We've been busy at GraphicMail this year - and there is LOTS more in the pipeline for 2010. Brace yourself, as we'll equip you with the latest cool tools in order to make your email marketing campaign even more successful. Thank you for using GraphicMail as your hosted email marketing company, and if you haven't tried us out yet, it's time that you join the ever growing GraphicMailer community - Try us Free now!
FeedMail
When it comes to feeding time, we are all different. Some of us like a 5-course meal, others quite happily do with a finger snack. This is no different when it comes to our choice of how we want to receive information to mailing lists we are subscribed to. Fetch your RSS feed, blog, web page and send it to your subscribers as an email (RSS to email – our FeedMail!)
Social widgets in footer
Most couples in love will agree that one of your most intimate zones are your feet. Our developers have therefore decided to start showing their newly found relationship through our footer. So we now offer you the opportunity to display popular social widgets in the footer of your email newsletter. The idea here is that when you send your next email newsletter, you add these widgets to your footer so when your subscribers receive your email, they can forward it to their friends via their social network of choice.
Compulsory fields in sub form
Juicy data about individual subscribers is the holy grail of the email marketer! And what better place to squeeze for some extra info than in the subscription form? This will help you send targeted email newsletters with content that is relevant to your subscribers. Capture vital information from new subscribers by making certain fields compulsory within your subscription form.
Customizable footer
We have decided it was grooming time again and sent our footer for a pedicure. It has returned all squeaky clean and with much more elasticity. The footer section of your newsletter is now completely customizable. This means you are able to personalize and maintain a level of design consistency throughout your newsletter. To explore the new footer features, navigate your way into the header/footer settings under setup/options and click on “switch to advance settings”.
ROI calculator
ROI what? What do royals have to do with email marketing you might ask? No, we’re not talking feudal payments but a feature that is fit for a king – the GraphicMail ROI calculator which helps you work out your potential return on investment for your email campaign. The results are calculated according to emails sent, emails bounced, click-throughs, purchases, total revenue, campaign cost and gross margin.
Import your entire newsletter from Word
Do things like HTML, CSS, <table> and <img src=”…”> send a chill down your spine? We know how scary it can be to have to put a newsletter together with an online editor, let alone using HTML coding. But fear not. GraphicMail is here to help. Write your newsletter in Word, add your pictures, save it. Log into your GraphicMail account, go to Advanced Mode, select Import/ Export. Give your newsletter a name and import the saved file. Constraints imposed by the web means a Word file will not always map 100% into the new format, so check it carefully before you hit that “send” button.
Upload zipped images
Image counts, no matter what they say. That’s why we allow you to zip up your images when you upload them to your account. 5, 10 images to upload? Zip! Done! You can select multiple files to upload at once, or upload a .ZIP file (it will automatically be unzipped into the chosen folder).
Connect to external data source
Okay, this one is serious. And corporate. Our connection tool enables you to connect to an external database and extract information needed for your email campaign. Connecting to an external data source eliminates the need for you to upload datasets and maintain data in more than one place. You are in total control of security and can create a specific user account that can only access the data you want to use. Text links can be placed on secure connections, and you are able to pass along encrypted passwords.
2008 Editor changes
Our 2008 Editor had a makeover this year! The buttons in the WYSIWYG editor are bigger, prettier and we’ve discarded buttons that just cluttered the space. Not sure what the buttons all stand for? Simply read the explanatory mouse-over text while your hover over each button. If you prefer the older 2007 editor, then you can set it as default, under Setup & Options -> General settings.
Label Data at Import Stage
This one might sound very technical, but it’s actually really helpful. You are now able to define your spreadsheet data at the stage of import without having to do it prior to importing. If you have more columns in your spreadsheet than defined in your original dataset, the extra defined columns will appear as blank text fields with a tick box next to them. All you need to do is tick the box, manually type in the extra field names and all your data will be imported.
Re-Design of our Help Centre
Boy, can email marketing be a mission sometimes! We’re throwing you a Lifebuoy with our improved, super snazzy help centre. You can get to the centre once you’re logged into your GraphicMail account. Type in your query in the search bar at the top and choose from a variety of results that are categorized under relevant headings. These category headings include FAQ’s, Step by Step Help and Video Tutorials. And if all fails, contact our dedicated support team.
Import addresses from your Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo etc accounts
So all your business contacts, clients and friends’ addresses are in an online email account? What a mission it would be to have to export them manually, yet alone copying and pasting them! Oh no, not with us. Simply import your address book from Yahoo, Gmail , Hotmail and the likes into your GraphicMail account. All email addresses from your address book will appear in the preview pane. You are able to edit and delete individual addresses within this pane. Once you are happy with your list, press import and all data will be imported.
Profile Clients with Subscriber Segmentation Tool
So you thought GraphicMail was all about bulk email messages? Think again! You can now send your campaigns to a segmented list. Fresh from the GraphicMail lab, our subscriber segmentation tool allows you to target a segmented group of clients who fit a specific profile. This means you can send to, for example, only divorced women who love fly-fishing and are between 25 and 35 years old.
Retrieve Deleted Items
What’s your worst nightmare? (Besides sending an email to the wrong mailing list?) To accidentally delete an entire newsletter, folder or even worse, mailing list without backup! Relax. You can retrieve it from the recycle bin. Restore those deleted items and breathe a sigh of relief!
But, you also don’t want your real rubbish to pile up in your email marketing backyard. Garbage day is on Sunday, when the recycle bin will be emptied automatically.
Tracking changes
In January, we changed the way we track clicks on your sends. Previously we displayed the total links that were clicked in your newsletter. We have now changed this to reflect the amount of unique recipients that clicked links. So if 1 recipient clicked on 3 links, the total clicks will be 1, where it previously displayed 3. You will still see that you have 3 clicks when you go to the detailed view of the clicked statistics. So we’re still logging the same information, but only display it differently on the summary view.
