Create and configure eMailing

 You create an e-mail in the Mailings folder by clicking + New.

The eMailing is created using an appropriate eMailing template with matching article templates and dummy articles. If the template allows it, you can also create a freely designed source e-mail (HTML) in this way. However, you will have to do without article templates, but you will have more freedom in designing the e-mailing.

When creating an e-mailing, you can choose from all available newsletter templates. Global templates (if available) are then accommodated in a separate navigation tab.

Email templates can be selected for one client only at the local level, as well as at the global level for all clients in a group.

 

Visual Editor

The visual editor shows you how the newsletter is basically structured. Here you can exchange the header image, for example. A click on the header image opens the object picker of the header folder - images located in the folder header can be inserted with it.

In the visual editor, you can insert articles directly into the e-mail or maintain the contents of the text fields where they are displayed in the e-mail. The system displays all articles with a simple auxiliary menu that is used to move, delete and edit the articles - directly in the slot where the article is located.

 

In each slot you can insert as many articles as you like and change their order in the slot. You can also specify a target group for each article. These articles are only displayed to a recipient if he or she is in this target group. With this type of individualization, you can, for example, include additional information for only a certain group of recipients in your e-mailing. (see Individualization for Articles).

It is also possible to sort articles within a slot using drag & drop and to move them between slots. If you move an article between two slots, the article is automatically adapted to the standard article template of the new slot. In addition, the article images can easily be replaced by new images via drag & drop.

 

Slot configuration

To the right of the slot name is a gear symbol. This allows you to set an automatic sorting of the items according to certain criteria. See also Profile Matching and Profile Tagging

 

There are four types of article sorting in a slot:

• Manual (articles are sorted as set)
• Automatic (articles are sorted descending according to the calculated profiling relevance)
• Car. Top-X (Sorting as Automatic, but only as many articles are displayed as are set in the appearing input field)
• Auto. positive (Sorting as Automatic, but only those articles are displayed whose relevance calculation results in a positive total)

Article configuration

To the right of the internal name of the article there is another gear symbol. This allows the article to be edited or removed from the e-mail. Furthermore, an individual target group or article template can be set here.

 

Manage content

Here you can edit and manage all slots with their article templates and the articles with their possibly different target groups in a list view. You can subsequently assign an article template differing from the standard template or a special target group to the articles.

To assign the template, uncheck the Default templates checkbox. An overview of the usable article templates opens. Select the desired template and the article will be displayed in the e-mail with this new template.

To assign a special target group, click on the object picker "For all profiles". A list of all available target groups will open, sorted by modification date. Select the desired target group and the item will be considered only for this target group when it is sent to the shipping target group. If the article target group is not included in the shipping target group, the article is not delivered.

The enhanced editor also offers the option of directly editing the text fields used in the template (input fields, text fields, HTML fields). You will find the corresponding input masks in the lower area.

 

Contents: Settings

If a container type has been specified in the e-mail configuration, you can specify additional content or make settings here. The available setting options depend on the configuration of the container type.

 

Configuration

Here you can set the configurations of the e-mailing:

1. Name: Name of the mailing.
2. Template: eMailing template on which the mailing is based.
3. External URL: URL for previewing the mailing.
4. Sender: Sender of the mailing (visible in the mail client). The given sender address must match the DKIM domain!
5. Individualized salutation: Individual salutation based on the pool field Salutation.
6. Domain: Shipping domain to be used, which is used for all images and link URLs.
7. Confirmation URL: URL for the confirmation page after unsubscribing from or registering for the newsletter, as well as for deactivating tracking.

8. Recipient filter for dispatch: Here you have the option of (de)activating the duplicate check; the duplicate check is activated by default. The duplicate check prevents profiles from being sent more than once if a profile with the same e-mail address exists more than once in one or more pools. In this case, only the first profile is sent.
9.  List help link for transaction mail: If it is a transactional mailing, the URL of a website must be provided, which provides information about the purpose of the transactional mailing.
   
10. eMailing format: Possibility to send an eMailing only as text version. This option is useful for profiles that do not use graphical e-mail clients.
11. Test send prefix: This text is prefixed to the subject of a test send (Check navigation tab) to make it likely that this is a test send and not a real send.
12. Individualization & test mailing: Here you can enter a test target group which you would like to use for a test mailing or article individualization.
13. Date: Free date field to note a release date or deadline. This date appears as a one-time event in the calendar.
14. External Tracking: Option to specify the tracking code of an external tracking tool. This code is integrated into all URLs of the emailing.
15. External content: Possibility to process external content in the e-mailing. For example, an RSS feed could be added to the mailing. For details see Programming in templates.

 

Subject

Here you define the subject line of the e-mailing. It is also possible to define different subject variants depending on the target group.

 

File attachments

Here you can specify one or more file attachments to be sent with the mail. This is not recommended, however, as it leads to a high spam rating and an increased unsubscribe rate.

 

Rollout

Here you can configure and perform a rollout, provided this function is enabled in the e-mailing template and the e-mailing is on the global level. A rollout can be used to copy this e-mail to several clients. Articles and/or article images can also be copied.

1. Select objects for the rollout.
2. Select the client into which the direct mailing is to be rolled out.
3. Enter a name for a folder in which the direct mailing and objects are stored.

For more information on the rollout, see here.

 

 

Check

Here you will find a selection of different ways to check your e-mail before sending it. You can find detailed information on this topic in the section eMailing testing & sending.

 

Under the Check tab, you can have the mailing checked for various criteria.

 

• Preview various output formats: For each type of output of an e-mailing (HTML, TEXT, LANDINGPAGE, PDF, WEB, RSS/Atom Feed) an option is listed in the preview.
• Display & Spam offers a comprehensive check of the e-mailing in various mail clients (desktop, web, mobile), spam filters and mobile devices. Additional costs are incurred for this check.
• Display & Spam (Quick) offers a free quick check to check content, layout and spam probability.
• Eye-Tracking offers a simulation of the probable eye movement of the recipients. There are additional costs for this check.
• Text analysis is used for the textual evaluation of the emailing regarding comprehensibility, grammar and stylistics. This check is only available for German language emailings. Please note that there are additional costs.
• Links shows all external links integrated in the emailing and checks them for validity - i.e. whether the target can be reached. Functioning links are marked with a green OK, possible errors are marked red.
• Individualization shows the display of individualized and personalized variables for the target group set here (if no target group is selected, all profiles that have the flag: Persona are displayed). To set it, select a suitable target group and save the object. By clicking on "Preview" for a profile of the target group, the e-mail will be adjusted to the data of the profile concerned - e.g. salutation, individualized articles, etc. This way you can check individualization and personalization for correctness.
• Test mail transfer allows you to send the e-mail to a small target group "test recipients" before the actual dispatch. This allows you to check the display quality, individualisation/personalisation and deliverability for certain mail clients under real conditions. You can also directly enter a list of emails as recipients. However, these will then only be individualized for a sample profile and thus correspond to the standard preview. Single sent mails will be preceded by a "test" in the subject line to make it easier to distinguish them from later sent mails.

The eye-tracking check and the free display check are deactivated for text-only emailings.

 

Transmission

The transmission is initiated with a click on the navigation tab transmission. This is always set to the current time in the default setting. In this case, the system sends the e-mail immediately after final confirmation of the transmission. In addition to the start of sending, you can also set the target group to which the e-mail is to be sent. For more information about sending, see the section eMailing testing & sending.