Campaign Creator is selected by default when you click the Marketing tab, as shown in the following illustration. Selecting a Project Space from the Project Space list will display a list of the Campaign Templates you create on a Campaign Templates list. You can also Add a new Campaign Template and create as well as modify the Recipient list for a Campaign Template using this screen.
A Campaign is like a newsletter, or electronic flyer sent to converse with an audience. Based on a recipient's handling of the message; (opened or not, clicking links or not), a customized follow-up message can be sent automatically.For example, you send out an initial newsletter advertising your service with links requesting "more information", or "see our catalog". We know via the "Reports" area, what that person did, which also gauges their interest. We can create different messages for the various responses. A "Don't Miss Out" campaign, or a "Take a 25% Coupon" (for those interested) message can be sent to recipients with our desired "call to action".
Clicking on a Template Name on the Campaign Template list displays the following pop-up window, which allows you to Preview, Edit, Delete or Send the Campaign to the Contacts you’ve targeted for it. These functions will be described later in the document, after it has been explained how a Campaign Template is created, starting on the following page.
Selecting Add New Template on the Campaign Creator screen allows you to configure Campaigns within CRM3® using the Template Editor, illustrated below. Follow the steps below to create a new Campaign within CRM3®.
- Select a Project Space with which to associate the new Campaign from the Select Project Space list to display the Campaign Template screen.
- Click Add New Template to display the Template Editor, as shown in the following illustration.
Enter a name for the new Campaign Template in the Template Name text field.- Enter the name of the individual who will be sending the Campaign Email in the Sender Name text field.
- Enter the Email Address for the individual who will be sending the Campaign Email in the Sender Address text field.
- Enter the Reply-To Name for the individual who will be monitoring the responses to the Campaign Email in the Reply-To Name text field.
- Enter the Reply-To Email Address for the individual who will be monitoring the Campaign Email in the Replay-To Address text field.
- Enter a subject line for the Campaign Email in the Subject text field.
- In the Import Content portion of the screen, select whether to use an HTML or URL Template and then click Select Template. The screen expands to display a number of ready-to-use Templates, as shown in the following illustration.
You can either choose one by clicking Select Template or click Close Template Chooser if you don’t want to make use of a Template.If you choose Select Template, the Preview Template screen is displayed:
- Click OK to return to the Add New Template screen with the Template displayed within the word processor on the screen, as shown in the following illustration.
- The following formatting options are available from left to right on the menu bar:
View the HTML source; make text Bold, Italic, Underscore or Strike-Through; align text Left, Center or Right; create a Bulleted List or a Numbered List; select a specific Font; adjust the Size of the text; change the Color of highlighted text, change the Background Color of the Note; add a Link, remove a Link; paste as Plain Text, paste from Word; Insert Image.
- Click Source to view the HTML source, if desired.
- If you wish to edit the HTML of your message in another editor, or offline (not in CRM3®), you can click Copy HTML to Plaintext Alternative to copy the HTML version of the message to the Windows Clipboard as a Plaintext Alternative version, if necessary. You will lose all of the formatting contained within the HTML version.
- Click Edit HTML Message make edits to the HTML version of the message. This ‘view’ of the message is selected by default.
- Click Edit Plaintext Alternative to make edits to the Plaintext Alternative version of the message.
- Click Apply Changes to save your changes and remain within the Template Editor or click Save to save your changes and close the Template Editor.
- Click Cancel to exit the Template Editor without creating the new Campaign Template.
Personalizing your emails is easy. Rather than just sending a copy of your email, you may want to address it to your recipients individually.
Below the main word processer window is the Insert Variable Data section. 
The Variable Data Category drop-down list shows you what kind of variable data you can insert into your email. Currently, your only option is Contact. Under the Property drop-down list you can choose what sort of variable contact data you want to add to your email. The options are: Contact ID, first name, last name, address, city, province/state, country, zip/postal, or company. The Default Value field is what is used if some of the variable data you want to use is missing.
For example, you want to send a letter to your database of customers, but addressed to them individually by their first names. If some of your customer records did not contain first names, you would type something like 'sir/madam' in the Default Value field.
Once you have chosen a Property and entered a Default Value in the Variable Data section, place your cursor where you want the Variable Data inserted into your email and then simply select the Insert button to add Variable Data that CRM3® will automatically populate when it sends your emails.
When you elect to insert a Link into your message, the Link dialog, illustrated below, is displayed, with the Link Info tab displayed by default, for the purpose of configuring that Link. Links are crucial to the Email Message because they are tracked to see if the recipients of the message took the action of clicking on the link, which indicates a level of interest on their part. Follow the steps below to create a Link.
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Select a Link Type from the Link Type list. Available options are URL, Link to anchor in the text and E-Mail.
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Select a protocol from the Protocol list. Available options are http://, https://, ftp://, news:// and
. - Enter the URL for the link in the URL text field.
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Select Link to anchor in the text as your Link Type, as shown in this window, with text highlighted to use that text as the anchor for a hyperlink.
If you select E-Mail as your Link Type the following window is displayed.
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Enter the Email Address for the link in the E-Mail Address text field
- Enter a subject for the Email Message in the Message Subject text field.
- Enter the body of the Email Message in the Message Body text field.
- Click OK to save your settings for the link to the system or click Cancel to exit the Link dialog without saving any settings for the link.
To configure how the link will be displayed, select the Target tab to display the following illustration, if desired.Using the HTML TARGET tag, you can have the new document open in a new window, or if you are using frames, in another frame. Follow the steps below to set a target for the link.
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Make a selection from the Target list to configure how the link will display, if necessary. Available options are
, , , New Window (_blank), Topmost Window (_top), Same Window (_self) and Parent Window(_parent). - Click OK to save your settings for the link to the system or click Cancel to exit the Link dialog without saving any settings for the link.
To set advanced properties for the link, select the Advanced tab to display the following illustration. Follow the steps below to work with advanced link settings, if you know advanced HTML or would like to incorporate CSS styling into your links. The Advanced tab is just that – advanced options for users who can make use of the options to add an extra level of customization. If you do not know how to use these settings, they will not take away anything from your links.
- Enter an Id for the link in the Id text field.
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Select a language direction from the Language Direction list. Available options are
, Left and Right. - Enter an access key for the link in the Access Key text field
- Enter a name for the link in the Name text field.
- Enter a language code for the link in the Language Code text field.
- Enter a tab index for the link in the Tab Index text field.
- Enter an advisory title for the link in the Advisory Title text field.
- Enter the advisory content type for the link in the Advisory Content Type text field.
- Enter any stylesheet classes for the link in the Stylesheet Classes text field.
- Enter a link resource character set for the link in the Linked Resource Charset text field.
- Enter a style for the link in the Style text field.
- Click OK to save your settings for the link to the system or click Cancel to exit the Link dialog without saving any advanced settings for the link.
You can attach an image to a Campaign Template by selecting the Image link ( ) and then using the Add a File dialog, illustrated below to locate the file and upload it to the system, as described below. Although you will be able to move the image once it has been placed within the Template, you should try and make sure that you have the cursor positioned where you want the image to display so that is where it is placed.
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Click Browse to locate the file on your computer and use the standard File Upload dialog to upload it to place the filename in the File text field then click OK to upload it to the system.
- Enter a name for the image in the Name text field.
- Enter a description for the image in the Description text field.
- Select the permission status from the Permissions list. Available options are Private and Public. Selecting Public activates the Select a Project and Select a Role lists, from which you can select a specific project and role within the system with which to associate the file.
- Click OK to add the image or click Cancel to exit the Add a File dialog without adding the image.
Clicking a Template Name on the Campaign Templates list and selecting Preview from the pop-up menu displays a preview of the Email Message you will be sending in association with a Campaign as shown in the following illustration. Previewing the Email Message allows you to look for any errors you might have made when creating the message and correct them before you send out the message. Once you’re satisfied that everything is perfect, you can confidently send the Email Messages to your selected Recipients, as described below.
Click OK to exit the Preview
E-mail Template window once you are satisfied
that everything is just as you want it to be.
Clicking a Template Name on the Campaign Templates list and selecting Delete from the pop-up menu allows you to remove a Campaign Email from the system. Doing so displays the Delete Template Confirmation window, illustrated below, to ensure that is your intention. Be aware that deleting a Campaign Template will deactivate any Reporting data for Emails associated with the Template.
1. Click OK to proceed with the deletion or click Cancel to close this window without performing the deletion.
Clicking a Template Name on the Campaign Templates list and selecting Edit on the pop-up menu that is displayed allows you to make modification to that Campaign Template using the Template Editor. Please refer to the process outlined in the Creating a New Campaign section of the document for help with making any modifications necessary.
Now that the Campaign has been created, it's time to send the associated Campaign Email which will allow you to judge the effectiveness of the Campaign through the use of CRM3®'s Email Reporting function, based whether or not the recipients of the newsletter you’ve just designed react to this Email message; i.e., whether or not they open it, click on any links contained within it, etc. Follow the steps below to send a Campaign Email.
- Click the Campaign Name on the Campaign Templates list,
and select Send, as shown here.
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Enter a
relevant Email Addresses in the Confirmation Address text field if you
would like to make sure that a Confirmation Email is sent to the appropriate individual(s)
and click Add.
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Once you add the first Email Address, additional Confirmation
Address text fields will be displayed, allowing you to add as many as you need to
add or delete those you don’t want to include, as shown here.
- Click Test Send on the screen above to preview the Email in your Inbox before it is sent to the Recipient list. This allows you to check the message for format and content errors before proceeding. A Confirmation box is displayed to indicate a successful test, as shown here.
- To select the recipients for the Email message click Edit Recipient List
on the Campaign Creator screen, as shown in the following illustration.
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The
Edit Recipient List window, illustrated below, is displayed so that you
can locate the Contacts that you want to include.
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Select one of the available links, as shown in the illustration here, to select the
Contacts that you want to include as Recipients. Choose either the Tab that brought
me here (Search), Contact Groups, Contact Search Results or
Favorites links.
- Selecting one of the links described above displays the Edit Recipient List window, shown here, that allows you to edit your Recipient List by selecting the checkboxes for the Contacts you want to include from the Contacts list that is displayed, based on the link you’ve selected.
- Select Campaign Creator from the Bulk Contact Operations list, as shown here, to include those Contacts as Recipients of the Campaign Email.