Log In to Zoho Marketing Automation
Head to Zoho Marketing Automation and sign up for a free account. If you're already using Zoho One, you likely already have access—just log in with your credentials.
Step 2: Add Your Contact List
Before you create your campaign, upload or add your email list. You can import contacts via CSV or sync from Zoho CRM or other integrations. Make sure you have consent from your list—Zoho follows email compliance standards.
Step 3: Create Your Campaign
Inside the dashboard:
- Go to Email Campaigns
- Click Create Campaign
- Give it a name (something like “May Promo Blast” works great)
- Choose your contact list
Step 4: Choose Your Template
Zoho gives you a variety of drag-and-drop templates. Start with a basic layout—you can customize it with:
- Your brand colors and logo
- A catchy subject line
- Promo copy or news updates
- Images, links, or call-to-action buttons
Step 5: Test + Send
Preview your email to see how it looks on both desktop and mobile. You can send a test to yourself first just to double check. Once you're happy with it, either hit Send Now or Schedule it for a future date and time.
Boom. You’ve just sent your first newsletter.
Final Thoughts
Marketing doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With Zoho Marketing Automation, you can send your own professional emails without learning HTML or hiring a team.
This is one of my favorite tools for small business owners who are doing it all themselves. And the best part? It’s scalable. Once you get the hang of email campaigns, you can explore Journeys, segmentation, and automations to nurture your leads and drive more sales.
Want help getting your Zoho system up and running? Schedule a call with the button below or follow me on social for more tutorials that simplify your small business tech stack.
