In BACKCLICK every subscriber has to be part of at least one mailing list. By means of this belonging it is possible to send a newsletter or a campaign to a specific mailing list. Only after a mailing list is created, subscribers can subscribe, unsubscribe or change their profile using the WebInterface. Likewise, users cannot create or import subscribers until a mailing list is configured.
In order to see whether your administrator has already created the required list(s), look at the menu item Campaign - Management -> Create new Campaign. The corresponding list(s) available to create a newsletter will be displayed.
Creating a new mailing list is not necessary in this case and you can switch to the chaper Create the first subscriber.
Fig. 3.2 - Create new Campaign (Example with mailing lists available)
If there is no mailing list available you have to create a new one in BACKCLICK. Choose the menu item Mailing list - Management -> Create Mailing list.
The first mailing list you create will get the ID 1, the second one will get the ID 2, and so on. These IDs will be important for importing data and creating your HTML templates for subscription and unsubscription.
After choosing the menu item Create Mailing list you will see the following screen:
Figure 3.2.1 — Create mailing list (without input)
Before you get started, the following information have to be available:
- E-mail address that will be shown as the sending e-mail address.
- Alternative name that will be shown as the sender's name in the E-Mail client of the subscriber.
- E-Mail address of the administrator that recieves the returned E-Mails that could not be handled automatically
- E-Mail address of the deputy administrator that recieves the returned E-Mails that could not be handled automatically as well (optional)
- POP3 access information for the account of the sender's E-Mail address (username, password, host, port)
- SMTP server that is in charge of sending the e-mails (host, port, possibly user, password)
All input possibilities are described below.
Figure 3.2.1.1 — Create mailing list (Input example, Part 1)
Mailing list ID
Optionally, you can provide an ID yourself, in case this is useful for sorting purposes. If this field is left blank, BACKCLICK will generate sequenced IDs for all mailing lists created automatically. This ID is based on the moment the mailing list is saved.
Name
This name is displayed in the administrator interface of BACKCLICK. You can change it any time.
Description (optional)
You may enter a description for your mailing list here. It will only be displayed when you are editing this list.
Administrator's E-Mail
Enter the E-Mail address of the administrator that is supposed to be responsible for this mailing list here. He will receive all E-Mails that are sent back to the distributor account by subscribers and could not be filtered automatically.
CC - E-Mail (optional)
You may define a CC - E-Mail address that receives a copy of these administrator E-Mails.
Figure 3.2.1.2 — Create a mailing list (Input example, Part 2)
Mailing list - E-Mail account
Enter the senders E-Mail address to be used for sending E-Mails to this mailing list. This E-Mail address is displayed as the "Received from" E-Mail address to the subscribers. NOTE: This account cannot be identical with the administrator account.
Activate advanced sender options
If the advanced-sender options are activated, you can define additional mailing list E-Mail account addresses for Reply To and Return Path.
- Reply-To: The E-Mail address that receives reply E-Mails. Every reply the subscriber sends by clicking the 'Reply' button will be sent to this E-Mail address.
- Return-Path: The E-Mail address that receives E-Mails returned due to unavailability or non-existence of the subscriber's E-Mail address. Like described in the interface, bare in mind that the SMTP server defines these E-Mail addresses itself. If you enter an E-Mail address here, double-check if it is the same address as on your SMTP server afterwards.
Displayed E-Mail address
You can enter an alternative sender's name for the mailing list here. This name will be displayed to the recipient (subscriber) instead of the sender's E-Mail address (Mailing list - E-Mail account) depending on mail clients.
Mailing list - User name
Enter the username of the POP3 newsletter account of the sender's E-Mail address here. Username and password are used to receive and filter reply E-Mails automatically.
Mailing list - Password
Enter the password to the POP3 newsletter account of the sender's E-Mail address here.
POP3 - Server of the mailing list E-Mail account
Enter the POP3 serverhost for your POP3 newsletter account of the sender's E-Mail address here. If you do not provide a serverhost, BACKCLICK will try to use the local computer ("localhost") to receive E-Mails.
POP3-server timeout
Please define a timeout period for access to your POP3 server here. If a problem should occur while retrieving an E-Mail from the POP3 account, BACKCLICK terminates the call after this period of time. The timeout period can be anything from 1 to 30 seconds.
Fig. 3.2.1.3 - Create a mailing list (Input example, Part 3)
SMTP - Server #01 - #20
Enter one (or more) dedicated SMTP servers for this mailing list here. If you do not provide an SMTP - server, BACKCLICK will try to use the local computer ("localhost") for dispatch. Enter the login details for the SMTP - server as well if needed. BACKCLICK supports AMTP, which is used by web.de amongst others.
SMTP - Server Timeout
Please define a timeout period for the access to your SMTP server here. If this server has a problem while checking the e-mails, BACKCLICK will stop processing the access. The timeout period can be anywhere from1 to 30 seconds.
PLEASE NOTE: While you are using the internal MTA, you will not see menu items:
- SMTP - Server #01 - #20 und
- SMTP - Server Timeout
because they will not find any connection.
For further information, please read Chapter
BACKCLICK MTA
Priority
You may define the priority of sending your newsletter with this mailing list. This will not affect the rate of sending, but the view in the subscriber's mail client.
Personalization
If you activate “Personalization” here, every subscriber will receive his or her personalized newsletter. This is filled with personal data from the BACKCLICK database. You may choose from variables and replacement characters that include $$TITLE$$, $$LASTNAME$$, and others. You can also add replacement characters to (for example) $$SIZEOFSHOE$$. The rate of sending a personalized newsletter is between 100,000 and 1,500,000 e-mails per hour. This rate depends on your hardware, connections, number of SMTP servers, and the size of the newsletter.
Link - Redirect
This function makes it possible to report your responses. When you activate this function, hyperlinks will be automatically replaced by BACKCLICK over the server where BACKCLICK is installed, and recorded in the BACKCLICK statistical database. Without this activation, it is not possible to check the response data. (If your links should not be changed in any way, please deactivate Link-Redirect.) PLEASE NOTE: BACKCLICK statistics will also be deactivated when you do this.
If the “Personalization” is deactivated, link redirect “Link-Redirect” and “Mailto Redirect” are grey-highlighted, and are NOT usable/displaceable.
Figure 3.2.1.4 — Create mailing list (Example entries, Part 4)
Individualization
Here you may define whether every subscriber should get an individualized newsletter. If you activate this function, the content will be calculated by defined logics. PLEASE NOTE: Do not activate this function if you do not intend to use it, because the computing time while sending a newsletter will be much higher. You will only reach sending rates between 50,000 and 100,000 newsletters per hour.
Inline Images
By activating this function, you will be able to send off-line HTML e-mails. For example, if you put http://www.domain.de/images/image.jpg in your newsletter source code (HTML), BACKCLICK will automatically download this picture from the World Wide Web and embed it in your newsletter. The advantage here is that even the newer e-mail clients like AOL 9.0 or OUTLOOK 2003 will display the e-mails in the right format, automatically, without the help of the subscriber. You may use picture formats like .gif or .jpg. Please consider that your newsletter will be much bigger with an inline image than without one. You may deactivate this function individually for each newsletter you would like to send, even if you had previously activated the “Inline Images” function.
if you had previously activated the “Inline Images” function.
Default format/custom format
You may choose among the following default formats:
If you do not find the format you need, please define a new one by clicking on "?"(Custom Format). If you use another format than the one chosen in the system settings, here is what they will look like.
Activate IVW evaluation
To get an IVW-conformable count of the opened HTML newsletters, you must activate this function. You will need an SZM link, which you will get from IVW. IVW charges a fee for this service. Please read the instructions on the IVW external website.
Activate BACKCLICK's internal evaluation
BACKCLICK offers a similar version of the IVW evaluation, but free of charge. You must activate this function in order to use it. Please note that evaluation is only possible for HTML newsletters. The percentile evaluation is also affected by auto preview, HTML proxy server, and deactivation of downloading the same content again.
Activate response tracking and personalized analysis for market research
BACKCLICK makes it possible for you to relate your response data to the profile data of your subscribers. That way, you can analyze the response data as it relates to individual subscribers. This data may then be exported. PLEASE NOTE: Every nation has its own data-protection laws. You may have liability if your data and its use do not conform to these law.
Abb. 3.2.1.5 - Verteilerliste anlegen (Beispieleingaben, Abschnitt 5)
Send last newsletter
If a subscriber applies over the WebInterface, he or she will automatically receive the last newsletter sent by BACKCLICK. This will only happen if the function is activated.
Mailing lists
Please activate this function if a subscriber no longer wants to receive a special newsletter from an allocated mailing list and/or if you want the individual unsubscribed from other lists as well.
PLEASE NOTE: This is ONLY valid for unsubscribing over your IMF filter!
Welcome message/Goodbye message
If you activate this function, two messages will be sent to your subscribers. Those who subscribed will receive a “Welcome” message (“confirmed-opt-in”). Those who unsubscribed will receive a “Goodbye” message (“confirmed-opt-out”). PLEASE NOTE: If you already use the double-opt in/out function, you do not have to activate this function.
Welcome-subject
This message will be shown in the subject line of the welcome e-mail that BACKCLICK will send.
Welcome message
Write a short welcome message here. The subscriber will receive this message in plain text after subscribing.
Abb. 3.2.1.6 - Verteilerliste anlegen (Beispieleingaben, Abschnitt 6)
Goodbye message
Write a short notification text here. The subscriber will receive this after unsubscribing from the mailing list.
Subject
Write the message of your standard newsletter here. It will be shown in every newsletter you write as the subject line (default subject). A current subject may be substituted in every newsletter for the standard one.
Subject of test campaign
Please enter a subject line for your test campaign. This subject line will appear in each test campaign that a subscriber requests over the WebInterface.
E-mail on demand
Diese Funktion ermöglicht es Ihnen bei Rückläufern, die vom System nicht automatisch erkannt werden, eine Antwort Email an den Absender der Rücklauf Email zu versenden. Um diese Antwort Email zu verfassen, lesen Sie bitte Kapitel Email_on_demand ( siehe Seite 403).
Template
The template “Autoremove” gives subscribers the option of unsubscribing easily from your newsletter. You will find some of these templates when BACKCLICK is delivered, and you may edit them as you like. In addition, you will be able to create your own template for unsubscribing. Please read chapter WebInterface - Templates for more information. You will find all the existing templates in this “Select” box.
External databases
If an external database is configured, you may choose it out of this “Select” box. Any newsletters sent with this mailing list will be stored there. Please read chapter XX, “System Settings -> External Databases,” for more information.
Charset/Language
This is where you must choose the charset/language in which you want to create you newsletter, so that the characters are displayed correctly.
If all settings are complete and you want to save them, please click the button "save". If all your entries are correct, and the server is available, you will see the following confirmation:
Abb. 3.2.2 - Verteilerliste angelegt (Beispieleingaben)
If an error message is shown here, please follow the instructions to correct the issue. If all settings are correct, you may now create the first subscriber in your system, and connect the subscriber to this mailing list.