Top 5 Most Common Publicaster Support Topics
This month we did a little shuffling of responsibilities at Blue Sky Factory, and I was asked to be the main contact for any Publicaster support issues. While I loved speaking with each and every one of you, I realized there are some commonly asked questions that seem to come up over and over. In an attempt to streamline the process, I’d like to go over a few of them here.
I hope that this quick list of common support topics will help you as you use our Publicaster application. Please do not take this as a hint that we don’t want to hear from you - we really do! If you ever have questions about Publicaster or email marketing in general, we are here and excited to help!
Without further ado, here are the Top 5 Most Common Support Topics:
1. Your Mailing List Data File
When you are ready to import data into Publicaster, make sure your data file is in one of these formats: Comma Separated Value (.csv) or Text Tab Delimited (.txt). The first row of your data must be the column headers (Email, Firstname, Company, etc). These column headers must match what you have in your Publicaster database. Go to List Manager > Manage Databases > Edit to see what field headers you currently have set up. As an example, the column header in your data file for Email cannot be spelled “E-mail” or “e mail”. Spaces and hyphens matter!
2. List Import and Manage Existing Data Counts
Once you have uploaded a list, Publicaster will show you a count of how many records were uploaded. This count removes any duplicate or invalid records from your original data file. By invalid record, we mean that Publicaster will check to make sure all email addresses are in the name@domain.com format. Any email addresses that are not in this format will not be uploaded. Here’s something new to look forward to: In Publicaster 7.0, you will be given more in-depth counts. You will be shown how many invalid or duplicate email addresses were removed, and you’ll be able to click through to view those records not uploaded.
Once you’ve uploaded your list data, you can go to Manage Existing Data under List Manager to get Quick Counts on your list(s). Note that these list counts include ALL records on your list, including Active, Hard Bounced, Opt-outs, etc. If you want just a count of the Active records on your list (the ones that Publicaster will send emails to), change the Subscriber Status drop-down menu to “Active”. Note that segmentation Quick Counts automatically give you only Active records, so be sure to keep this in mind when comparing segmentation counts to mailing list counts. Also note that the Quick Count from the Send/Schedule Emails screen will always give you the Active count.
3. Using Personalization in Emails
You do have the ability to personalize your emails. This is achieved by using snippet codes, just like you do for the Forward to a Friend and Opt-out links. For example, if you want your email to read, “Dear (firstname)”, here’s how you would do that:
Dear [~Firstname~]
This would personalize your email for the recipient, as long as you have that “firstname” column in your mailing list and there is a valid first name associated with that recipient’s email address. For any record that has an email address but not a first name, you can set a default value for this personalization. You have the opportunity to do so once you’ve saved the email. Hint: You can also use personalization in subject lines by simply typing the snippet into the subject line text box when setting up your email.
4. Sending and Scheduling Emails
When you go to the Send/Schedule Email screen under Launch/Manage Emails, you have the option to either Deliver Now or Schedule Delivery. If you want to schedule an email for the future, remember to schedule it at least 15 minutes in advance. Also, if you are sending a test email to your test list, be sure to choose your test mailing list from the Mailing List drop-down menu at the top of the page, and also to select “Yes” for the question at the bottom of the page, “Is this a test?”. By selecting “Yes”, this will put the word “Test” in your subject line. When selecting this option, you can also choose to send separate versions, which allows you to receive and review both the HTML and Plain Text versions of your emails.
5. Reporting Metrics
The most commonly looked at metric is the Open Rate. Opens are recorded only if images are downloaded. (Note: this is an industry standard.) This means that recipients can receive and read your emails without downloading images, and this would not count as an open. Alternatively, if someone breezes by your email in their preview pane and has images turned on by default, this would count as an open, although the recipient may have barely glanced at your email. Because of these two points, we typically recommend that you pay closer attention to your click-through rate. This metric is much more accurate, since a click can only be recorded if your recipient physically clicks on the link. This also shows that your call to action was effective and that the recipient is truly engaged in your emails. And remember, the best way to gauge your email success is to compare yourself against yourself (not against others or the industry average). Watch your own email metrics over time and try different things to improve upon them. If you need suggestions for some A/B tests to run, contact your Account Manager directly.
Hopefully these tips will help you as you use Publicaster. If you still need assistance, or just want to talk to a live person, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us at bsfsupport@blueskyfactory.com or 1-866-216-BLUE. Until then, happy emailing!
