How To Send Your Newsletter

How To Send

Your Email

Newsletter

You can manage email contacts and send your email

newsletter through our proprietary email system called the

ONLINE MARKETING CENTER.

On the next few pages of this guide you will learn the

following:

1. How To Access The Online Marketing Center

2. Exporting Contacts From Your Database/Email Program

3. Importing Contacts Into Our Email-Sending System

4. Upload Photo To Be Merged Into Your Email Newsletter

5. Sending First Email Newsletter Issue

1. How To Access The Online Marketing Center

Then click “Member Login” (top left of homepage)…

Enter your username (which is the email address you signed up with), and your password on the login page…

You will now be on the “Dashboard” page, and you should click EMAIL tab.

Then, visit the ONLINE MARKETING CENTER (under the EMAIL tab)

When you click this link, you should see the Online Marketing Center:

What happens if you see this login screen?

If this happens, go back to the internet window of the members website and Logout…

Then login again to the members website again.

And go to the EMAIL tab, and visit the Online Marketing Center. Note: This should synch up our system so it works correctly.

If it doesn’t work, and you still see a VR login screen, try these solutions: • clear your cache

• try a different internet browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer) • restart computer

2. Exporting Contacts From Your Database/Email Program

Here’s how to export contacts from your email program (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.), and/or your contact management system (even systems like Top Producer). You May Be Thinking:

“Is it legal to upload contacts and send them an email?”

Answer = YES. As long as contacts can “reasonably expect” a message from you, you may upload them and send them an email newsletter. This is not spam.

Basically if you have someone’s email address in your email program because you’ve emailed them before, or if they’re a past client or lead…you can put them on your email newsletter list.

You do NOT have to send an email asking your existing email contacts if they want your email newsletter. Your contacts may “unsubscribe” if they no longer want to receive your email newsletter.

You cannot, however, purchase or acquire an email list of people you don’t know and email them.

Key Questions:

Where are your contacts currently stored? -- email program ! which one?

You can easily export these contacts to a CSV file. -- database ! which database system?

The contacts that have email addresses will be the ones that will be able to get an email newsletter. If your database has extra data, that’s fine, it won’t get imported. All we need are the First names and email addresses.

IMPORTANT ! Here’s a PDF you can use:

http://serviceforlife.com/downloads/How_To_Quickly_Build_Your_Email_List.pdf

3. Importing Contacts Into Our Email-Sending System

You first need to add contacts with email addresses to the Online Marketing Center before you can send your first email newsletter.

Your contacts are secure and not shared with anyone.

Note: You can add or update contacts from a CSV file (all at once) or manually (one- at-at-time) as that’s what you’ll be doing after you get your initial import done.

4. Upload Photo To Be Merged Into Your Email Newsletter

We automatically insert your photo into your email newsletter IF it is stored in the proper place. The very first email issue you see in your online account won’t have a photo automatically put in because you haven’t saved a photo yet!

Use our members website to upload a photo… Here’s how:

Go under the “My Account” section of the Service For Life members website, and choose to “Upload Photo”

You have to upload an image in .jpg file format.

5. Sending First Email Newsletter Issue

We provide you with the template that's 95% ready to send. Here’s how you make your personal touches and send it out…

How To Access Your Personal Email Newsletter

• On the members website, save personal profile details that get merged in (name, photo, email, phone, etc.) – this is under the “Newsletter Profile”

• Then you click a button on our members website (under Create Newsletter tab) to PUSH a “merged” email template into your Online Marketing Center.

Here’s where you edit your personal email newsletter issue:

Click on the email template name to open up the step-by-step editor.

IMPORTANT: If you want to PUSH another version of the email template into your online account, you need to delete the first one in the Online Marketing Center, then go back to the “Create Newsletter” tab and push it again.

Email Sending Process To Walk Through: 1. Set Up

• From Label:

o We recommend Firstname Lastname with no initials after full name (this is more personal than your Business Name)

• Subject Line (either of these examples formats): o August Newsletter

o Your August Issue Is Here… • Reply-to Email:

o Where do you want emails sent when someone replies to your email? 2. Design

This is where you edit the newsletter. You don’t need to change anything under the “Select Template” or “Email Options” because it will erase the email newsletter. Just continue to see how to edit your email…

• Graphical Editor

o 95% of this is done for you and personalized with your details. o You can add a LINK to your website or anything else you want (the

email newsletter is 100% modifiable).

o Dear {FIRST_NAME|Friend}... will say the First name of your contacts AFTER you send the issue (if you have a first name of a contact). o “Save” work regularly (top right of the graphical editor…

• Text Version

o This is a Backup only – contacts WILL NOT get two emails – they either get the HTML or the Text version of the email (which is only for people with old Blackberry phones that don’t read HTML).

o DO NOT check the box to create text version automatically (leave it). • If you mess up the formatting:

o “Delete” (or rename) the email template name (under Set Up section). o Then go back to our members website and re-send yourself another

version of the email template that will have your personal details merged in but won’t reflect any other changes you made before the template got messed up.

How does your personal data get merged in?

• On our members website, under “Newsletter Profile” and enter details (name, email, phone, etc.), then save.

3. Preview

• (At the TOP) Click each of the green buttons to preview the email • (Scroll to BOTTOM) Click green button to “Send Test Message”

o You will get 2 emails test messages, your contacts will only get 1 email o Your email test message will not have the Firstname of your contacts

merged in until you send the email. 4. Recipients

• Choose which list or lists you want to send your email to:

o You can choose one list (like your Master List which is a combination of all your other lists)…

o Or you can choose multiple lists to send your email to 5. Send

• If you did not complete a step, go back and correct it

• Choose to send your email immediately or schedule it for a day and time • Then click to “Launch” your email.

6. Reports

• You’ll know your email is sent because under Emails ! Sent Emails, you can see stats on the % of people of people who opened your email.

7. Copy of Sent Email

6. Using Opt-in Forms To Get More Email Addresses

You may want to add an opt-in form to your website to promote your monthly email newsletter. You can also offer your free email newsletter in your email signature in addition to your website.

Here’s example language you can use on your email signature:

Want money saving tips and to live a happier, healthier life? Signup for my free consumer newsletter where you'll get tips on saving money, eating healthy, and lots of other helpful information that's not all about real estate. Call me, email me, or click this link to be added to my monthly email list. Here’s how to create an opt-in form for your website:

You will have to add the HTML code yourself (or have your web designer do it). This is not a service we assist you with:

IMPORTANT !

Here’s a PDF you can use with other ways to get more email addresses:

http://serviceforlife.com/downloads/How_To_Quickly_Build_Your_Email_List.pdf

7. Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Post My Email Issue on Facebook?

You can post a link to the “hosted” version of your email newsletter:

• Add yourself as a contact on your email list so you also get the newsletter… o If you already sent the email newsletter, you can create a new list, with

just your own email address on it, copy the email from the sent emails section, and then resend it to the list that just has you on it.

• After you send the email issue…

• Open up your email program and find the issue • Click any of the Facebook “share buttons”

!

• This is how you OR your contacts can share a link to your email newsletter on Facebook.

Note: If you want more content to post on Facebook, see the SOCIAL tab in the Service For Life!® members website.

When Do I Get My Next Issue?

15th of each month – you have access to our print and email newsletter template (the one for the coming month). You also have access for the current month:

Example 1 = July 14 (access to June and July newsletters)

Example 2 = July 15 (now have access to July and August newsletters) More FAQ’s related to the EMAIL NEWSLETTER:

Managing and uploading contacts

http://serviceforlife.com/helpdesk/knowledgebase.php?category=9

Editing and sending email issues

http://serviceforlife.com/helpdesk/knowledgebase.php?category=11

IMPORTANT: If all else fails, CALL US! Don't pull your hair out over this, we'll help you. Here's our toll-free phone number to reach us Monday-Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM pacific time…