Part 4: Content

A mailing has two parts: the content, or message you want to send, and a segment, or group of recipients who should receive the message. When you create a new mailing, you can either type the content you'd like to send directly into the mailing, or insert content you've already created.

Creating content instead of entering your message into every mailing has many advantages. You can:

• Create a sample of content once, then use it in multiple mailings as a template.
• Personalize your message by inserting mail merge fields and conditional text.
• Add clickthrough tracking URLs, and track how often they've been clicked.

If you are sending out a message only once, and don't want or need to use these features, you may find it easier to skip this step and go to Step 6: Mailings.

The main Content page

The main Content page shows you all of the content you've created for a particular list. You can save, edit or reuse content on this page. Think of it as your personal content "library."

Creating new content

1. Click on the Content tab.

2. Click on Create New Content. You'll be taken to the Content: New Content: Essentials page:

   

3. Enter a Name and Description to identify the content. Note that the Name cannot have any spaces.

4. Enter the email address of who the message should appear to be From:. By default, your email address will appear there. Here are some examples of valid entries for the From: field:

   bob@example.com
"Bob Smith" <bob@example.com>

5. Enter the email address of who the message should be To:. By default, the To: field is set to %%nameemail%%, which will merge in the name and email address of each recipient. To customize the message further, select Insert Field to insert a mail merge field.

   The To: field does not actually select the message's recipients. When building your mailing, you'll specify the segment or lists to which you'd like to send the message.

   Example:

   "Jazz List" <jazztalk@lists.sparklist.com>

   * Please note that using a generic name in the To: field (instead of the recipient’s name) may cause your messages to be filtered into bulk or "junk" folders.

6. Enter the Subject: of the message. Recipients will see this line as the subject of the message they receive. To customize the subject line for each recipient, select Insert Field to insert a mail merge field.

7. Select the Text Message or HTML Message tab, and type or paste the contents of your message in the field.

   You may create just a text or HTML body, and that is what will be sent to your recipients. Or, you can create both, and send a message that has both text and HTML. This format is called multipart-alternative, and ListManager will create the correct headers and boundaries automatically. Recipients who can see HTML will only see your HTML message; those who can't, will see the text.

   You can customize your message for every recipient by selecting Insert Field or Insert Condition. Track which URLs recipients click by using Insert URL.

8. Select the Advanced tab if you'd like to add headers, or note what language the message is in.

9. Click on Save and Test to preview what your message will look like. Or, click on Save. You'll be taken to the Content main page, where you can edit, test, copy, or delete the content you just created.

   Important note: The unsubscribe information for your list will not be automatically included to your message if you create it through the ListManager administrator GUI. Please remember to add unsubscribe instructions to your content or mailing, or send the message to the list via email.

Editing content

Editing content is much like creating new content. To edit preexisting content, follow these steps:
• Go to the Content main page.

• Click on the name of the content you'd like to edit.

• Edit the content as desired.

• Click on Save, or Save and Test.

Personalizing content

The 'Insert Field Wizard' allows you to quickly and easily personalize messages for every recipient.

It also allows you to insert frequently used email addresses, such as the unsubscribe email address and email addresses for autoresponders. In addition, you can merge in fuller instructions about unsubscribing from your list.

If you have a dedicated server, you may add additional database fields and personalize your messages even further--for example, a customer's sales rep. Note that you need to import your members with this additional information--see adding your members for more information.

The following example shows you how to use Insert Field to personalize a message--in this case, merging in the recipient's first name:

• Select the Text tab in Content: New Content.

• Select Insert Field:

  

• Select Recipient's First Name by clicking on the drop down box next to Recipient Fields.

• Click on Insert. You will be returned to the message you were composing. The merge field will be included as part of your message:

  %%firstname%%

  When the message is sent, Ed Kaminsky will see

  Ed

  If a member doesn't have a name, the email address will be merged in. For example, shirley@example.com didn't sign up with a name. Instead of her name, she'll see:

  shirley@example.com

Inserting clickthrough URLS ("Pro" service only)

You can see how successful your mailing has been by seeing how many recipients clicked on URLs in the message. To keep track of those clicks, you must first make a clickthrough tracking URL, and insert it in your content. You'll then be able to view the clicks in Reports: Tracking Statistics.

It's simple to make clicks on text or images in your message trackable.

Clickable text

1. Select the HTML tab in Content: New Content
2. Click on Insert URL
3. Enter the text you'd like recipients to see in Clickable Text
4. Enter the URL you'd like recipients to be directed to when they click on your clickable text.
5. Optionally enter a URL Name and URL Report Group to help you identify this URL later on in Reports: Mailing Reports: View Clickthrough Tracking.
6. Click on Insert. The trackable text will be inserted at the bottom of your message (then you can move it to the desired location within your message body).

Clickable image

1. Select the HTML tab in Content: New Content.
2. Click on Insert URL.
3. Select the Clickable Image tab.
4. Enter the URL of the image you'd like to be clickable. This URL must be the full path to an image on your web server. Example: http://example.com/anvil.gif
5. Enter the URL you'd like recipients to be directed to when they click on your clickable image.
6. Optionally enter a URL Name and URL Report Group to help you identify this URL later on in Reports: Mailing Reports: View Clickthrough Tracking.
7. Click on Insert. The trackable image will be inserted at the bottom of your message.

Undisguised URL

Note: you cannot disguise tracking URLs in text messages.
1. Select the HTML or Text tab in Content: New Content.
2. Click on Insert URL.
3. Select the URL tab (HTML only; by default, you'll be taken to this page for a text message).
4. Enter the URL you'd like recipients to be directed .
5. Optionally enter a URL Name and URL Report Group to help you identify this URL later on in Reports: Mailing Reports: View Clickthrough Tracking.
6. Click on Insert. The tracking URL will be inserted at the bottom of your message.

Inserting conditional content ("Pro" service only)

Conditional content allows you to insert blocks of text or graphics into your message depending on whether certain conditions are met by a particular recipient. Using conditional content, you can easily create unique, one-to-one emails tailored to the exact needs and interests of your recipients, without having to write (or send) more than one message.

All the commands work using a simple if-then-else logic: if a particular condition is true, then insert a particular block of text; else (that is, if the condition is not true), insert a different text block. Note that by text, we mean both plain text or HTML -- you may include either.

Inserting a Simple Condition

This example shows how to send a special message to all AOL members. Other members will not see this message.
1. While creating content, click on Insert Condition. You'll be taken to the Insert Condition: Simple page by default.
2. Select Domain_ for If This Field.
3. Enter aol.com for Is Equal to This Value.
4. Create your special message for AOL members in the field next to Then Insert This Text.
5. Click on Insert. The conditional content will be inserted into your message:

   %%iffield domain_ aol.com "We value our AOL subscribers!"%%

What's next?

• Part 5: Segments
• Getting Started main page