Automatic mailing - An example

The following example explains how the recipient – by clicking on a link – triggers a follow-up mailing. This basically works in a similar way to closed-loop marketing, with several special features. In our example, the recipient should be able to request additional information about cars by e-mail by clicking on a link.

1. Create the follow-up mailing the recipient should receive after clicking on a link.

2. Define the action triggering the sending of the email and modifying the recipient profile.

3. Finally, create the basic mailing containing the trackable link for requesting further news.

At first, steps seem to be exactly the wrong way round. The basic mailing, after all, reaches the recipient first. As far as the OpenEMM is concerned, however, this sequence does make sense. In order to be able to define trackable links for the basic mailing, the actions they are to trigger must have been defined first. And in order to be able to define a mailing, the system must know which additional (or follow-on) mailing it is to send with it.

8.4.1 Creating a follow-up mailing

First, you will create the mailing that only customers who click on the required link will receive.

This is not a normal mailing; it is a so-called action-based or action-based mailing. Proceed as follows:

1. In the navigation bar, click on the Mailings button, then on the sub-menu New Mailing. Entry boxes and drop-down lists are used in the same way as for a normal mailing. There is only one difference: the Mailing type. This is an Action-based mailing. It makes sense to select a mailing name starting with the word Event:, because then you will immediately know that this mailing has been triggered as a reaction to a mouse click on a link. To conclude your entries, click on the Save button.

2. Under the Content tab, insert the text for the mailing. All functions available for normal mailings (see chapter "Mailings - Sending out newsletters") are at your disposal, for instance file

attachments or trackable links. In our example, the functions are not required.

3. Now click on the Send mailing tab. The contents area displays several links you can use to test your mailing. As soon as you are satisfied with your amendments, click on Activate. This causes the action-based mailing to “go live” and be used by an action.

Fig. 8.42: If the action-based mailing is ready, activate it by clicking on the Send mailing tab.

Ple ase note : When clicking on a mailing which has already been activated to see its details, you will notice that certain data may no longer be changed. They are the drop-down lists Mailing list, Target group and Mailing type. These disabled elements are greyed out by OpenEMM. An action-based mailing must be de-activated first before you can make any further changes. Open the Send mailing tab and click on the Deactivate link. You may now make any changes you want. Don’t forget to activate the mailing again once you have finished. This is done in the Send mailing tab.

8.4.2 Defining actions

In our example, the action should do the following: trigger the follow-on mailing. Proceed as follows:

1. In the navigation bar, click on the Sites & Actions and Actions button, then on the sub-menu New action. Name the action in a meaningful way, e.g. Special travel mailing. This will provide you with a unique description later. The Description can be longer, if you wish. Select Send actionbased mailing as the Type. Now click on the Save button.

2. The system now displays additional drop-down lists for the first action step. Select the required action-based mailing from the Mailing drop-down list, in our example: Event: Special travel mailing. Delaying the mailing does not make any sense in this case. You can leave the default setting No delay unchanged.

Ple ase note : If you cannot see anything in the Mailing drop-down list, it is more than likely that you did not activate the action-based mailing in the Send mailing tab (see preceding chapter "

Creating a follow-up mailing").

Fig. 8.43: Creating a new action to send out a mailing.

3. Save the new settings by clicking on the Save button. This concludes the action.

8.4.3 Creating a basic mailing

As a last step, you will now create the basic mailing. This is a normal mailing containing at least one trackable link triggering pre-defined actions. Proceed as follows:

1. Create a normal mailing as described in chapter "Mailings - Sending out newsletters". All options described there are at your disposal.

2. After creating the mailing by clicking on Save, call up the Content tab. Within the mailing text, insert a valid web address as a trackable link. If it is a text mail you are creating, a http://... type

URL will suffice. Do make sure the URL actually exists. Otherwise recipients will receive an error message when clicking on the link in their browser.

Fig. 8.44: Within the mailing text, insert a live link.

3. After inserting the link, call up the Trackable links tab. This will display an overview of pre-defined links. Click on a link to view its details.

4. The entry dialog for trackable links is really very simple. Enter a short Description. In the Trackable drop-down list, the Text and HTML version setting may be selected unchanged. In the last drop-down list, Action, select the action defined in the preceding chapter: Special travel mailing.

Fig. 8.45: Connecting the link from the basic mailing with an action.

5. Save the new settings by clicking on the Save button. This completes the mailing which can now be tested and sent as described in chapter "Testing and sending a mailing".

Fig. 8.46: This is what the basic mailing looks like in a recipient’s email client (in this case: Pegasus Mail).