Using ConvallisCRM to send an Email Campaign

We recently released a new version of ConvallisCRM, it is, I think, our most significant release to date with several new features that will make installing and using the product far easier. One of the features that we've improved is the ability to run an email campaign.

As with any campaign the first task is to identify the recipients. In this example our scenario will be that we are targeting those contacts whose address is in Barnstaple. So the first step is to create a database query which will return contacts in Barnstaple. Doing this seems much more complicated than it really is, firstly click the 'Export' tab and then click the 'Create' button. In the enquiry editor we need to create a constraint which will be 'Town' equals 'Barnstaple', so use the drop down lists in the bottom grid to select 'Town' then 'equals'. To set the value to Barnstaple you can either type it or click the button in the value text box which will display a list of all the values in that field, you then just select the item that you want. Finally give the query a name such as 'Barnstaple Contacts'.

When sending a bulk email in ConvallisCRM we must choose the mailing list that we want to send it to. In this case that would mean creating a new mailing list item, which you can do by selecting the 'Maintain Lists' option of the 'Administration' menu. Then select the 'Mailing Lists' tab and click the 'Add' button, then you just need to give the list a name and click 'OK'. In this example we'll call it 'Barnstaple Campaign'.

Back in the 'Export' tab and with the 'Barnstaple Contacts' query selected in the drop down list we can now add all the contacts returned by that query to the new mailing list. To do this we click the arrow button at the bottom of the screen (below the grid) which is labelled 'Add/Remove from Categories or Mailing Lists'. This will reveal a set of 3 drop down list boxes. To add the contacts to a mailing list we must ensure that 'Add' is selected in the first drop down list, 'Mailing List' is selected in the second and the new 'Barnstaple Campaign' mailing list is selected in the third. Then it's a simple matter of clicking the 'Go!' button.

With the contacts linked to the new mailing list we can now send the email. So click the 'Send Email' option of the 'File' menu, which will display the email editing dialog box. Using this dialog box you can give your email a subject, add attachments and edit the body of the email. You can also select a template which you can use to populate the body but using templates is beyond the scope of this article so please read the ConvallisCRM online help for more information about that.

Before you can send the email you willl need to select the mailing list to whom you are going to send it. To do this you must first 'tick' the 'Mailing List' tick box which tells the system that it is in bulk email mode, this will enable the 'Select Mailing List' button which you can then click. This will display a dialog which lists the all mailing lists defined in your database, click the mailing list that you want to send the email to, which in this scenario would be 'Barnstaple Campaign' and then check that all the people in the list are 'ticked' which indicates that an email will be sent to them. When ready click 'Back' and notice that 'Barnstaple Campaign selected' is displayed below the mailing list button. With the mailing list selected you will now be ready to send the email which you do by clicking 'Send'.