DIY Email Marketing Guide
All it costs is your time
Whilst InSynch offers a full managed email marketing service, many businesses want to undertake the work themselves. In this article we show you how with a little time and some Office software, you really can do it yourself.
Many small businesses attempt to undertake email marketing by putting multiple email addresses in the CC or BCC fields in their emails. In the case of using the CC field this has the effect of displaying all of the recipients to each other and in both cases the email is very likely to be classed as spam by recipient computers. There is a more effective way to create personalised emails to all of your recipients, using standard office software.
Step 1 – Software requirements
You will need Office XP/2002 or a later version. If you haven’t got Microsoft Office then OpenOffice.org (free) has all the features you need too.
Step 2 – A list of email recipients
There are several options here. As a minimum you need to have the person’s first name and their email address (along with permission to email them of course). You could store their details in your Microsoft Outlook address book, an Access Database or an Excel spreadsheet. For the purposes of this article we are going to explain how to use Excel as a database.
Step 3 – Create a database in Excel
You don’t have to know how to use Excel for calculations in order to do this. Simply use the top row to enter the field headings such as First Name, Surname, eMail Address, Town etc. Then on the lines below you need to enter your contacts’ details. Even this simple spreadsheet is enough for you to use for email marketing, however, you may want use the powerful filter tool in Excel to enable you to view your data.
Simply select the entire spreadsheet (Edit, Select All or CTRL + A) and then in Office XP and Office 2003 go to Data, Filter, Auto Filter. In Office 2007 you need to go to the Data tab and click the large Filter button. You will then have small drop down arrows at the top of each column. By clicking on one or more of these arrows you can filter your contacts by various criteria or sort them alphabetically. Save the spreadsheet where you can find it easily.
Step 4 – Write your email in Microsoft Word
Write a short email promoting your products or services and don’t forget to include links through to your Website. Follow the instructions below for your version of Microsoft Office.
Office XP/2002
a) Go to Tools, Letters and Mailings, Mail Merge
b) On the top right-hand side, choose email messages and click next on the wizard at the bottom right of the page
c) Under Select Starting Document, click Use the current document. Click next on the wizard
d) Select Use an existing list, click browse and select the spreadsheet you created earlier and choose the sheet number or name that your data is on. This will open a screen where you can preview your recipients and apply filters even at this stage. Click OK and the next on the wizard.
e) Now you will enter the merge fields that tell word which pieces of information to insert in your email. Firstly, click in your document where you want the merge field to go. For example, if your email starts with Hi or Dear and you want the person’s name to go in after this, then simply click there with your cursor. Then choose more items, click on the field name you want and then Insert and Close. Repeat this for any other information you want to merge into your email, although simply merging the first name may be enough. Click next on the wizard.
f) This next section enables you to preview your messages. If you have made any mistakes, simply go back through the wizard and correct them. Click next on the wizard when you are happy with your email.
g) Finally, complete the email merge by selecting Electronic Mail in the top right-hand corner of the wizard. Enter a subject and press send. This will then generate personalised, individual email addresses that will be send via Microsoft Outlook.
Office 2007
a) Go to the Mailings tab
b) On the left-hand side, click Start Mail Merge and choose E-Mail Messages.
c) Click on Select Recipients and choose Use an Existing List, click browse and select the spreadsheet you created earlier and choose the sheet number or name that your data is on. If you want to preview your recipients and apply filters even at this stage click on Edit Recipient List.
d) Now you will enter the merge fields that tell word which pieces of information to insert in your email. Firstly, click in your document where you want the merge field to go. For example, if your email starts with Hi or Dear and you want the person’s name to go in after this, then simply click there with your cursor. Then click on the Insert Merge Field button on the Ribbon and click on the field name you want. Repeat this for any other information you want to merge into your email, although simply merging the first name may be enough.
e) If you want to preview your messages click on Preview Results. If you have made any mistakes, simply go back and correct them.
f) Finally, complete the email merge by clicking on Finish & Merge. Enter a subject and press send. This will then generate personalised, individual email addresses that will be send via Microsoft Outlook.
Important note
This method is only suitable for emailing up to 100 email address in our opinion. Firstly, some internet service providers will block you sending too many emails at once. This can be overcome to a degree by selecting to merge in batches at the final stage. For example choosing records 1-20 and then 21-40 and so on. Secondly, it is inevitable that some of your emails will bounce back for many reasons and these will all come into your inbox! Hidden amongst these bounce backs may be people wishing to unsubscribe or people responding positively with orders or enquiries.
For emails of over 100 we recommend using Constant Contact where for as little as £12 a month you can send emails to up to 500 people, as many times as you like during a month. Emails are designed online, look more professional and you can track who opened your emails and what they clicked on. Unsubscribes and new subscribers are also handled automatically.
Click here for a free trial of Constant Contact
If you want more assistance on DIY email marketing or would like InSynch to undertake a managed email campaign for your business, please contact us.