How to Get Started With an Email Newsletter
In order to start sending out your newsletters, you first need some addresses to send them to. In order to import your list of contacts, find the import link on your Mailchimp admin screen.
On the next screen, select the upload method of your choice. You can upload a file provided it is properly formatted, or simply copy and paste your list of contacts from a spreadsheet, which is what we‘ll do. Click Continue to Upload.
In order for Mailchimp to work with your contacts list, it has to be correctly formatted: as a spreadsheet, with an email address, first name, and last name. Select and copy all the personal data.
Paste the email and address data into Mailchimp‘s field, and click Continue to Organize.
You next need to add these contacts to a list of Subscribed contacts by selecting that option from the drop-down menu and clicking Continue to Tag.
Here you can tag your new contacts to make sense of them and make grouping them easier. You can enter any tag, and you even have some suggested tags on the right. Once done, click Continue To Match.
Next, you need to match the data which Mailchimp doesn‘t recognize by default or else choose not to import it. When it comes to columns containing names, for instance, Mailchimp has no way of attaching any significance to the data. You can do this yourself by clicking on any Not Recognized column and assigning it a label, such as FNAME for your subscribers‘ first name. When you choose the correct label from the menu, click Confirm, and then Finalize Import when satisfied.
You will then receive a report for review. If you are satisfied, click Complete Import. If not, you can Cancel it.
We have used only a single contact for this demonstration. Of course, you can add as many contacts as your plan will allow. Once you have a list of contacts, you can Start a Targeted Campaign.
Once on the campaign screen, you can finally start sending out your newsletter. First, give your campaign a name by clicking on the Edit name.
In the To section, select the intended audience for your contacts. You can do a lot to filter and select contacts among your contacts. You can also personalize your messages using data which your subscribers have submitted. In our case, the *|FNAME|* tag which corresponded to one of the columns we matched above.
The From section should hold a name of the sender (the default is yours, but you can actually use an assumed name), and an email address.
The Subject section should contain, most unsurprisingly, the subject of your email, and a preview which will appear to the recipient.
Here you’ll also set the send time for your newsletter.
Once you are satisfied with this, it‘s time for the content of your email. Click Design Content.
On the next screen, select a template from the available selection. We have gone with 1 Column – the first option in the Basic section, but you can choose whichever one best suits your needs.
Having selected a template, you will be taken to the email block editor. Use the blocks in the right-hand side menu and edit them.
We have deleted all the placeholder blocks, and then added our logo as an image block, a personalized message using the *|FNAME|* tag, a boxed text block with some Lorem Ipsum text, a divider, and a social follow block with a Facebook and Twitter icon. Of course, this is just one of the literally unlimited number of options available.
In the menu on the upper right, you can choose to Preview this email in various circumstances, or choose a ready-made Template or save your template for future use.
Once you are satisfied with your settings, click Continue.
Back on the campaign screen, you can give your campaign a link by clicking Edit next to the Campaign Link section. This is useful if there are more contributors to the campaign.
Next down, you can connect your social networks (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) to your campaign.
Finally, you can choose which activities you will be tracking and how your content will behave in the Settings & Tracking section.
We will not be using any of these settings at the moment. Once you are happy with your settings, click Send.
And that‘s it! Your newsletter is out!
