Support Team
02-10-2010, 03:18 PM
Liberty4 Consignment provides several ways of sending emails. The Word Processor is a great module because not only does it allow you to create elegant documents with images (which Resaleworld currently hosts for free!), it lets you send your document as an email.
This is a great way to contact old consignors, customers that haven't shopped in a while or just to send a birthday greeting. Something that most aren't aware of though, is the fact that local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and email hosts do not like it when you send "a lot" of similar or identical emails. This is seen as SPAM. Each provider responds differently. Sometimes your provider/host will let you send a lot of emails at once. Then all of a sudden, no emails go out. ISPs and email hosts use sophisticated systems to monitor network traffic, the content of the data on the network, etc.
So what does this all mean!? It means you can get yourself into trouble when it comes to sending out a hundred or even hundreds of emails. So what's the resolution? Utilize Liberty to collect the accounts you want to email. After all, you have all of these customer/consignor accounts and lots of informative data. Once you've selected the accounts you wish to email, export the list and import it into Constant Contact (http://constantcontact.com). The benefit of using Constant Contact is, you CAN send out a lot of identical/similar emails at once.
Here is the short version:
1. Use Liberty's Word Processor to select the accounts you wish to email
2. Export these accounts to a .CSV file
3. Import the file into Constant Contact
Here is the step-by-step:
***NOTE*** - This is not a supported feature. We are providing this information without guarantees or warranties. We want you to be able to harness the power of technology, so we're providing this guide. Questions regarding importing into Constant Contact and usage of Constant Contact should be directed at Constant Contact's Technical Support Department.
1. Launch Liberty's Word Processor module
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1526.png"/>
2. Click Publish (NOTE - It makes NO DIFFERENCE which letter you select, because you won't actually email this document)
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1527.png"/>
3. Click the Send letters using the following criteria... button and use the available Criteria options to help select the customers/consignors you're trying to target. (NOTE - Below you will find various example scenarios)
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1528.png"/>
4. Click Export...
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1528_001.png"/>
5. Select a folder you would like to save your file to - e.g. Desktop, My Documents, etc.
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1530.png"/>
6. Type a name for the file - e.g. customer_list_2009.csv
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1531.png"/>
7. Click Save
You should now have a file saved to the location you chose, named what you named it. Now it's time to head to Constant Contact!
8. Go to http://constantcontact.com/
9. Register or log in using your Constant Contact account info
10. Click Contacts (NOTE - Web Site layouts are changed/updated regularly. While Constant Contact's site has changed, Contacts is always visible on some portion of their Web site)
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1447.png"/>
11. Click Add/Import
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1450.png"/>
12. Click Create a New List (or select an existing list that you'd like to add more emails to)
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1453.png"/>
13. Enter a name for your contact list and click Save
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1459.png"/>
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1501.png"/>
14. Click Next
15. Click Import my list from a file on my computer and then click Next
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1502.png"/>
16. Browse to the location you saved your .CSV file to, select your file and then click Open
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1508.png"/>
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1512.png"/>
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1510.png"/>
17. Click Submit Data
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1514.png"/>
18. Accept Constant Contact's terms by placing a check mark next to each option and then click Submit
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1514_001.png"/>
19. Constant Contact will attempt to read your .CSV file and make sense of the data within. Since our Word Processor module exports First Name, Last Name, Email Address and Phone Number, Constant Contact detects it...
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1515.png"/>
20. If you agree with the labels Constant Contact has assigned (i.e. is "Email" truly the email address?), click Start Import
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1516.png"/>
You will see a confirmation screen that lets you know your file is being uploaded/processed. As Constant Contact indicates, it can take up to 2 hours to upload larger lists (e.g. a list with thousands of contacts)
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1518.png"/>
Constant Contact's site also tells you how to see your list (Contacts) and how to check on the status of the upload (Activity).
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1519.png"/>
As you can see in my example, I only have 1 contact.
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1521.png"/>
Once your file has finished processing, you have a list of people you're ready to email! We can't tell you what to type in your email or how to layout your email, but Constant Contact makes it VERY EASY for non-technical people to create VERY PROFESSIONAL emails. Just click Email Marketing > Create...
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1521_001.png"/>
This is about as far as we can go with this tutorial, but you should have all of the info you need to select accounts you wish to email. You should also have enough info to find out how to upload that file to Constant Contact. Constant Contact is very easy to use and they have great customer service. Play around with their various email templates, colors, etc. Send a few samples to your own email account or to a friend's. Once you've gone through the steps a few times, it will become second nature!
This is a great way to contact old consignors, customers that haven't shopped in a while or just to send a birthday greeting. Something that most aren't aware of though, is the fact that local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and email hosts do not like it when you send "a lot" of similar or identical emails. This is seen as SPAM. Each provider responds differently. Sometimes your provider/host will let you send a lot of emails at once. Then all of a sudden, no emails go out. ISPs and email hosts use sophisticated systems to monitor network traffic, the content of the data on the network, etc.
So what does this all mean!? It means you can get yourself into trouble when it comes to sending out a hundred or even hundreds of emails. So what's the resolution? Utilize Liberty to collect the accounts you want to email. After all, you have all of these customer/consignor accounts and lots of informative data. Once you've selected the accounts you wish to email, export the list and import it into Constant Contact (http://constantcontact.com). The benefit of using Constant Contact is, you CAN send out a lot of identical/similar emails at once.
Here is the short version:
1. Use Liberty's Word Processor to select the accounts you wish to email
2. Export these accounts to a .CSV file
3. Import the file into Constant Contact
Here is the step-by-step:
***NOTE*** - This is not a supported feature. We are providing this information without guarantees or warranties. We want you to be able to harness the power of technology, so we're providing this guide. Questions regarding importing into Constant Contact and usage of Constant Contact should be directed at Constant Contact's Technical Support Department.
1. Launch Liberty's Word Processor module
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1526.png"/>
2. Click Publish (NOTE - It makes NO DIFFERENCE which letter you select, because you won't actually email this document)
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1527.png"/>
3. Click the Send letters using the following criteria... button and use the available Criteria options to help select the customers/consignors you're trying to target. (NOTE - Below you will find various example scenarios)
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1528.png"/>
4. Click Export...
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1528_001.png"/>
5. Select a folder you would like to save your file to - e.g. Desktop, My Documents, etc.
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1530.png"/>
6. Type a name for the file - e.g. customer_list_2009.csv
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1531.png"/>
7. Click Save
You should now have a file saved to the location you chose, named what you named it. Now it's time to head to Constant Contact!
8. Go to http://constantcontact.com/
9. Register or log in using your Constant Contact account info
10. Click Contacts (NOTE - Web Site layouts are changed/updated regularly. While Constant Contact's site has changed, Contacts is always visible on some portion of their Web site)
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1447.png"/>
11. Click Add/Import
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1450.png"/>
12. Click Create a New List (or select an existing list that you'd like to add more emails to)
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1453.png"/>
13. Enter a name for your contact list and click Save
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1459.png"/>
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1501.png"/>
14. Click Next
15. Click Import my list from a file on my computer and then click Next
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1502.png"/>
16. Browse to the location you saved your .CSV file to, select your file and then click Open
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1508.png"/>
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1512.png"/>
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1510.png"/>
17. Click Submit Data
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1514.png"/>
18. Accept Constant Contact's terms by placing a check mark next to each option and then click Submit
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1514_001.png"/>
19. Constant Contact will attempt to read your .CSV file and make sense of the data within. Since our Word Processor module exports First Name, Last Name, Email Address and Phone Number, Constant Contact detects it...
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1515.png"/>
20. If you agree with the labels Constant Contact has assigned (i.e. is "Email" truly the email address?), click Start Import
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1516.png"/>
You will see a confirmation screen that lets you know your file is being uploaded/processed. As Constant Contact indicates, it can take up to 2 hours to upload larger lists (e.g. a list with thousands of contacts)
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1518.png"/>
Constant Contact's site also tells you how to see your list (Contacts) and how to check on the status of the upload (Activity).
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1519.png"/>
As you can see in my example, I only have 1 contact.
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1521.png"/>
Once your file has finished processing, you have a list of people you're ready to email! We can't tell you what to type in your email or how to layout your email, but Constant Contact makes it VERY EASY for non-technical people to create VERY PROFESSIONAL emails. Just click Email Marketing > Create...
<img src="http://resaleworld.com/videos/dean/2010-02-10_1521_001.png"/>
This is about as far as we can go with this tutorial, but you should have all of the info you need to select accounts you wish to email. You should also have enough info to find out how to upload that file to Constant Contact. Constant Contact is very easy to use and they have great customer service. Play around with their various email templates, colors, etc. Send a few samples to your own email account or to a friend's. Once you've gone through the steps a few times, it will become second nature!