MailChimp for E-Newsletters

Transcription

1 Newsletter Editors Workshop June 2, 2014 MailChimp for E-Newsletters Presenters: Ann Cotter Jeanne Nugent Thank-you for assistance: Susannah Maxcy - Administrative Asst., Communications and Planning Kim Brathwaite - Communications Associate Laurie Fountain - Chair of the Communications Committee

2 Table of Contents 2 Pages 3 4 Pages 5 7 Pages 8 16 Pages Pages Pages Page 34 Blasting with MailChimp Accessing MailChimp Support Setting Up a MailChimp Account Creating and Sending a Campaign Creating an List Using a Sign Up Form on the District Website Conclusion

3 Blasting with MailChimp 3 MailChimp is an online blasting program. An blast, called a Campaign in MailChimp, sends identical messages (e-newsletters) by to a defined list of subscribers. MailChimp can be used on a computer or mobile device. There is nothing to download. Setup a MailChimp account at:

4 4 Uses of MailChimp Database, i.e. a list of the for your members Generated Sign Up form to post on your website Unsubscribe form at the bottom of each Update Your Preference form in each System for grouping your members for targeted communications Newsletter editor with templates or auto design Newsletter testing campaigns Statistics on each sent out Autoresponder Pick and choose the uses that meet your needs! MailChimp apps are available for ipad and Android, with limited functionalities.

5 5 Accessing MailChimp Support To access support, click on your account name.

6 6 MailChimp Tutorials Click on Video Index

7 When you click Video Index, this list will appear. 7 Click on a title to view the video.

8 Setting Up a MailChimp Account 8

9 9 MailChimp System Requirements Compatible browsers - Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer (8 and above), Google Chrome. (The MailChimp Editor seems to work best for us when using Mozilla Firefox.) Browser settings: enable cookies, pop-ups and JavaScript Latest version of Flash Minimum computer screen resolution of 1024 x 768

10 Pricing 10 There is various pricing listed on the website. We use Entrepreneur which is free and you can send at one time to up to 2,000 subscribers. Remember you can sign up for free on MailChimp website,

11 11 Information Needed to Create an Account 1. any valid private or public domain address that you access 2. some information about yourself and the organization the MailChimp account will be used for. All fields are required. 3. a website for your organization. E.g. You may also use a social media account, such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or a blog. eg.

12 Signing up for MailChimp is very easy. To sign up, click the Sign Up Free tab. 12 This screen will come up. I used my District address to sign up with. eg. lanarkrto@gmail.com I chose my username as lanark rto. You will have to check the that you signed up with in order to activate your MailChimp account.

13 Once you have activated your account, filled in the code to show you are a human, and logged in, you will be asked to fill in your profile. This page, and the following pages, contain information you will be asked to fill in. You will need to enter your district s website to use MailChimp. 13 For first name I used RTO Lanark Last Name - District 29 I used my District address.

14 14 District Name example:: Retired Teachers of Lanark District 29 District website address. example: Address that will be shown at the bottom of your . I have used my own, but you may have a district contact address you would prefer, such as the President s address or if you are fortunate to have a District office, you could use that.

15 15 Profile Photo is optional. I uploaded an RTO Logo.

16 16 Need help: Watch this video support to help you setup your account. Video Review:

17 17 Creating and Sending a Campaign Campaigns are s sent to a list of subscribers.

18 18 Support found on MailChimp: How can I create a campaign using the Campaign Builder?

19 Most common campaign 19 When Regular ol Champaign is chosen, you will have three template choices to choose from. Design experience not required.

20 20 Example of using a template with columns for a campaign You can choose from ready made templates or create your own. Use the overall design bar. Unlimited possibilities Includes photo editor User-friendly word processor Shortcut function enabled e.g. CTRL+X, CTRL+C, CTRL+V. Show Video on Creating a Campaign. Click Working with Templates

21 Considerations for an effective e-communication: 21 Remember: your reader is looking at a computer screen or a mobile device screen Have an identifiable logo Include Contact information Keep information brief, concise and relevant. Format entries for easy reading Use visuals: pictures, graphics or video Make effective use of colour Use a white background, two columns, text font size a minimum 13 point and titles of 18 points Include a link to your website and to your District social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Use white space effectively. Let the eyes rest! Suggest subscribers share the e-communications with others.

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24 Creating an List 24

25 A Fast Way of Getting a List of s to Import.. 25 You can obtain a CSV file of all your District members from your District Membership Chair or President. (Support is available for District Membership Chair or President to show them how to download the membership list.) You can provide a sign up sheet at District events for members to give you their name and address. This is especially helpful if members have changed their and not notified the RTO Provincial Office. Through this e-communication, website and hard copy newsletter, you can encourage members to contact RTO Provincial Office of any changes. * Under Add Subscriber select Import Subscribers. You can upload from a CSV or TXT file or Copy/Paste from Excel.

26 Imported list example 26

27 Subscribers can be added manually, one at a time under heading Add subscriber. 27

28 MailChimp provides a way for you to send out e-communications to a segment of your subscribers. This is referred to as targeted communication. In order to send a campaign ( ) to a segment of your subscribers, you will need to create groups and segments. MailChimp provides instructional videos with examples of grouping and of segmenting. What are Groups & How to Add Them to Your List: Working with Segments: 28 Example of Segments

29 Campaign statistics example 29 Beside your campaign, click on View Report.

30 Using a Signup Form on the District Website 30

31 Signup form choices 31 These forms can be added to your District websites so members are able to sign up to your e-communications.

32 District Webmasters can create a signup link to your e-communications. Example of a members signup link, created on District 29 for MailChimp District 29 subscriber list. A link is provided when you create a signup form in General forms. * Support is available to help District Webmasters link the Subscribe page on the website. 32 Clicking on Subscribe to list leads to this form, created in General forms. Subscribe to list was linked to this signup form.

33 Alternately, your District Webmaster create a signup page on the District website. 33 After creating a form in General Forms, click Embedded forms, choose the fields you want filled in, copy and paste the code into your webpage source code. Presto, when someone clicks on my sign up link the Subscribe to our mail list appears. *Support is available to help District Webmasters link the Subscribe page on the website.

34 34 Conclusion There is lots to learn, which we are still discovering. We encourage you to explore with MailChimp - try things, look at the support section and tutorial videos. A copy of this presentation can be found in RE-Net2 under the Newsletter Editors Conference in the MailChimp folder. Here you are invited to share your ideas and ask questions. If you have any questions or need some help, we can supply support through , TeamViewer or by Skyping. Contact: Laurie Fountain - laurfoun@gmail.com (Chair) Jeanne Nugent - lanarkrto@gmail.com Ann Cotter - district7.erorto@gmail.com