High Impact 3.0 and ACT! HTML Merge

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1 High Impact 3.0 and ACT! HTML Merge GUIDE for ACT! 6, ACT! 2005 and ACT! 2006 ACT! 8800 N. GAINEY CENTER DRIVE SUITE 200 SCOTTSDALE, AZ USA CUSTOMER SERVICE: BY INCIDENT SUPPORT: BY MINUTE SUPPORT:

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS BACKGROUND: HIGH IMPACT 3.0 PROFESSIONAL AND ACT!...3 HIGH IMPACT 3.0 PROFESSIONAL AND ACT! SAVE A HIGH IMPACT TEMPLATE AS A GMT FILE TO BE USED IN ACT! PREPARE THE SAVED TEMPLATE FOR MAIL MERGE ADD MAIL MERGE FIELDS...6 SEND PERSONALIZED MESSAGES TO A GROUP RUN THE MAIL MERGE...8 HIGH IMPACT AND ACT! 6 HISTORY...13 SETTING DEFAULT STATIONERY IN ACT! PERSONALIZE YOUR DEFAULT ACT! 6 STATIONERY...15 HIGH IMPACT 3.0 PROFESSIONAL AND ACT! 2005 AND ACT! SELECT MAIL MERGE OPTION ON THE MAIN SCREEN...18 SELECT A HIGH IMPACT 3.0 TEMPLATE...19 SELECT A PROFILE TO BE USED WITH THE TEMPLATE...20 FINISH AND SEND THE MAIL MERGE S...28 HIGH IMPACT AND ACT! 2005 AND 2006 HISTORY

3 BACKGROUND: HIGH IMPACT 3.0 PROFESSIONAL AND ACT! High Impact 3.0 Professional ( High Impact ) provides pre-formatted HTML templates that allow the ACT! user to send graphical (with images, colors and hyperlinks) without needing to know how to code HTML. As an ACT! user, you can fully leverage the amazing power of HTML to send marketing materials and promotions to your database of contacts once you install High Impact. High Impact is compatible with both ACT! 6 and ACT! 2005 and ACT! 2006, but due to differences between ACT! 6 and later versions, the process of creating and sending HTML templates from High Impact is going to be different depending on the version of ACT! you are working with. This document will explain the steps behind sending High Impact HTML templates with either version of ACT! The first section of the document will be devoted to High Impact with ACT! 6 and the second section will be devoted to High Impact with ACT! 2005 and ACT!

4 HIGH IMPACT 3.0 PROFESSIONAL AND ACT! 6 You can send High Impact s HTML templates using the ACT! 6 mail merge feature. ACT! 6 s mail merge feature is flexible and robust, allowing you to send personalized, distinct s to groups of contacts. If you have been sending messages to groups by using the blind carbon copy Bcc: field of the program, you will appreciate the ACT! 6 alternative. Using the Bcc: field has two main shortcomings: first, many ISPs will block messages with large Bcc: lists and, second, messages addressed to the Bcc: field are not personalized for the individual recipient. Increase your response rate with personalized mail merge from ACT! 6 and High Impact. Simply follow the steps below to create a personalized message that can be sent to dozens or hundreds of recipients in one easy-to-manage task. 1. Edit and then save a High Impact template as a GMT file to be used in ACT! Prepare the saved template for mail merge by adding mail merge data fields. 3. Send personalized messages to an ACT! 6 group. The 3 steps above are explained in detail on the following pages. 4

5 SAVE A HIGH IMPACT TEMPLATE AS A GMT FILE TO BE USED IN ACT! 6 To save a template as a Graphical Mail Template ( GMT ) that can be used within ACT! 6: In High Impact, select the template you want to save as ACT! GMT Template and bring that template into the High Impact Template Editor (step 3 of the Create New workflow). It is strongly recommended that you make changes to the text, images and hyperlinks from the High Impact Template Editor, prior to saving as an ACT! template in the next step. After you have the modified with your own text and images, move on to step 2. Click the Save as ACT! Template button. Note: You will see this button in High Impact on the followings screens: Create New Mail - Edit Template screen or My Stationery - Edit Template screen. After the template has been successfully saved as a Graphical Mail Template, High Impact will display a dialog box see screenshot below. Your modified version of the High Impact template is now ready to be sent out using ACT! 6 mail merge. 5

6 PREPARE THE SAVED TEMPLATE FOR MAIL MERGE ADD MAIL MERGE FIELDS Your template can now be accessed from ACT! 6 for mail merge. One of the benefits of using mail merge is the ability to insert mail merge fields into the template. When you insert the mail merge field First Name into the template, the ACT! mail merge will automatically insert the First Name of each contact into the prior to sending it out. The steps below you how to access the template from ACT! 6 and insert mail merge fields. To insert mail merge fields in the template, select the Write Edit Graphical (HTML) E- mail template menu option in ACT! 6 see screenshot below. Select Write Edit Graphical (HTML) Template from the ACT! 6 Toolbar Open the High Impact templates for ACT folder. Then locate your template file and open that template. The template will open in the ACT! 6 Word Processor. From the Word Processor, you ll have the option of inserting mail merge data fields into the body of the template. See the screenshot below showing an example template in the Word Processor with the Mail Merge Fields dialog box on top of the design. 6

7 Insert Mail Merge Fields in the ACT! 6 Word Processor To insert a mail merge field into the body of the template, you must position your blinking cursor at the point in the where you want the field to be located. When you have your cursor in the right spot, highlight the field name from the Mail Merge Fields dialog box and then click the Insert button. The field will be inserted at that point. In the example template we are looking at, the cursor was positioned in the subheadline, just after the word to. Take a look at the screenshot below it shows the template after the merge field First Name has been inserted in the sub-headline. 7

ACT! 6 Mail Merge Field Outlined in Red Box The field is outlined in a red box in the screenshot above. When you run the mail merge, that field will be replaced by each contact s actual first name.

8 ACT! 6 Mail Merge Field Outlined in Red Box The field is outlined in a red box in the screenshot above. When you run the mail merge, that field will be replaced by each contact s actual first name. When you have finished inserting merge fields into the template, make sure you save the changes. Click File Save in order to save the changes. Your template is now ready to send via ACT! 6 mail merge. SEND PERSONALIZED MESSAGES TO A GROUP RUN THE MAIL MERGE To use the mail merge feature in ACT! 6, select the Write Mail Merge menu option. This will start the Mail Merge Wizard. Depending on your list of requirements, select one of the options below and click Next 8

Current lookup: Select to send a personalized email to all of the contacts in the current lookup. Current contact: Select to send a personalized email to the current contact.

9 Current lookup: Select to send a personalized to all of the contacts in the current lookup. Current contact: Select to send a personalized to the current contact. All contacts: Select to send a personalized to all of the contacts in the open database. In the Example Above, Mail Merge Will Send to Current Contact Selected group: Select to send a personalized to all of the members of a specified group, and then select the group from the list. 9

Select the E-mail Option in the Mail Merge Wizard Select E-Mail and click the Next

In the next dialog box, click the Browse button to select the template you modified

10 Select the Option in the Mail Merge Wizard Select and click the Next button see screenshot above. In the next dialog box, click the Browse button to select the template you modified and saved. Note: the template will be located in the folder named High Impact templates for ACT. Click Next to move to the next step. 10

At the next step of the Wizard, enter the Subject line for the email and add attachments, if necessary see screenshot below.

11 At the next step of the Wizard, enter the Subject line for the and add attachments, if necessary see screenshot below. In the Example Above, the Subject is Ridge Valley January Newsletter Click the Finish button to send the mail merge out. Shown below is the finished template launched in the ACT! 6 new message window. Notice the first name in the sub-headline is Tom. 11

12 ACT! 6 New Mail Message Window Shows Mail Merge Field Replaced by Contact Data and Subject Line Entered in Wizard 12

HIGH IMPACT AND ACT! 6 HISTORY When you run a mail merge from ACT! 6 using a High Impact template, ACT! 6 will record a history item for each contact that was a part of the mail merge job.

13 HIGH IMPACT AND ACT! 6 HISTORY When you run a mail merge from ACT! 6 using a High Impact template, ACT! 6 will record a history item for each contact that was a part of the mail merge job. This includes all contacts in a Group, if you selected to run the mail merge to a Group. Upon sending the mail merge, the dialog below will be displayed to confirm the history item was created. ACT! 6 Dialog Confirming that History Item was Added to the Contact Record After Mail Merge You can also use the mail merge feature in High Impact 3.0 with ACT! 6 as your default client. When you send messages to your mailing list, ACT! 6 will record a history item for each contact that was a part of the mail merge job. 13

14 SETTING DEFAULT STATIONERY IN ACT! 6 To set a High Impact template as ACT! 6 default stationery, select the My Stationery icon from High Impact s Main Screen. Select a template, choose a profile, edit the template and select the Yes, set this stationery as the ACT default stationery option on the My Stationery Set Stationery as ACT! Default screen. Your default stationery will now load every time you click the Write button or when you select the Write Message menu option in ACT! 6. If you have previously set a High Impact template as the ACT! 6 default stationery, and want to switch back to the original ACT! 6 default stationery, select the My Stationery icon from High Impact s Main Screen. Then, click the Revert to ACT! default stationery button. 14

PERSONALIZE YOUR DEFAULT ACT! 6 EMAIL STATIONERY You can add email merge fields to the ACT!

15 PERSONALIZE YOUR DEFAULT ACT! 6 STATIONERY You can add merge fields to the ACT! 6 default stationery so that each time you start a new , your recipient s name will pop up in the new ACT! 6 message. It s not hard to do, it saves you time and it personalizes every you send. Sound good? Here s how you do this: After you set a High Impact template as ACT! 6 default stationery, that file will be renamed in ACT! 6 as body.gmt. In order to add merge fields to body.gmt, you ll have to edit it in the ACT! 6 program. From the top toolbar, click Write Edit Graphical (HTML) Template Select the file body.gmt by clicking the Open button see screenshot below. body.gmt File Located in the Template Directory Insert the merge field(s). Edit the stationery with the salutation of your choice and insert the First Name field immediately after the salutation see screenshot below. 15

Dialog Shows Available ACT! 6 Mail Merge Fields Save the file as is after inserting the merge field(s). Be sure to save as emailbody.gmt.

16 Dialog Shows Available ACT! 6 Mail Merge Fields Save the file as is after inserting the merge field(s). Be sure to save as body.gmt. Now, each time you create a new from ACT! 6, the contact s name will automatically be inserted into the new message see screenshot below. 16 Example of body.gmt After Mail Merge Field is Inserted

17 HIGH IMPACT 3.0 PROFESSIONAL AND ACT! 2005 AND 2006 If you use ACT! 2005 or ACT! 2006 and High Impact , you can now easily create a mail merge and have history written to your ACT! records, but things are now a little different than they are with previous versions of ACT! Instead of sending the mail merge using the ACT! client, you will now have to send it using High Impact 3.0 Why can t you send the mail merge directly through ACT! 2005 or ACT! 2006? Due to changes in the proprietary file types that ACT! 2005 and above utilizes, High Impact s HTML templates can not be saved and used as ACT! templates. Because High Impact templates can not be converted to the system used by versions of ACT!2005 and above, the only way to create a mail merge using the High Impact templates is via the software s built-in mail merge function, which then sends your messages out using Microsoft Outlook The process of preparing for and sending a mail merge from High Impact is summarized in the steps listed below: Select the Mail Merge option on the Main Screen Select the template that you wish to use from the various categories Apply your profile information to the template (if necessary). View and read your ACT! 2005 or ACT! 2006 contacts directly from your ACT! database. You may select Lookups if needed. Add mail merge fields and edit the template using the Template Editor. Run the mail merge to send personalized s messages to all of your contacts. This document will review each of these steps in detail on the following pages. 17

SELECT MAIL MERGE OPTION ON THE MAIN SCREEN Click the Mail Merge icon on the High Impact email Main Screen. Select Create emails from an ACT! 2005 Database or Create emails from an ACT!

18 SELECT MAIL MERGE OPTION ON THE MAIN SCREEN Click the Mail Merge icon on the High Impact Main Screen. Select Create s from an ACT! 2005 Database or Create s from an ACT! 2006 Database option on the next screen. The program identifies which version of ACT! you have installed. For this guide, we are using an ACT! 2006 installation. The Create HTML s option is selected by default. As this is the one you most likely want to use, click the Next button to continue. High Impact Mail Merge Select An Option window 18

SELECT A HIGH IMPACT EMAIL 3.0 TEMPLATE Select a template category from the Categories column on the left side.

19 SELECT A HIGH IMPACT 3.0 TEMPLATE Select a template category from the Categories column on the left side. Choose the template you wish to use from the list of available choices. Highlight the name of the template that you wish to use and click the Next button to continue. High Impact Mail Merge Select A Template window 19

20 SELECT A PROFILE TO BE USED WITH THE TEMPLATE If prompted, select a profile from the list under the Select A Profile section. Preview the details of the selected profile in the business card section on the right side of the screen. To continue, click the Next button. High Impact Mail Merge Select A Profile window 20

21 Retrieve your ACT! 2005 or ACT! 2006 contacts directly from your ACT! database A. Select the database Select the database from which you would like to extract the contacts that you will be using for the mail merge by clicking on the Browse button. To continue, select the Next button. High Impact Mail Merge Select A Database window 21

B. Select the group or contacts to which you are sending your High Impact email messages.

You may remove any contacts from this screen by de-selecting the check box next to them.

22 B. Select the group or contacts to which you are sending your High Impact messages. Select the contacts or group that you would like to send your mail merge to. You may remove any contacts from this screen by de-selecting the check box next to them. High Impact Mail Merge Select Contacts window High Impact Mail Merge Select Groups window 22 C. Performing a lookup from the live database.

23 You can pull select contacts from your database as well with our new lookup function. Click on Lookup on the contact selection screen. Select the fields that you wish to use for your data filter. Select the limiting text that you wish to search by. High Impact Mail Merge Lookup creation window 23

Edit the email in High impact s template Editor High Impact features a Template Editor useful for making changes to the email text, images, hyperlinks and inserting mail merge fields.

24 Edit the in High impact s template Editor High Impact features a Template Editor useful for making changes to the text, images, hyperlinks and inserting mail merge fields. High Impact Template Editor From the Template Editor screen, it is possible to: Edit Text: Every template has some sample placeholder text. You can overwrite this text with your own copy. Using the Template Editor toolbar buttons, you can also format text to enhance its appearance, insert bookmarks and insert hyperlinks. High Impact Template Editor Toolbar Insert Images: You can insert images from your computer hard drive by either doubleclicking on a photo socket or by clicking the Insert Image button on the toolbar. You can 24

Image button or double-click the photo socket, you select an image from your computer hard drive and that image will be opened into

25 also adjust the image brightness and contrast or crop the image from the Photo Editor screen. Screenshot showing an example photo socket in an template: High Impact Template Photo Socket After you click the Insert Image button or double-click the photo socket, you select an image from your computer hard drive and that image will be opened into the High Impact Photo Editor see screenshot below. High Impact Photo Editor Window 25 Insert Hyperlinks: You can highlight text in the and embed a hyperlink under that

26 selected text by clicking the Insert Hyperlink button from the Template Editor toolbar see screenshot below. Insert Hyperlink Button Located on the Template Editor Toolbar When you click that button, type the website URL in the dialog box that pops up see screenshot below. Insert Hyperlink Dialog Box After clicking the OK button in the example above, the text Hole 17 Redesign Completed will direct to the URL Insert Mail Merge fields: The Template Editor provides Mail Merge fields including: Salutation, First Name, Last Name, Address and others. These fields map back to the contact data in your mailing list. If you insert a Mail Merge field into the , that field will be replaced by the contact s actual data when you send out the Mail Merge. In order to insert a Mail Merge field, click the Insert Merge Field drop-down arrow, located on the Template Editor toolbar see screenshot below. 26

High Impact Insert Merge Field Button in Template Editor Note: The Mail Merge field will be inserted wherever you leave your cursor blinking within the body of the email template.

27 High Impact Insert Merge Field Button in Template Editor Note: The Mail Merge field will be inserted wherever you leave your cursor blinking within the body of the template. If you leave your cursor blinking in the example above at the end of the subheadline text a monthly newsletter delivered to, and then select the Mail Merge field FirstName, the field will be inserted into the see screenshot below. Example Shows Merge Field Inserted into Template Note: You can also insert Mail Merge fields into the Subject: field above the template while in the Template Editor screen. 27

FINISH AND SEND THE MAIL MERGE EMAILS Once you finish editing and formatting text, inserting images, inserting hyperlinks and adding Mail Merge fields, you are ready to send your personalized Mail

28 FINISH AND SEND THE MAIL MERGE S Once you finish editing and formatting text, inserting images, inserting hyperlinks and adding Mail Merge fields, you are ready to send your personalized Mail Merge messages. To send the Mail Merge job: Click the Send s button in the lower right-hand part of the Template Editor screen. A message box asking you to confirm the Mail Merge send will pop up. Click the Yes button to continue. Once all the s are merged and pushed to your program, a message box appears saying that the s were sent successfully. Click the OK button here. 28

29 HIGH IMPACT AND ACT! 2005 AND ACT! 2006 CONTACT HISTORY You can use the mail merge feature in High Impact 3.0 with ACT! 2005 as your default client. When you send messages to your mailing list, ACT! 2005 will record a history item for each contact that was a part of the mail merge job. 29

Table of Contents. Page 2 of 72. High Impact 4.0 User Manual

Table of Contents. Page 2 of 72. High Impact 4.0 User Manual Table of Contents Introduction 5 Installing High Impact email 6 Installation Location 6 Select Mail Client 6 Create a ReadyShare Account 6 Create a Default Profile 6 Outlook Configuration Message 6 Complete