Content: New Content: Insert Field

The insert field area allows you to quickly and easily personalize messages for every recipient by inserting information from your database directly into your content.

It also allows you to insert frequently used email addresses, such as the unsubscribe email address and email addresses for autoresponders. In addition, you can add information about unsubscribing from your list quickly and easily.

Personalizing Content: Including the Recipient's Name with Mail Merge Field

A common way people personalize messages is to include a field which merges in the recipient's name.

1. Select the Text Message tab in Content: New Content.

2. Click insert field.

3. Click the Recipient Fields box, and then select Recipient's First Name.

4. Click Insert. You will be returned to the message you were composing. The merge field will be included as part of your message:

%%firstname%%

Ed Kaminsky will see

Ed

If a member doesn't have a name, their email address will be merged in. For example, shirley@example.com didn't sign up with a name. Instead of her name, she'll see:

shirley@example.com

Note You can supply an alternate name which will be inserted in the message if there is no first name for the recipient. To do so, insert a space after the "firstname" text, and then type the alternate name. For example:

Dear %%firstname Member%%,

In this case, if the recipient does not have a first name, his email will read:

Dear Member,

The Mail Merge Fields tab allows you to merge in commonly used email addresses, basic information about the recipient, and dates concerning their membership. See Content: Insert Field: Mail merge fields for more information about the kinds of fields available on this tab.

Personalizing Content: Including Additional Recipient Information with Database Fields

Depending on how your administrator has configured ListManager, you may have more data about your recipients available, which may be merged in using the Insert Field screen. Let's say you have an additional field in your database which records each recipient's type of pet, and you'd like to include that information in the message.

1. Select the Text tab in Content: New Content.

2. Click insert field.

3. Select the Database Fields tab.

4. Select the field you'd like to merge into your message. In this example, you'd select the field name "pet" in the Text Fields drop-down box.

5. Click on Insert. You will be returned to the message you were composing, and the merge field will be inserted at the end of your message. You may then continue composing your message. For example:

Your favorite %%pet%% will love our specials!

In this example, the merge field %%pet%% will merge in each member's type of pet.

See Content: Insert Field: Database Fields for more information.

Adding Email Addresses: Inserting the Recipient's Email Address

Instead of having your message addressed to the list's email address, it's a nice touch to have the message addressed to each individual recipient. Using a merge field allows you to make every message sent be individually addressed. By default, the merge code %%nameemail%% merges in the name and email address of each recipient. If you would like only the email address merged in, follow these steps.

1. Select the Essentials tab in Content: New Content.

2. Click insert field next to the To: box.

3. Select Recipient's Email Address from Content: Insert Field: Mail Merge Fields: Recipient Fields.

4. Click on Insert. You will be returned to the Content: New Content: Essentials screen, and the merge tag will be inserted into the To: field:

%%emailaddr%%

In this example, the message would then be addressed to each recipient.

Adding Email Addresses: Inserting an Autoresponder Address

An autoresponder is a ListManager address which automatically replies with a message. It's sometimes useful to have an autoresponder in the From: line of your message, so that replies to the message receive an automatic message with information about how to unsubscribe, say, or how to contact your sales department. For this example, you'll need have already created an autoresponder.

1. Select the Essentials tab in Content: New Content.

2. Click insert field next to the From: box.

3. Select the Content: Insert Field: Autoresponders tab.

4. Select the autoresponder address you'd like replies to the message to go to.

5. Click on Insert. You will be returned to the Content: New Content: Essentials screen, and the autoresponder address will be inserted into the From: field.

See Content: Insert Field: Autoresponders for more information.

More Information About Personalizing Messages in ListManager

Inserting a field or a conditionis the easiest way to personalize your message. If you'd like to learn more about message personalization and scripting, see Message Personalization and Scripting.

More

1. Content: Insert Field

1. Content: Insert Field: Mail Merge Fields

2. Content: Insert Field: Database Fields

3. Content: Insert Field: Unsubscribe

4. Content: Insert Field: Autoresponders