Step 1: Set-up

Before you create and send out your email, there are a few items to keep in mind:

Have you created your marketing lists?

In order to send out a bulk email, you will need to create at least one marketing list of recipients. ClickDimensions emails can be sent to multiple static and/or dynamic marketing lists at once, so feel free to utilize whichever lists you want. If you are new to Microsoft Dynamics and have not previously worked with marketing lists, you can find some educational resources by clicking on the tab for Step 5.

Have you imported unsubscribes from your previous email provider?

If you have migrated to ClickDimensions from another email provider, it is highly recommended that you import your unsubscribed recipients or suppression list into your environment in order to avoid the possibility of sending those recipients emails. This can be accomplished by exporting your unsubscribe data and importing into into your environment as Unsubscribe records using the native Dynamics import tool. The import tool utilizes a wizard to streamline the data import process, but a detailed description of the process can be found here if needed.

Are you using subscription management or a global unsubscribe option?

Any emails sent to 500 or more recipients at once must include either a global unsubscribe link, or a link to a subscription management page. This is a requirement to comply with our terms of service and also a technical requirement; you will not be able to send your email unless it has one of those two links. A global unsubscribe link can easily be added to your Email Template using a button within the editor (and is included automatically when making a new template using the Email Designer or Drag and Drop Editor). Subscription Management pages are used to allow recipients to opt into or out of specific topics of emails instead of taking an all or nothing approach. Once created, a Subscription Management page can be linked to an Email Template using the Link Manager. Click Here for more information about Subscription Management.

Have you set up CNAMEs?

CNAMEs are used to brand the links in your emails so that they display your domain instead of ClickDimensions' once the links are converted into a trackable form when sent. An email CNAME is not required in order for your email to be sent out to your recipients, but it is highly recommended because having the right branding on your links will make your email seem more professional and legitimate. Setting up CNAMEs requires making changes in your organization's DNS host, so your web administrator may need to assist you. Click here to learn more about setting up CNAMEs.

Have you set up an SPF record and included spf.messagegears.net?

SPF, or Sender Policy Framework, is a standard framework that some mail services use to verify the validity of the source of an email. More specifically, an SPF record is a record that some recipient mail servers will check to confirm whether or not ClickDimensions has permission to send emails on your company's behalf. Adding ClickDimensions to your SPF record is not required in order to send out your emails, but doing so will improve both your internal and external email deliverability. To include the ClickDimensions mail servers in your SPF record, simply add this include statement to your SPF record at your domain’s DNS host: include:_spf.messagegears.net. Click here for more in depth instructions on updating your SPF record.

Next: Step 2 - Create an Email Template

Step 2: Create an Email Template

This guide focuses on creating an Email Template using the Email Designer. We offer several other editors for Email Templates as well, and information about each can be accessed from this Introduction to Email Marketing article if you would like to try one of those editors.

Choose a Layout

The first step toward creating your new Email Template is choosing an initial layout. When you open the Email Designer for a new Email Template you will be shown the Layouts screen. You can choose to use a Blank Template or to start from one of the pre-built layout templates. You can always click the "Email Layouts" button in the Email Designer to return to this window and select a new layout.

Add Additional Blocks

Choose the Content tab at the top right to see a list of the different block content types that can be added to the template. Click and drag a content type over to where you want it in your template.

Style the Entire Email

Choose the Settings tab at the top right to edit the background, alignment, and default font properties of the Email Template.

Add Content

Click on an Image or Paragraph block within the Email Designer, and the sidebar will change menu options pertaining to that particular selected block. With an Image block selected, click the Choose Image button in the sidebar to open the Image Manger.

Select any Paragraph block to type text directly into the block. While selected, the Content pane will adjust to allow you to edit the content properties relevant to the block.

If you are pasting text in from another source, be sure to use the Remove Styling button to remove the external styling, so that you can style it natively in the designer. Externally-sourced styling may render incorrectly.

There are other types of blocks as well! Continue adding and adjusting until you are satisfied with your design. See this article for more details about the block type in the Email Designer.

Save

Always remember to save your work as you go! The save button is in the top right corner.

Next: Step 3 - Create an Email Send

Step 3: Create an Email Send

Email Sends are the records used to send out your Email Template to your Marketing Lists. For a more detailed discussion of Emails Sends, click here. To begin, navigate to Messaging > New Email in Dynamics - this will open a new Email Send record.

Begin by selecting your Email Template record using the Email Template lookup field. This will auto-populate the Subject, Preheader, and Editor Type fields with the corresponding values already set on the Email Template record. These values can be changed here if need be, though please note that changes will not be reflected on the original Email Template record.

Next, scroll down and specify the values you want to use for the Email Send's From Name and From Email. There are three options for setting these:

1. Manually input any value you want to use into the From Name and From Email fields
   
   
2. Select a user in the From User field to auto-populate the From Name and From Email fields with that user's name and email address.
   
   
3. Set From Record Owner to "Yes". This will dynamically set the From Name and From Email values as the name and email address of the recipient's owner. Whereas the first two options will show the same values to every recipient, every recipient could potentially see different from values if they are each owned by a different user in your environment.

After specifying values for From Name and From Email, use the Send Immediately field to indicate if you want the Email Send to be sent as soon as you click the Send button, or if you want to schedule it to go out at a later time. If you set Send Immediately to No, the Send On field will become active, and you can specify a date and time at which the Email Send will go out. Use the Time Zone field to specify the time zone to be used when interpreting the Send On time.

It is recommended to test your Email Send before sending it out. To do so, place the email address(es) in the Test Emails field. You can place more than one email address in this field. The email addresses also do not need to be associated with a user in Dynamics, so you can use your personal email address as well. After adding an email address, click the Test button at the top of the Email Send record.

This will send a copy of the email to the test email address(es) and also display a Spam Assassin report that scores your Email Template to indicate how likely it is to be considered spam once sent out. Click here to learn more about the Spam Assassin report.

Now Save the Email Send.

Doing so will allow you to add recipients to the Email Send. If you need to make any changes to your Email Template, click Design at the top of the Email Send record to access the Email Template editor and make any changes.  This will not change your original 'master' copy of the Email Template record; changes made here will only be reflected in this particular Email Send.

Recipients can be added to the Email Send as either Marketing Lists or individual Leads, Contacts, or Accounts. To add Marketing Lists to the Email Send, view the subgrids in the Recipients section for Marketing Lists, Contacts, and Leads, expand the "..." menu for the relevant subgrid, and select Add Existing Marketing List, Add Existing Contact, or Add Existing Lead. This will open a lookup field in which you can find and select your Marketing List(s) and/or Lead(s) and Contact(s). Click here for more information about adding individual recipients.

You can also specify whether the email is Transactional, and add any BCC or CC emails.

Send out the Email Send by clicking the Send button at the top of the record.

You will see this approval message next. Make sure the number of recipients looks correct and that everyone on the list is okay with getting your emails. Then check the box and click Approve.

Next: Step 4 - View Statistics

Step 4: View Email Statistics

Once the Email Send has gone out to its recipients, email statistics will begin funneling into your environment to show how the email performed. Statistics for the Email Send can be found by opening the Email Send's record from the Sent view, then clicking Email Statistics.

Email Statistics opens a window that displays several different tabs which present information about the Email Send's performance. The Overview tab displays a series of pie charts depicting interaction rates, open rates, click rates, and bounce rates for the Email Send.

The Email Clients tab lists different email clients and devices used to view your email and a graph displaying the percentage of opens generating from desktops vs mobile devices.

The Conversions tab shows how many website visits and form submissions were initiated from the Email Send.

The Click Report tab shows a list of every link in the Email Send that was clicked at least once. It shows the number of unique and total clicks generated for each of these links, and if a link is clicked on in the report, it will display specifically who clicked the link.

The Recipients tab displays a list of every recipient of the Email Send, as well as their individual statistics, such as the number  of times they opened and clicked the email and whether their email was delivered or bounced.

The Click Heat Map tab displays an image of the Email Send's Email Template and visually indicates which links on the template were clicked and what percentage of the total clicks that represents.

The Social Shares tab displays a count of how many recipients shared the Email Send's content on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn and at the bottom lists specifically which recipients shared the email.

Next: Step 5 - Working with Dynamics

Step 5: Working with Dynamics

ClickDimensions' Email Send functionality works in conjunction with Microsoft Dynamics records, specifically Marketing Lists, Leads, Contacts, and Accounts. A basic understanding of what these records are used for is necessary in order to send out your Email Send since these records are used to specify recipients, but a more comprehensive knowledge of the records will help you market more effectively by utilizing Dynamics to its fullest and segmenting your recipients into more specific groups that have expressed interest in your company and your products. Click the link below to learn more about how to utilize marketing lists in Microsoft Dynamics and to learn about how Microsoft differentiates leads and contacts within your environment.

Marketing Lists:

• Marketing List Definition - Microsoft

Leads vs Contacts:

• Leads, Accounts, Contacts, & Opportunities - Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog