By: Chris Lewis
When the first Arial Software products were create the database language of SQL was thought of to be too hard to use and just for programmers. Many of the database operations that were done using our program were simple field/column updates, like incrementing a number in a record if the email was sent. The program was set up so that the field to be updated was in a selection box and the only operation you could do is increment the field by one. This functionality still exists today even in version 11, but as many have seen this simple operation is not sufficient. Because of this we added the ability to run an SQL statement when an even happens in Campaign Enterprise, like when a record is sent, when an email is unsubscribed, or a click through occurs. This feature can be turned on in the administration area which then causes the program to show this new SQL statement box on each even configuration screen. Some have opted to, instead of incrementing a record, to insert a new record recording the event into a table that can be used for later reporting. And example of this, say for an unsubscribe operation would be: INSERT INTO tblUnsubscribes (CampaignID,UniqueID,EventDateTime) values ({CAMPAIGNID},{UNIQUEID},GetDate()); So, when a unsubscribe event happens for a particular email that was sent, this statement is sent to the database you are using and the values within the braces { } are replaced with real values. The resulting statement that is actually sent to your database would look like this: INSERT INTO tblUnsubscribes (CampaignID,UniqueID,EventDateTime) values (14,43456,GetDate()); After the operation is done, you will have a new record in the tblUnusubscribes table recording this event. This data can now be used for filtering and/or reporting purposes later. The advantage of this method is that it records the specific date and time of the event, and the data is separate from the original record. Using this method is required when the original data cannot be modified due to security or database structure. You can use any legal SQL statement you want for these events. You could opt to update a record instead of inserting, or you could run a stored procedure to trigger other events. More information is available on this subject on this website or by request.
0 Comments
A new label is being applied to a specific category of unwanted emails. BACN is the "clever" new acronym that applies to emails that don't quite fall into unsolicited bulk email, or as highly prized and desired email. It falls somewhere in between on the desirability scale. As email marketers it is imperative that you take steps to avoid your messages falling into the BACN designation.
What is BACN? Unlike SPAM, BACN email is slightly more palatable, but too much of it is not good for you. The email that falls into this category is best described as something you signed up for, but don't really read. However, you don't want to unsubscribe because every so often you might get a golden nugget of information, or a coupon for something you really need. From the email marketer's standpoint, the problem with BACN email is that it is rarely read. There are three major steps you can take to avoid the BACN designation:
Here is a sample MS Access database mdb file you can use.
Numeric Merge Fields
If you are trying to use a field to represent a number in your message, it will not display correctly unless you modify the merge field. You would need to type any dollar signs or other symbols in the message body preceding the number. If the merge field is {OrderAmount}~2, then it will round the number to two decimal places with no commas. {OrderAmount}~2 1234.12 {OrderAmount}~5 1234.12287 {OrderAmount}~0 1234 If the merge field is {OrderAmount}^2, then it will round the number to two decimal places with commas. {OrderAmount}^2 1,234.12 {OrderAmount}^5 1,234.12287 {OrderAmount}^0 1,234 _If you have a rather long email newsletter, you might consider using named anchor tags with links at the top of the letter, to allow your readers to navigate down to the portion of the message in which they are most interested, very much like we do with Arial Insider. Now, this feature is amazingly easy to implement with Campaign Enterprise's new HTML editor. It can also be done using regular old HTML coding. We'll take a look at both options to show you how the technology works.
To do the same thing directly in the HTML code, first edit your code and find the title area where you want your first anchor, enter the following code: <a name="one"> < /a> Then, for the link at the top, use the following code. <a href="#One"> How to Use Anchor Tags Inside Your Email Message </a> That is all there is to it. You can now make it easier for your readers to get to the parts of your newsletter that are of particular interest to them. You might want to place a #Top anchor near the bottom of each article to return the reader up to the contents list. |
Archives
December 2017
Categories
All
|