You can send two types of emails from Brevo:

• Marketing emails can be sent from the Email campaigns page.
• Transactional emails can be sent using our Transactional platform (also known as Brevo SMTP) or from the Automations page.

We'll define each type of email and outline their differences below ⬇️.

Marketing emails

Marketing emails, also known as email campaigns, are bulk emails sent by your business to multiple recipients for promotional purposes. These can only be sent to contacts who have explicitly given their consent, typically through a checkbox or form on your website.

Marketing emails include:

• 💰 Promotional and sales email campaigns
  These are emails specifically designed to promote a product, service, or event. They can also include exclusive sales or discount offers, aimed to encourage the recipient to make a purchase or take a specific action.
• 🗞️ Newsletters
  These are regular emails sent to subscribers that provide updates and valuable content related to the brand or industry. Newsletters are a great way to keep your audience engaged and informed, and can help build a long-term relationship with your customers.

➡️ To learn more, check our dedicated article Create an email campaign.

Transactional emails

There are two types of transactional emails in Brevo. Understanding their differences can be challenging so we've defined them in the following sections:

• Transactional emails sent through the Transactional platform
• Transactional emails sent through an automation

Transactional emails sent through the Transactional platform

Transactional emails, also known as triggered emails, are automated notifications sent by your business to a recipient following a specific event or action. These emails are strictly informational and should not include any marketing content. Since they are triggered by a user's action on your website, like creating an account, confirming an order, or recovering a password, they do not require prior consent. These emails are crucial for any e-commerce business.

Transactional emails sent through the Transactional platform include:

• 🆕 Account registration confirmations
  These emails are an integral part of the user registration process. After a customer has created an account, they will receive a confirmation email to confirm that the registration process has been successfully completed.
• 🛍️ Order and shipping confirmations
  These types of emails are sent out after a customer has placed an order. They provide the customer with the details about the purchase they've made. It includes information like what they have bought, how much it cost, and when they should expect the delivery.
  
• 🔒 Password reset instructions
  These emails are sent when a customer has requested to change their password. The email will contain a unique link that the customer must click on to reset their password, ensuring the security of their account.

➡️ To learn more, check our dedicated article What is a transactional email? and Send transactional emails using Brevo SMTP.

Transactional emails sent through an automation

An automation is a series of pre-defined steps used to automatically complete repetitive tasks in areas such as marketing, sales, and contact management. It can be used to automatically send an email or series of emails that are triggered by a predefined condition, event, or action from your contacts.

Our Automation feature is part of our Transactional platform. Therefore, any email sent via an automation is considered a transactional email. However, these emails can also contain marketing content, despite their transactional nature. If they contain marketing content, they can only be sent to contacts who have explicitly given their consent, usually through a checkbox or form on your website.

Transactional emails sent through an automation include:

• 👋 Welcome emails
  These are the first emails that your new contacts receive after creating an account or subscribing to your emails. They play an important role in establishing a positive relationship with your contacts and setting the tone for future interactions.
  
• 🎂 Birthday emails
  These are personalized emails sent on a contact's birthday. They are a great way to show appreciation and can often include a special offer or discount as a birthday gift.
  
• 🛒 Abandoned cart emails
  These emails are sent to customers who have added items to their online shopping cart but did not complete the purchase. They are a useful tool for reminding customers of their unfinished transactions and encouraging them to complete their purchases.
  

➡️ To learn more, check our Use cases.

Summary

⏩ What's next?

• Introduction to Marketing Automation - Part 1: What is Marketing Automation?
• Introduction to Marketing Automation - Part 2: Basic features
• Introduction to Marketing Automation - Part 3: Advanced features
• Creating a custom Marketing Automation workflow

🤔 Have a question?

If you have a question, feel free to contact our support team by creating a ticket from your account. If you don't have an account yet, you can contact us here.

If you’re looking for help with a project using Brevo, we can match you with the right certified Brevo expert partner.