Using Outlook and Mail Merge to increase response rates

Chad Leaman

NetSquaredVancouver

Microsoft Office workflow for mass email

• Stop laughing! There is a good reason!– Targeting a small, distinguished group– Between CRMs– Many contacts to invite were not properly tracked

(had to dig for information)– A mass mail and a direct mail had already been sent,

to poor results– Emails from a person > emails from a mass mail

program

How signups were going

Microsoft Office workflow for mass email

Outlook – become boss

Word – write simple copy

Excel – build the list

Unplug ethernet

Merge

Personalize

Plug in and send

Excel Build the List

• The standard contact fields • I also added columns for the process:– First Email– Snail Mail– Personal Mail– Phone Call– Can’t attend– Confirmed

Word – Write simple copy• I wrote it as my boss would. Couple short sentences:

Hi «First_Name»,I wanted to personally invite you to the Neil Squire Society’s 30th Anniversary VIP event. It is a private reception for supporters on June 18th at the Vancouver Club from 5pm to 8pm. Please let me know if you are able to make this event. You can RSVP on our website (http://www.neilsquire.ca/30vip/) or email me.You’ve been an important part of our history and I hope you are able to celebrate with us.Gary

Outlook – Become the Boss

• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb676368(v=exchg.141).aspx

Unplug Ethernet

• Because mail merge puts everything in Outbox

Mail Merge

• Under your Mailings tab in Word

Outlook - Outbox

• Change the Send As / “From” on each one.• Can delay the send time (so you don’t look like

a spam bot to mail servers)• Spend 15 seconds to personalize. – After event did this process again, added a picture

of them to the email.

Plug in and send

They came!

What I learned

• This took process drove 70% of signups. The mass mailer and direct mail before this drove 20%.

• People will email back saying yes, or no and why not (I’m away but wish you the best). They don’t go to signup form linked.