Campaign Enterprise User s Guide

Campaign nterprise ARIAL SOFTWARE, LLC Campaign Enterprise User s Guide

ARIAL SOFTWARE, LLC Campaign Enterprise User s Guide 2002, 2003 Arial Software, LLC 1501 Stampede Ave. Unit 9005 Phone 307.587.1338 Fax 307.587.7448

Table of Contents Installing Campaign...1 Download Campaign...2 Install Campaign...2 Unlock Campaign...2 Server Management...4 The Server Manager Window...4 Run Campaign as a Service...5 Managing Campaigns...7 Remote Access...7 Campaign Administration...8 Predefined Database Sources...9 Users...10 Configuration...11 Create a New Project...11 Main Menu Screen...12 The Five Edit Screens...14 Step #1 Data Source...15 Step #2 The Message...18 Step #3 Sending...21 Step #4 Response Handling...25 Step #5 Miscellaneous...31 Using Campaign...33 Message Personalization Features with Campaign Software...33 Database Considerations...34 Naming Your Projects...35 SMTP Server Considerations...35 Multiple SMTP Server Option...36 Direct Mode Option...36 A/B Message Testing Features for Email Marketing...36 Bounce-Handling Features of Campaign Software...37 Opened Email Tracking...37 Appendix A...39

Creating an ODBC Connection...39 Appendix B...42 Using an OLE DB Connection String...42 How to Connect to a Database Using an OLE DB String...42 Sample OLE DB Connection Strings...42

Step Installing Campaign Before you can use Campaign successfully, there are two other components that need to be in place prior to sending emails: access to a Database and an SMTP server. C ampaign Enterprise is a web based program that acts as its own web server. It connects to your database, merges your customer information with your email message and delivers it to your SMTP server. This manual will guide you through the steps of setting up Campaign Enterprise to send your high volume email messages. This manual applies to all editions of Campaign Enterprise: Limited, Elite and Team. The minimum requirements for all editions of Campaign Enterprise are: 5GB free disk space Bandwidth to the Internet (dial-up, DSL, T1, etc.) Access to source database (Supported databases include MS SQL, Oracle, FoxPro, MS Access, dbase, text files and many other formats. Campaign will not directly read ACT!, PIMs or Excel spreadsheets) Access to an SMTP server (Campaign supports any standard SMTP server, including: Imail, SendMail, LSMTP, MS IIS, Post.Office, Exim, MS Exchange, etc). Operating systems: Windows NT / 2000 / XP 128MB RAM Internet Explorer (IE 5, IE 6). 1

Campaign does not store, import or export contact information; instead, it connects to a source database where that information resides. By merging your message with your customer information, Campaign Smartmerge can create truly unique correspondence that will greatly improve your message s effectiveness. Campaign must also talk to your SMTP server (mail server). SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and is how your messages are delivered. The standard Campaign setup does not deliver email directly to the recipient (see Direct Mode below); it delivers to the SMTP, which is then responsible for getting the mail to the final destination. You will need to know the Domain Name or the IP address of your SMTP server to plug into the appropriate field when setting up Campaign. If you do not know the Domain Name or the IP address, see your network administrator or contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider). Download Campaign Campaign is delivered online as a.zip file. To open the file, you will need the WinZip utility. You can download a free trial copy of WinZip at http://www.winzip.com. You can save the Campaign download in a temporary folder or save it to a folder on your computer. (We recommend saving the download file to your hard drive so it can be easily accessed again if necessary.) Once you download, open the.zip file with the WinZip utility. Double click the CampaignEnterprise.exe file to begin the installation. Install Campaign Follow the instructions of the installation utility. We recommend using the default settings. Part of the installation includes registering files so Campaign Enterprise can run as a service. You will need to have administrative privileges in order to install Campaign. Unlock Campaign The entire Campaign Enterprise feature set is available for testing in evaluation mode. The limitations in evaluation mode include the ability to send only 50 emails at one time and each message is appended with the following advertisement for Campaign. 2

This email was sent using the unregistered version of Arial Software's Campaign email automation product for professionals, available at http://www.arialsoftware.com. Campaign is an auto-follow-up email system used by universities, businesses, government offices, non-profit organizations and individuals to keep in touch with members, prospects, and customers in an automated, cost-effective way. Campaign is not spamming software and Arial Software does not send or encourage the sending of unsolicited email. To unlock the full sending capabilities of Campaign and remove the advertisement, you will need to purchase a Campaign software license online at www.arialsoftware.com. Once you purchase a software license, you will be given the appropriate serial number for the edition you ve purchased. Simply enter the serial number in the configuration area of your evaluation copy. 3

Step Server Management Campaign can either be run as a program in normal mode, from the Start Menu, or in Service Mode (running in the background). In order to better see how Campaign is working, we recommend starting out in normal mode (if possible) until you are comfortable with using Campaign. The Server Manager Window To Open Campaign from the Start Menu, click Programs > Campaign Enterprise > Campaign Enterprise 7; the Campaign Server Manager window opens automatically. This is the program that serves the web interface pages. You may want to monitor this window frequently to get a sense of what the program is doing during various stages of setting up and running your email campaigns. Figure 2.1 Server Manager Window 4

Run Campaign as a Service Campaign can also be run as a service or in the background of your server computer. The service registry files are automatically uploaded and registered when you install Campaign Enterprise. To start the service, open your Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services folder and find Campaign Enterprise in the service directory. Highlight and click on the Properties button. In the General tab you can change the startup type, the default start-up type is Manual; you can change it to Automatic or Disable it if you like. Figure 2.2 Service Directory, General Click on the Log On tab and select This account. You can browse to the user accounts available on the Campaign machine, select an account with adminstrative rights. This will ensure that Campaign has access to all the system files it needs to run properly. 5

Figure 2.3 Service Directory, Log On Once started, Campaign will run in the background on the machine designated as the Campaign Server (the machine on which Campaign Enterprise is installed). 6

Managing Campaigns Setting up and running email campaigns is done using a web browser. We recommend using Internet Explorer, but other browsers work also. To log into Campaign from the server manager window, simply click the Login button. This will open up a browser window using your local host IP address, http://127.0.0.1:81 (81 is the port that Campaign uses). The initial page is the login page, the default username is Admin and the default password is also Admin. Once you log in, you will see a page to enter your serial number if you have one. Otherwise, you can continue with the Campaign Evaluation. To log into Campaign while operating in Service mode, simply open up a web browser and point it to the local host (or http://localhost:81 or http://127.0.0.1:81). If you are accessing Campaign from a network machine, enter the IP address of the machine running Campaign, e.g. http://10.10.10.1:81. Remote Access You do not need a special program to access Campaign remotely; all you need is a web browser. To access Campaign remotely, you will need to have a public, static IP address assigned to the application. If Campaign sits behind a firewall router system, the firewall will need to allow requests coming in on port 81 to resolve to the Campaign machine. When you open your browser, simply point to the public IP address, e.g. http://206.206.206.1:81, and you will be able to login and manage your campaigns just as though you were in the same room. 7

Step Campaign Administration Now that you have installed Campaign and successfully opened the program, you can start creating and configuring email projects. O nce Campaign is running, in either normal mode or service mode, open up a web browser and log in. If you have not yet registered Campaign, the registration page will open. Enter the serial number and other requested information at this time. Click Continue to open the main project window. Live Updates Occasionally it is necessary to update Campaign Enterprise. To update Campaign Enterprise, click Start > Programs > Campaign Enterprise> Campaign Live Update. The Main Menu window (see figure 2.3 below) will show you all of your existing projects. You will be prompted to click the New Campaign button when you first open the program. You can have as many projects as you like, but it may become cumbersome if you have too many. You will want to examine your list of projects periodically and delete any that are no longer in use. To delete a project, simply click the Delete button in the row of the project you want to delete. You will be asked to confirm the deletion. To administer predefined database sources, user accounts and global Campaign configuration, click on the Admin button. Server Manager Status Window You can check the status of the server manager when accessing Campaign remotely or when running in service mode. Simply click on the Server Manager Status Window button to see the last 50 events on the server. You will need to refresh the page periodically to see any new information. 8

Predefined Database Sources A Predefined Database Source (PDS) is the connection string to the database. A user with administrative privileges needs to set up one or more PDS prior to connecting to a database in Step 1 Datasources. There are three types of connections strings available: browsing to a MS Access database, ODBC or OLE DB. Click Admin > Predefined Database Source Click New Name the PDS (we recommend using something that somewhat describes the type of connection, e.g. SQL Connection or Access Connection.) If you are using MS Access, you can either type the pathway to the data source file, or click Browse to find the database on your computer. Click Select. If you are connecting to a database that requires an ODBC connection, click Browse for a list of available System DSN s. (If you do not have a current valid DSN, you can follow the steps in Appendix A to create one.) Once you select the DSN, the string will be placed in the current ODBC field. Make sure you enter any user name and password specified in the DSN configuration. If no user name and password are required, leave the field blank. Click Select. 9

Figure 3.1 DSN Selection You can also enter an OLE DB string in the Database Source field. (See Appendix B for more information on OLE DB strings.) Click Save to save the string in the PDS list. Click Edit to modify a PDS. Campaigns connected to a modified PDS may need to be refreshed in Step 1 Datasource. Click Delete to delete a PDS. You cannot delete a PDS that is being used by a campaign, you will need to deselect it first in Step 1 Datasource. Users For a single user license there is one user and one admin user available. The default login username is Admin and the default password is Admin. To modify the password for the admin user, click Admin > Users, then click Edit on the admin user row. You can then enter a new password. To create a new user account, click the New User button. Enter the username and password and check the box if you want to give this user admin privileges. Admin privileges include the ability to view and manage all campaigns, public and private. 10

Configuration The configuration section allows you to specify some global settings for your campaigns. Click Admin > Configuration button to open the configuration page. Registration Information: If you have not already entered your serial number, you can do so at this time. If you have a Team Edition of ten users or more, enter the additional user serial number you were given when you purchased. If you purchased the Multi-SMTP or Direct Mode plug-in, enter the serial number provided in the appropriate field. Campaign System Settings: Enter the port number you want Campaign to use. The default port number is 81. Requests to the Campaign server are routed through this port. Enter the Campaign Server IP address. If you are using remote access, the Click-Thru tracking feature, or the Opened Email tracking feature, this needs to be a static, public IP address. If Campaign sits behind a firewall, this could be the public IP address of the firewall machine. You would then specify requests to that address, coming in on port 81, be directed to the Campaign machine. Enter the time interval you would like the POP checking to occur in number of minutes. Defaults: Enter the Default SMTP Server to be used for new campaigns. You can modify the SMTP Server for each campaign in Step 3 Sending of the edit screens. Create a New Project In the main project window: 11

Click on the New Campaign button. Enter the name of the project and click OK. The edit project window will open automatically to the Data Source tab. Main Menu Screen Once you step through the evaluation notices, or enter your serial number initially, you will be taken to the Main Menu. This screen displays all campaigns and all campaign management functions. Figure 3.2 Main Menu Campaign Name: This is the name you give to the campaign when you create a new one. You can edit the name in Step 1 of the edit screens. Campaign ID: This unique ID is assigned to the campaign when created and cannot be modified. Owner: Displays the username of the user who created the campaign. If the campaign is marked private, only the owner and admin users can view or modify the campaign. 12

Private: Indicates whether or not the campaign is private. Scheduled: Indicates the date and time the campaign is scheduled to run, if enabled. Status: Indicates the current status of the campaign. Blank: Means the campaign is idle. Running: Means the campaign is currently connected to the SMTP server and sending messages. If the campaign is running, you cannot access the edit screen for that campaign. You can access the reports. If you have a single user license, the Run/Test button will be unavailable for other campaigns as well. POP: This means that the POP checking features are enabled for the specified campaign. Edit: Opens the five edit screens for the specified campaign. Delete: Allows you to delete the campaign entirely. You will be asked to confirm the delete request. It is recommended that you delete old campaigns that are no longer being used. Copy: This feature allows you to copy a campaign in its entirety. You will need to change the name. Run: Sends the emails for the specified campaign. You will be asked to confirm the sending. Test: The test will measure the performance of merging the message and simulate sending it to the SMTP server, without actually sending the messages. Reports: This button takes you to a list of available reports for the specified campaign, they are: Overview Report: This is a performance summary of the latest delivery with links to the summary log files associated with the selected campaign. Click-Thru Report: This is a summary page for click-thrus on the specified campaign with links to the click-thru log files from all run instances. 13

Bounce Report: This is a bounce summary page, with links to the bounce log files from all run instances. Unsubscribe Report: This is the unsubscribe summary page with links to the unsubscribe log files from all run instances. Subscribe Report: This is the subscribe summary page with links to the subscribe log files for all run instances. Opened Email Tracking Report: This is the opened email tracking summary page with links to the opened email log files for all run instances. Log Files: This is a list of log files associated with the specified campaign. You can delete the log files from this report. Help: As you navigate through Campaign software, you will see a number of Help buttons. These buttons relate specifically to the topic or page on which they are located. Click on Help to find out more about a particular feature. Help Index: This is the main index page for the available help topics. The Five Edit Screens The Data Source tab is where Campaign connects to the database. The Message tab is where you create or import your email message. The Sending tab is where you specify the settings so that Campaign can talk to your SMTP server. Tab four, Response Handling, contains the automatic response features and tab five, Miscellaneous, contains some project specific administrative details. Save: Click the Save button at any time during the configuration to close the edit screen and save your changes. As you navigate from one tab to the other, your changes are automatically saved. Cancel: Click the Cancel button at any time during the configuration to close the edit screen without saving changes for the tab you are working in. Campaign will revert back to the previously saved project. Any changes you made while navigating between tabs will be saved. 14

Step #1 Data Source This is where you connect Campaign to your database. Figure 3.3 Data Source tab Database Source Type: Select the type of database source you want to use, Basic or Advanced. Basic Database: This connection returns all tables in the database to which the selected Predefined Datasource is connected. Advanced Database: The advanced connection allows you to write a Select statement to pull information from one or more tables in the database to which the selected Predefined Datasource is connected. Hit tab to execute the query. Table/Query name: When you select the Basic Datasource type, all available tables and queries will be listed in the drop-down selection. Select the Table or Query name from the drop-down box. This box is populated with information found in your database. (If you are connecting to a text database (.txt or.csv) using your text DSN, this field will be populated with all the available files in the directory folder specified in the DSN.) For MS SQL and some other databases, certain types of views will also be listed in this field. Campaign will not recognize stored procedures or other types of 15

database objects. (When using the Advanced Datasource type you will not see the Table/Query option, you will have to define that information in your Select statement. When using the Advance Datasource type, make sure you include the following in your Select statement: the email address, unique ID and any other field you need to use for merging or writing back upon sending. Email address field: Select the email address field from the dropdown list of field names. This field is populated with the field names found in your table. If you do not see any field names, check your database and your table selections to ensure they are correct. (See database considerations in section 5.) CC email address field: Select the CC email address field if desired. (This field can be used if your customer has authorized receiving emails at two different email accounts.) Unique Field #1: In order to use the write-back features in Step 3 Sending, you must identify a unique id used in your database. This needs to be an auto-number field, or at least one that cannot have duplicates. Generally this field is also your primary key, but it does not have to be. Preview: Click the Preview button to ensure that the database is being read correctly. If you do not see the expected data, check your database or select statement. Basic Filter: You can use the basic filter to specify which records will be included in an email sending when using the Basic Datasource type. In the following example (figure 3.3), we will include all emails where the unsubscribe field is equal to zero and exclude all records that have more than four bounced emails indicated in the database. (The WHERE clause is implied). 16

Figure 3.4 Basic Filter To ensure the filter is working correctly, preview the database again. The records that you included will appear in the preview. Figure 3.5 Database Preview 17

Step #2 The Message This is where you define your email message. Figure 3.6 Message Tab Message Type: Select the message type from the drop-down field. You have the following options: Plain Text, HTML, Plain Text and HTML message or A/B Plain Text, HTML or Plain Text and HTML. Each message type will need to have a separate message composed for it. Character Set: To change the character set, select from the dropdown field. If you don t see the one you need, simply type it in. When the message is received, it will prompt the recipient to download the correct language pack if it is not already installed. The most common character sets are ISO-8859-1 and UTF-8. Merge Field Insertion: To personalize the message, use the merge fields listed in the View Merge Field List. You can type the field name surrounded by brackets ( { } ) directly, or copy and paste 18

the merge field into the message where you want it to appear. When the message is sent, the field will be replaced with the corresponding data for each record, e.g. {First_Name} will be replaced with Jim. The top portion of the list contains merge fields generated by the fields found in your database. Each of the fields could be placed in the message one or more times. There are several built-in merge fields available specifically for using the advanced Response Handling features. Campaign merges the corresponding information input in Step 4, Response Handling, with the customer information for each record and then displays it as a hyperlink. Avoid naming your database fields the exact same thing as the built-in fields to prevent database write-back issues. Subject: Enter the Subject of the message. You will need to enter a subject line for each message body. This will be the subject line for your email message. You can use merge fields in the subject line. Message Body: You have three options for composing your email messages. These apply to all message types. Type your message directly into the message body field. The plain text message body will recognize carriage return line feeds and breaks exactly as you type them. For the HTML message, make sure you use the appropriate HTML tags for paragraphs, breaks and other formatting you want. Copy your message from another document or file and paste it into the message body field. When inputting the HTML message, make sure you input the HTML code, not the displayed version. You want to avoid using a word processor to compose your HTML message as they include highly proprietary formatting that does not translate well to regular HTML code. Merge the message from an existing text (.txt) or HTML (.html,.htm) file. Simply enter the following merge field into the body of the message: {FILE:C:Documents and Settings\User\MyDocuments\HTML_Message.htm}.Camp aign will retrieve the file, merge any merge fields you have in the file and send the message out. There is no preview 19

available for a message from a file, so you will want to test it by sending a message to yourself. HTML Preview: When entering an HTML message, click the Preview HTML button to make sure it will be displayed properly. This only shows you a general overview of the HTML message so you can catch broken code or bad formatting. It also shows you the placement of your merge fields in the message but does not actually merge any information. The only way to truly preview your email message is to send a test copy of the message using a test database. A/B Messaging: For A/B messaging, simply duplicate the process above. During the sending process, message A will be delivered to the first record in the record set, message B to the second, alternating through the whole list to ensure 50/50 coverage. Attachments: You can include attachments to the message in two ways. Filename: Enter the pathway string for the attachment or click the Browse button. The same attachment will go out to all recipients. Filename From Field: Select the field name for the attachment from the drop-down list of your database fields. You can send different files to different records depending on what is entered in the attachment field. Note: We do not recommend sending attachments over 20Mb as this will greatly decrease Campaign s performance. If you want to distribute a file to your entire list, we recommend sending a link to a file on your website that the user can open or download. 20

Step #3 Sending This is where you configure the Sending Options and specify database write-back functions during the send. Figure 3.7a Sending Tab SMTP Server Type (Delivery Options): Select the delivery option you will use from the drop-down list, SMTP Server, Multiple SMTP Servers or Direct Mode. (Multiple SMTP Server Mode and Direct Mode are plug-in modules that are available at an additional charge.) SMTP Host Name or IP Address: Enter the domain name or the IP address of the SMTP server to which you will be connecting. When you select Multiple SMTP Servers, you can specify up to ten SMTP servers. When you select Direct Mode, enter the Domain Name Server (DNS) with which you are associated, or the IP address of the Domain Name Server. If authentication is required by the SMTP server you selected, enter the username and password specified on the SMTP server for authentication. From Address: Enter the email address from where the sending will come. This is the email address that will appear in the From 21

field of the recipient s message. You can use a merge field from your database or use a friendly from address if you like, e.g. Sales <sales@domain.com>. Return-Path Address: Enter the return-path address. If you are using the bounce-handling features, this would be the bounce POP account you set up, i.e. bounce@yourcompany.com. This address must be a valid email address that the SMTP server can recognize. You cannot use merge fields or friendly addresses in this field. Reply-To Address: This is the address to which any reply will be sent. You can use this feature if you want the Reply-To address to be different than the From address. You can use a merge field in this address as well. This is useful if you have a different sales person assigned to a particular region. Note: The Reply-To address is optional. Figure 3.7b Sending Tab Enable Schedule: Check this box to make the schedule active. Enter the time and the date you want the campaign to go out. You can specify an interval if you want the schedule to be repeated. 22

Advanced Settings Database Write-back When sending your projects, it is sometimes useful to write-back to fields in the database. For example, when you send an email, Campaign can write the date to the Date field, indicating when the email was sent. Update Database Fields: Select the fields you want to update from the drop-down list of fields from your database. To: Select what action you want to take when writing to the database. If you select a numeric field, you can increment by 1 or decrement by 1. These fields must have a default value of 0 in order to write-back to them. You can also Set Current Date or Set Value, which will write to a text field. If you choose the date, make sure you are using a proper date field in your database. Value: When you specify Set Value above, enter the text string you want to write to the selected field. Bad Email Processing: Bad email processing will identify email addresses residing in your database that have incorrect syntax, spaces or other deformities that would prevent them from being delivered. By using this feature you can increment a field in your database that would help you identify them easily. Enable Bad Email Format Processing: Make sure that the box is checked and that the email filter is turned on in Step 3. A/B Messaging Database Write Back: Select a table in your database to indicate which message a record received. A equals 1, B equals 2. Email filter: Check this field if you need to mark bad email formats in your database. Continue to next email if write back error: Check this box to prevent a database error from stopping the sending. Optional Settings: 23

Automatically wrap lines at characters: Some very old email clients may not automatically wrap your plain text messages, making them difficult to read. You can force the break by specifying a number in this field. This only affects the plain text message. Send Messages seconds apart: Some SMTP servers are not able to process the emails as quickly as Campaign can send them. There may also be some restrictions imposed that would require you to space the emails out. Enter the time in the blank to allow the SMTP server to catch its breath or to comply with restrictions. Set X-Header to : This allows you to include a custom X-header in your emails. The headers are the pre-message information of your email, which are normally not seen by the recipient. You may want to set a custom X-header to track the emails that come back to you. Many SMTP servers strip these extra X-Headers out of the message. 24

Step #4 Response Handling This is where you configure all of the advanced response handling features for your campaign, unsubscribe account, subscribe account, bounce handling, bad email format processing, opened email tracking, and clickthru tracking. Advanced Database Write Back Figure 3.8a Advanced Database Write Back In order to use the Response Handling features you need to select a table to write back to. It can be the same as the one selected in Step 1 Datasource, or it can be a different table in the same database. Select the table to update Select the unique ID field in the table, this ID field MUST have a one to one relationship with the unique ID field selected in Step 1 Datasource. If they do not have a one to one relationship, Campaign will not be able to find the records to update. Unsubscribe/Opt-Out and Subscribe/Opt-In 25

Figure 3.8b Unsubscribe/Opt-Out Processing The Unsubscribe/Opt-Out feature requires you to set up an email POP account specifically for handling unsubscribe requests. Campaign will monitor that account and update the specified field in your database when an unsubscribe request comes in. You can use the same unsubscribe account for multiple campaigns, whether they connect to the same database table or not. Place the {UNSUBSCRIBEHYPERLINK} built-in merge field in the HTML message body (Step 2), where you want the unsubscribe link to appear. Enable Unsubscribe: Check the box to turn on the Unsubscribe POP checking. Unsubscribe Database Field: Select the field in your database corresponding to unsubscribe tracking. This needs to be a numeric field with a default value of zero (0). When an unsubscribe request enters the unsubscribe account, Campaign will increment this field by one. Email Address: Enter the email address for the unsubscribe account. When the {UNSUBSCRIBEHYPERLINK} in your email message is merged, this is the email address to where an unsubscribe request will go. Hyperlink Text: Enter the text for the hyperlink. This will be displayed in the message where you place the {UNSUBSCRIBEHYPERLINK}. For example Click here to unsubscribe. 26

POP Server: Enter the domain name or IP address of the email POP server on which the above account was created. Campaign will connect to that account and look for any unsubscribe emails. Username: Enter the username for the unsubscribe account. Avoid using spaces or special characters, even if your POP server allows it. Password: Enter the password for the unsubscribe account. Avoid using spaces or special characters, even if your POP server allows it. If you do not know the username and password, you will need to contact your network administrator or the ISP managing your POP account. Test POP Account: Click Test Unsubscribe POP Account to ensure the username, password and connection are working properly. Repeat the instructions above for configuring your subscribe processing. Opened Email Tracking The opened email tracking feature allows you to track who opened your email message. Make sure you place the {OPENEDEMAILMARKER} merge field somewhere in the HTML message body. Enable Opened Processing: Check the box to enable this feature. Select the numeric opened email tracking field from your database. This needs to be a numeric field with a default value of zero (0). When an email is opened by the recipient, Campaign will increment this field by one.bounce Processing 27

Figure 3.8c Opened Email Tracking and Bounce Processing The bounce-handling feature requires you to set up an email POP account specifically for handling bounced emails. Campaign will monitor that account and update the specified fields in your database when a hard or soft bounce email enters that account. You will need to set up a separate POP account for each database table to which you are connecting. Campaigns connecting to the same database table can use the same bounce account, but you only need to have one campaign checking that account at a time. Make sure that the bounce email address is entered in the Return Path address field in Step 3 Sending. That is where error messages will be sent. Enable Bounce Processing: Check this box to activate the bounce-checking feature. Bounce Field: Select the numeric bounce field from your database. This needs to be a numeric field with a default value of zero (0). When a bounce email is received in the bounce account, Campaign will increment this field by one. Soft Bounce Field: Select the numeric soft bounce field from your database. When a soft bounce email is received in the bounce account, Campaign will increment this field by one. POP server: Enter the domain name or IP address of the email POP server on which the above account was created. Campaign will connect to that account and look for any bounced emails. 28

Username: Enter the username for the bounce account. Avoid using spaces or special characters, even if your POP server allows it. Password: Enter the password for the unsubscribe account. Avoid using spaces or special characters, even if your POP server allows it. If you do not know the username and password, you will need to contact your network administrator or the ISP managing your POP account. Test POP Account: Click Test Bounce POP Account to ensure the username, password and connection are working properly. 29

Click-Thru Tracking/Web-Based Unsubscribes Figure 3.8 d Click-Thru./Web-Based Unsubscribe The Click-Thru tracking allows you to record reader responses to your inmessage hyperlinks. Campaign will merge the Public Campaign IP address or server name, the URL, the click-thru number, the campaign ID number and the email address together in a hyperlink. To display the link, use the corresponding click-thru merge field in the message where you want the link to appear, e.g. {CLICKTHRU1}. When a reader clicks on a click-thru link, it is recorded by Campaign to the database field you specify. The email address is also recorded in a log file. You can track up to twentyfive different click-thru links. In order for the click-thrus to work, you need to have a static, public IP address for the Campaign machine (or router/firewall). This IP address needs to be specified in the IP address field in the configuration section of the site. You may need to open the firewall for requests coming in on port 81 and point those requests to the Campaign machine. URL: Enter the fully qualified URL for the web page you want the reader to visit. Display Text: Enter the text that you want to appear as the link text. Database Field: Select the field in your database that corresponds to the click-thru number you are configuring. 30

Step #5 Miscellaneous Figure 3.9 Miscellaneous Chain to Campaign: Select the project you want to run after this project is completed. Make sure you do not chain the project to itself or chain the following project back to this one, or you will create an endless loop. Also ensure that any scheduling does not conflict with your chained projects to prevent them from going out unexpectedly. Create email address log files: Check this box to create success/ fail logs of your projects. These log files are stored in the Campaign Enterprise > Logs directory. Email the summary report to email address(es): Enter the email address(es) of the person you want to receive the log summary. Make this a Private Campaign: By default, all campaigns are private, viewable only to the owner and admin users. Uncheck the box if you want to make it available to all users. 31

Clear the counters each time campaign is run: This will clear the current counters in the overview reports screen. The cumulative counters will still accumulate records. Stored Procedures: Campaign will execute stored procedures on your SQL database. Type the name of a stored procedure in your database to be run prior to sending the selected campaign. Type the name of a stored procedure in your database to be run after the sending of the selected campaign. Note: Stored procedures are an advanced database function. For problems with stored procedures contact your database administrator. 32

Step Using Campaign Now that Campaign is configured, you can start using it to contact your customers and keep them informed in a more personal manner. Message Personalization Features with Campaign Software Successful email marketing is all about creating lasting, profitable relationships with customers; and effective relationship building starts by addressing your customers by name! After all, nameless "bulk" email is hardly impressive. But when customers or prospects receive an email addressed specifically to them, your response rates are likely to increase. Campaign SmartMerge allows you to automate the personalization of your outbound messages. In the industry, it's called "mass customization;" and it means that you're sending a unique email to each recipient. Using Campaign software, you can insert an unlimited number of data fields into your messages. Those data fields are then replaced with the actual data from the recipient's record as the mail is merged and sent. For example, your outbound message might say, "Hello, {firstname}, thank you for your purchase." As this message is merged and mailed by Campaign, the person's actual first name will be inserted into the message and it will read, "Hello, Bill, thank you for your purchase." Here's an example of how companies automate order confirmation emails: Hello, {firstname}, thank you for your purchase. This is a courtesy order confirmation email. Your order total was ${total} and will be shipped to: {firstname} {lastname} {address1} {address2} {city} {state} {zip} {country} 33

Message personalization is one of Campaign's most powerful features. Thanks to strong database connectivity, you can easily merge fields from almost any source database. Current customers of Campaign use this feature in a variety of ways, including the following: To simply address recipients by name To insert dollar figures for sales order confirmations To insert addresses for postal mail verification To insert passwords or tokens To insert and verify information entered by the person in a web form Database Considerations Campaign is a powerful emailmarketing tool. Every edition of Campaign software uses the direct-connection method. Simply tell Campaign where your database resides, choose a table (and apply filters, if desired), then, utilizing Campaign's Dataways Connector, the software will read and merge the data in real time. Many of the issues that may arise are due to peculiarities in the database, not Campaign. Make sure you know your database or have access to a database administrator. Some databases like FileMaker need to be open when you send your projects. If the FileMaker database is not open when you attempt to edit or send, you may get time-out errors generated by Campaign or Windows. These problems may also occur for databases that are deleted but still being referenced by a project you are editing. If you modify your database by adding or deleting a field, for instance, you should not assume that Campaign could read it automatically. You will want to edit the project that references the modified database and do a preview. If you do not see the changes reflected in the preview, you may need to refresh or reconnect to the source data. Campaign does not remove any information from your database. If you use the bounce-handling or database write-back features, Campaign only increments or inserts a specific value to a field. Campaign cannot remove records; you would need a separate process using your database s features to remove records. 34

One way to take advantage of the write-back capabilities within Campaign is to use the basic and advanced filters found on the Data Source tab. These filters can select records in your database in the manner you specify. If you want to send emails to everyone in your database with fewer than four bounces, simply enter that criterion into the filter. All of the records with more than 4 bounces recorded will be skipped. There are many reasons an email may bounce; that is why we recommend using a number larger than 1 for your filtering. The best thing you can do to keep Campaign running smoothly is to manage your database prior to Campaign referencing it. If you can eliminate all bad emails, bounces and unsubscribed records, this will lighten Campaign s workload. Also make sure that your database fields appear the way you want; for example, capitalize the names in the name fields. Campaign only merges the information that you input; it cannot modify it. Naming Your Projects You can name your projects anything you want; but if you are using several contact databases or tables, you may want to include that information in the name. This will help you keep track of which projects go with a particular database or table. You may also consider including the date the project was created in the name so you can delete older projects. The project window can fill up quickly. To keep Campaign running smoothly, you will want to delete old, unused projects periodically. SMTP Server Considerations Not all SMTP servers are created equal; some work better than others. One of the two major bottlenecks in sending out large volume email projects is the SMTP server (the other is bandwidth). Campaign will send out emails just as fast as your SMTP server will accept them, usually multiple records per second under optimal conditions. If you do not get this type of performance, it could be due to the size of the message, the amount of bandwidth available or the SMTP server performance. If sending the campaign seems inordinately slow, it is most likely due to the SMTP server. Many SMTP default settings will not allow large volumes of email to go through. You will need to contact your network administrator to find out what those settings are and if they can be modified. 35

If you are using someone else s SMTP server to send your email, you might consider installing your own. Many ISP s, if they allow sending email at all, will severely limit the number or size of the messages you can send at one time. You will need to contact them to find out what those limitations are. If they are limiting the number of emails per second, you can modify the rate at which you send in Step 3, the Sending tab. Multiple SMTP Server Option The Multiple SMTP Server Option is available in Campaign Enterprise, as an additional plug-in module. The Multi-SMTP option allows you to connect with up to ten different SMTP servers. To configure, go to Step 3 Sending, and select the Multi-SMTP option from the drop-down menu. Specify the name or IP address for each server to which you will connect that particular campaign. Make sure you test each SMTP server individually to ensure it is working properly, before adding to the list. This feature is also available in the evaluation mode of the Campaign Enterprise software. Direct Mode Option Direct Mode is available in Campaign Enterprise as an additional plug-in module. This feature allows Campaign to act as the SMTP server and deliver mail directly to the remote mail servers. In order to use the Direct Mode option, you will need to know your Domain Name Server (DNS) name or IP address. To enable this feature, go to Step 3 Sending, and select Direct Mode from the drop-down menu. Enter the name or IP address of your domain-name server. This feature is also available in the evaluation mode of the Campaign Enterprise software. A/B Message Testing Features for Email Marketing One of the most important keys to successful marketing is knowing the effectiveness of your outbound messages. If you're only sending one message to prospects, you may not be optimizing your projects. By sending two versions of the same offer, even with just a small change in the subject line, headline or text, you can determine which message works best. 36

Campaign supports A/B messaging capabilities that allow you to accomplish this. Simply enter two messages (an "A" and a "B" message) with different variations of your offer. Campaign will automatically alternate the two messages as it sends the mail, sending "A" to half the recipients and "B" to the other half. By comparing the response results, you can instantly see which message works best. Using "message evolution," simply take the winning message and try a new variation on it for the next round. After several rounds of evolving your message, you'll find the impact of your campaign to be greatly improved! Campaign's A/B message feature works with both plain text and HTML message content types. Bounce-Handling Features of Campaign Software Campaign Bounceback handles 99% of all bounces automatically. Simply create an email account, use that email account as your return email address, and tell Campaign the login name and password of that email account. From then on, Campaign reads the email account for you, finds bounced emails, tracks them back to the original source, and even updates the records in your database automatically. Just because an email bounces one time doesn't mean it's a bad email address. There are actually two different types of bounces: hard bounces and soft bounces. Hard bounces are invalid email addresses, which you will probably want to clean from your list immediately. Soft bounces are emails that were not delivered for a variety of other reasons, such as the receiving SMTP server could be down, routing tables on the Internet backbone could be in the middle of a hiccup, or the user's mailbox might be full. Campaign Enterprise can distinguish between the two types of bounces, and updates the records within your database accordingly. In all, Campaign's powerful bounce handling features enable you to focus on the email marketing, not the email cleanup. That's just one of the many ways in which Campaign earns its keep, day after day. Opened Email Tracking Perhaps Campaign's most powerful marketing tool, Opened Email Tracking empowers you with knowing which of your recipients actually opened and 37

read your HTML email message. This allows you to measure the response rate of your email campaign on a whole new level. And, since the opened emails are tracked in near-real-time, you'll quickly know if your next campaign needs to be modified before you send it. Maybe the subject line needs tweaking... maybe try a new "from" address. Combine this with Campaign's A/B Message Tracking feature, and you are on your way to developing some extremely effective email campaigns! Here's how it works: Campaign automatically tracks every opened HTML email and flags that record within your database. Opened emails are tallied in near-real-time, then incorporated into Campaign's reports. You can access the report at any time and instantly see the open rate results of your email campaigns! The email recipient never even notices the opened email tracking. Campaign's built-in web server receives information when the HTML email is opened, then marks the person's record right in the database. Opened Email Tracking makes measuring the open rate of your email campaign remarkably quick and easy. It's just one of the many ways Campaign software can help you increase the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns. 38

Appendix Appendix A Creating an ODBC Connection Set up the DSN for the ODBC Connection on your system: In this example we are connecting to a SQL database. Go to your Database connection utility. On Windows 2000 this can be found in the Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources. Click on the System DSN connection tab. Click Add. You will see the list of drivers available. (If your database driver is not listed, consult your database software program and install the drivers.) Choose the driver you will be using. In this example we will create a SQL Server DSN. 39

Give the DSN connection a name. Give the DSN connection a description (optional). Specify to which SQL server you will be connecting. Click Next. Set up the verification for the login permissions. Depending on your network security policy, you can choose: Windows NT authentication using the network login ID. SQL Server authentication using login ID and password entered by the user. (What we will use in this example.) Check the Client Connection; typically this will be TCP/IP. 40

Enter the login ID and password you want to use for this connection. (If using the Windows NT authentication, this option is disabled.) Choose the default database. Click Next. Click Finish. A summary of the ODBC connection will appear. Click Test Data Source; you should be rewarded with a "Tests Completed Successfully!" message. Connecting to the ODBC Connection with Campaign In the campaign, click on Step 1 - The Data Source Tab. Select the database type from the drop-down menu. All database types other than MS Access require an ODBC or OLE DB connection. (See OLE DB in Appendix B.) Click browse on the database source line and highlight the new DSN ODBC connection you just created. You will see a database connection string at the top of the page. Enter the user ID and password into the string if required by the ODBC driver. You must enter the User ID (UID) and Password (PWD) in the string. If it is incorrect, the connection will fail. If no UID or PWD is required by the ODBC driver then leave blank. Click Select. Select the Table/Query name. Select the Email field. You have now connected to a database using the ODBC connection. 41

Appendix Appendix B Using an OLE DB Connection String If you have a very large database and are using complex filters to coordinate your campaigns, we recommend that you use an OLE DB connection string for your database connection. The Microsoft OLE DB Providers are included in the MDAC (Microsoft Data Access Component), which will be installed, with Campaign if your system is not up to date. How to Connect to a Database Using an OLE DB String In Step #1 Data Source, select ODBC from the Database Type. Enter (by typing) the string with the username and password information already entered. (See the examples below). Click enter, or tab to the next field. The connection will be executed, and the Table/Query name populated with the appropriate information. Sample OLE DB Connection Strings MS Access For Standard Security: Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\\DatabasePath\\MmDatabase.mdb; User Id=Username;Password=Password; Using a Workgroup: Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=C:\\DataBasePath\\mydb.mdb;Jet OLEDB:System Database=System.mdw; 42

MS SQL Server For Standard Security: Provider=sqloledb;Data Source=ServerName;Initial Catalog=DatabaseName; User Id=Username;Password=Password; For Trusted Connection security: (Microsoft Windows NT integrated security): Provider=sqloledb;Data Source=ServerName;Initial Catalog=DatabaseName;Integrated Security=SSPI;); To connect ta a "Named Instance" (SQL Server 2000) you must to specifiy Data Source=ServerName\InstanceName like in the following example: Provider=sqloledb;Data Source=ServerName\InstanceName;Initial Catalog=DatabaseName; User Id=Username;Password=Password; To connect with a SQL Server running on the same computer, you must to specify the keyword (local) in the Data Source as in the following example: Provider=sqloledb;DataSource=(local);Initial Catalog=DatabaseName;User ID=Username;Password=Password; To connect to SQL Server running on a remote computer (via an IP address): Provider=sqloledb;Network Library=DBMSSOCN;Data Source=90.1.1.1,1433; Initial Catalog=DatabaseName;User ID=Username;Password=Password; 43

Oracle MSDAORA is the Oracle OLE DB Provider from Microsoft: Provider=MSDAORA;Data Source=OracleDB;User Id=Username;Password=Password; OraOLEDB is the Oracle OLE DB Provider from Oracle: Provider=OraOLEDB.Oracle;Data Source=Database Name;User Id=Username;Password=Password; 44

Index {CLICKTHRU1}.... 32 {UNSUBSCRIBEHYPERLINK}... 29 A/B Message... 40 A/B Messaging... 22 ACT... See supported databases Admin privileges... 11 administrative privileges... 3 advertisement... 3 Attachments... 22 Bad Email Processing... 26 Bandwidth... 1 Basic Filter... 18 Blank... 14 Bounce Field... 31 Bounce Handling... 30, 40 bounce POP account... 24 Bounce Processing... 30 Bounce Report... 15 bounced emails...18, 30, 40 Browse... 10, 22 built in merge field... 29 Campaign Administration... 9 Campaign Bounceback... 40 Campaign Evaluation... 8 Campaign ID... 14 Campaign Name... 14 Campaign SmartMerge... 36 Campaign System Settings... 12 Cancel... 16 CC email address field... 17 Chain to Campaign... 34 Character Set... 20 Clear the counters... 34 Click-Thru Report... 15 Click-Thru tracking... 12, 32 Click-Thru Tracking... 32 configuration... 3 Configuration... 12 Configuring Campaign... 4 Copy... 14 cumulative counters... 34 Data Source... 16 database... 42, 44 Database Considerations... 37 Database Field... 32 Database Type... 45 Database Write-back... 25 Dataways Connector... 37 Default SMTP Server... 13 Delete... 14 delete a project... 9 Delivery Options... 23 Direct Mode... 2, 12, 23, 39 Display Text...32 DNS... See domain name server domain name... 23, 29, 31, 39 Domain Name Server... 23, 39 Download Campaign...2 Edit...14 edit project...13 Edit Screens...16 editions...1 Email Address...29 Email address field...17 email filter...26 email POP account... 29, 30 Enable Bad Email Format Processing...26 Enable Bounce Email Checking...31 Enable Schedule...25 endless loop...34 evaluation mode...3 Excel spreadsheets...see supported databases Filename... See attachments Filename From Field... See attachments firewall... 8, 12, 32 FoxPro...See supported databases From Address...24 Help...15 Help Index...15 HTML...21 Hyperlink Text...29 incorrect syntax...26 Install Campaign...2 Installing Campaign...1 Internet Service Provider...2 IP address...2, 8, 12, 23, 29, 31, 32, 39 IP Address...23 Lite... See editions Live Updates...9 local host...8 log files...34 Log Files...15 Main Menu... 9, 13 main project window...9 MDAC...45 Merge...22 Merge field Insertion...20 message... 3, 44 Message...16 Message Body...21 Message Personalization...36 Microsoft Data Access Component... See MDAC minimum requirements...1 Miscellaneous... 16, 34 45

MS Access... 45. See supported databases MS SQL... See supported databases MS SQL Server... 46 Multiple SMTP... 23, 39 Naming Your Projects... 38 New Project... 13 normal mode... 4, 9 ODBC... 42, 44 OLE DB...11, 44, 45, 48 Operating systems... 2 Opt-In... 28 Opt-Out... 28 Oracle... 48. See supported databases Overview Report... 15 Owner... 14 password... 8, 10, 11, 30, 31, 40, 43, 44 performance... 22 POP... 14 POP checking...12, 14, 29 POP Password... 31 POP server... 31 POP Server... 29 POP Username... 31 port... See port number. See port number. See port number. See port number. See port number. See port number. See port number port number... 12 preview... 18 Preview... 18 Private... 14, 34 Professional...See editions Provider...45, 46, 48 public ip address... 8 Query... 17 Registration Information... 12 registration page... 9 remote access... 12 Remote Access... 8 Reply-To Address... 24 Reports... 15 Response Handling...16, 21, 28 Return Path Address... 24 Run... 14 run as a service... 3, 5 run in the background... See run as service Running... 14 Save... 16 schedule... 25 Scheduled... 14 Send Message Type... 20 Send Messages...27 Sending... 16, 23 serial number...3, 9 Server Manager... 4, 10 Server Manager Status Window...9 service directory...5 service mode... See run as service. See run as service Service Mode...See run as a service service registry...5 Set Field...26 Simple Mail Transfer Protocol...2 Small Business... See editions SMTP... See Simple Mail Transfer Protocol SMTP Host...23 SMTP Server Considerations...38 SMTP Server Type...23 static ip address...8 Status...14 Step #1...16 Step #2...20 Step #4...28 Step #5...34 Subject...21 Subscribe... 15, 28 Subscribe Report...15 summary report...34 supported databases...1 Table... i, 17, 44 text files...see supported databases The Message...20 Unique Field...17 Unlock Campaign...3 Unsubscribe... 15, 28, 29, 32 Unsubscribe Report...15 URL...32 user license...3 username... 8, 11, 14, 29, 30, 31 Users...11 Using Campaign...36 Value...26 View HTML...22 View Merge Field List...21 Web Based Unsubscribe...32 web browser...8 where clause...18 Winzip...2 wrap lines...27 write-back...26 X-Header...27 46

Filename: V7EnterpriseManual Directory: \\Sol_a\network_files\SoftwareSupport\EnterpriseGuide Template: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\1033\Manual.dot Title: Manual Subject: Author: Jim Keywords: Comments: Creation Date: 4/4/2003 4:52 PM Change Number: 3 Last Saved On: 4/4/2003 5:16 PM Last Saved By: Jim Total Editing Time: 6 Minutes Last Printed On: 4/4/2003 5:21 PM As of Last Complete Printing Number of Pages: 50 Number of Words: 9,874 (approx.) Number of Characters: 56,284 (approx.)