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      Connecting the Contact Database to Email Marketing

      How to Build Email Lists from Your Contacts in the Contact Database.


      This article explains how the list of contacts in your database is used to send email marketing campaigns.

      1. Overview of the Two Systems

      The system has two main parts that work together:

      • The Contact Database: This is where all individual contact records are stored. It is your master list of people and their information. You create filtered lists here using hypertable report views.

      • The Email Marketing Module: This is the tool used to write and send emails. It uses the created hypertable report views from your Contact Database to know who to send emails to, based on the email field being included in these report views.

      2. How to Select Your Audience

      You select your audience for an email campaign by using these saved report views.

      • To send an email to a group:

        1. In the Contact Database, create and save a hypertable report view for the group you need (e.g., "All Members in Springfield"). Ensure the 'email' field is included in one of the columns of the report view.

        2. Go to the Email Marketing Module to create a new campaign.

        3. In the Distribution List section, you can find your report view in one of two ways:

          • Use the Search Bar: Type the name of your report view into the search bar to find it quickly.

          • Browse the List: Expand the Contact Database section by clicking on it. Then browse the list to locate your specific report view.

        4. Click on the report view you wish to use. It will automatically be moved to the "Included in Campaign" column. This tells the system to send your email to every unique email address found in that report view.

      3. Understanding the Send Count

      When you select a report view, the system will show you how many emails will be sent. It may look like this: "4,991 out of 6335 emails to be sent."

      This means:

      • Your report view contains 6,335 records.

      • Only 4,991 will receive the email.

      • The system will not send to the remaining people because:

        • They have unsubscribed from this type of email.

        • Their email address is a duplicate on the list (the system sends only one email per address).

      4. How Unsubscribing Works & The Unsubscribe Options

      When you send an email, it must include an unsubscribe link. This is required to be in compliance with the US CAN-SPAM Act. Our system provides three different merge tags to offer recipients control over their subscriptions:

      1. [[unsubscribe_url]]

        • What it does: This is the standard option. When clicked, it unsubscribes the recipient only from the specific category used for this email campaign (e.g., "General").

        • When to use it: This is the most common and recommended tag for most campaigns.

      2. [[unsubscribe_from_all_url]]

        • What it does: This is a global opt-out. When clicked, it immediately unsubscribes the recipient from all email marketing categories at once.

        • When to use it: Use this tag with caution, typically in a footer alongside the standard unsubscribe link to provide a complete opt-out option.

      3. [[manage_subscriptions_url]]

        • What it does: This link does not unsubscribe the user. Instead, it takes them to a personal preference page where they can see and selectively choose which categories they want to subscribe to or unsubscribe from.

        • When to use it: This is the best option for giving your contacts control and is highly recommended for maintaining healthy engagement.

      • Important: When a person clicks any of these links, our system automatically records their choice.

      • The next time you send an email, recipients who have unsubscribed (either from a category or all emails) will automatically be removed from the count for any campaign using those categories.

      5. Best Practices

      • Keep Your Report Views Clean: Regularly review the criteria for your saved report views to ensure they pull accurate and intended groups of contacts.

      • Respect Unsubscribes: The system automatically respects unsubscribe requests. Ensure your report views are periodically updated to reflect list changes.

      • Use Specific Report Views: Create targeted report views for your emails instead of always emailing a very broad group. People are more likely to engage with relevant information.