Creating new campaigns with message templates

Use message templates if you frequently reuse mailing templates, content, subjects, and sender information in Smart Campaigns. You can use the templates to create new campaigns and skip the message configuration steps.

Smart CampaignsThe Episerver Campaign tool for sending out one-shot-campaigns, such as a monthly newsletter. have two types of templates: message templates and content templates.

• Content templates. Set up by customer support. When you insert a message into a campaign then edit it, you can select a content template as the source. You must configure mailing templates for sending by inserting sender information (email address, name, telephone number) and other parameters.
• Message templates. You create and configure these by yourself with sender information, recipient lists, and other parameters. You can create a message template by using a content template, directly via HTML code or by using an existing message as basis.

To open the template overview, go to start menu > Campaigns > Message templates.

Template actions

New

1. To create a new message template, click New.
2. From the drop-down list, select an option.
   • New. Create a new message template based on a free-text template or another content template. Click New in the left column, then select a content template from the list on the right.

   Note:  The selected content template must support the targeted dispatch channel, for example email/fax/print.

   • Message. Apply content from an existing message to this message template. Click Message in the left column then select a message from the list on the right.

     Tip:  Messages you created with Mailings Classic are also available.

   • Message template. Apply the content and configuration of an existing message template. Click Message template in the left column, then select the template from the right.
3. Click Next to edit the message template.

Copy

1. To create a new message template and apply the content and configuration from an existing message template, click a message template in the list that has parameters that you want to apply.
2. Click Copy.
3. The message content appears on the screen. Modify as needed the click Save.

Edit

To edit an existing message template, click a message template in the list, then Edit.

Delete

To delete a message template, click a message template in the list, then Delete.

Basic configuration

A message template usually contains sender information and content that can be reused. However, you can save and use message templates without configuring these parameters. Depending on the dispatch channel, proceed as follows:

• Email
• Fax
• Print

Email

Sender information, subject and attachments

1. To configure an email for sending, click Sender, subject, attachments in the editor window.
2. In the Sender area, enter sender information that you want your mailing recipients to see. There are two parts:
   • Email address. Enter the sender address. You cannot change the domain part of the address (after the @).
   • Name. This name (usually the company name) is displayed as the sender information in the recipient's email program.
3. In the Subject area, enter your message's subject.

   Tip:  Together with the sender information, your mailing's subject line (Subject) is the most important factor in deciding the success of a mailing. The right subject line can significantly increase a mailing's opening rate. Also, monitor the subject line length. If it is too long, it might be truncated by the email program (Most display 60 characters). A length of 45 characters ensures that the subject line is displayed.

4. You can use personalizations in the subject line, and send messages to different target groupsA subset of recipients defined by rules and conditions and a logic relationship between them. For example, all recipients in the United Kingdom. with different subject lines:
   • Personalized subject lines. Click Insert field function and select the required recipient list field or the required field function from the list.
   • Target-group-specific subject line. Click Add subject and enter the text into the new field. Then, select a target group for whom you want to use this subject line. You can add any number of additional subject lines and target groups.
5. Open the Attachments tab. Available attachments are displayed in a list.
6. In the list, click the file that you want to send.
7. To upload a new attachment, open the start menu and select Campaigns > Attachments.
8. Click Apply.
9. Click Save.

Encoding

Specify the character set for encoding your mailing. The character set includes standard characters (Latin letters, numbers, punctuation characters) and special characters (such as German umlauts). The character set ensures that all characters in the message are interpreted correctly.

1. To configure message encoding, click More > Character set ("Encoding").
2. Select the message's character set.
   • ISO-8859-1. For recipients in German-speaking regions, Western European countries, and North America.
   • ISO-8859-2. For recipients in Central/South-Eastern European countries, for example, Poland, Croatia, Slovakia.
   • UTF-8. For recipients in other parts of the world, for example, Eastern Europe or Turkey; supports most special characters found in all languages.
3. Click  Apply.
4. Click Save.

Fax

1. To configure a fax for sending, click Sender. If you selected a PDF file for sending, the sender information appears in the Sender area.
2. If multiple telephone numbers are configured as sender information in your client, select the appropriate number from the Sender number drop-down list. If just one sender number is configured, ignore this step..
3. Click Apply.
4. Click Save.

Print

1. To configure a print message for sending, click Sender, dispatch option, format.
2. From within the Dispatch option area, select one of these options.
   • Fast dispatch. Post-based delivery usually arrives after two working days, if sent before 8 PM (CET). In individual cases (or if the item is sent after 8 PM), the delivery will arrive on the third working day following dispatch.
   • Cheap dispatch. Suitable for non-urgent printed items, such as promotional letters.

     Warning:  The delivery occurs place within six working days after data input. The use is permitted only for purely promotional communications (for example, direct incitement to buy, offers, or aid appeals).

3. Click Apply.
4. Click Save.

Adding content to the message

Add content to the message template that you want to reuse in messages (for example, header and disclaimer).

• Email message templates. See Edit mailing content. If you are using the Template Kit, see Template Kit.
• Fax message templates. See Episerver Fax. The control elementsOne component of a campaign. As examples, recipients and email are elements. Nodes are used to transfer elements through the sequence of actions that occur when a campaign is activated. of a fax message template are identical to those of an email message template.
• Print message templates. See Edit print mailing.