Create a Standard Campaign

You can create a standard campaign to send once or on a recurring basis to one or more lists of contacts. Before you create the campaign, make sure you have created at least one list of contacts who will receive it. You can only select existing lists during campaign creation, not create new ones. Follow a descriptive, consistent naming convention when creating campaigns to make identification easier. If the campaign you are creating is similar to an existing one, you can copy it to save time, but the copy will have the same frequency as the original campaign.

The following information applies only to standard campaigns, not to pre-built or drip campaigns. See Campaigns for information about the other types of campaigns available.

Add a New Standard Campaign

The sections below explain how to create a standard campaign from scratch. Sending a test email before sending your campaign is recommended, to verify that all content displays as expected.

1. Click Campaigns or My Campaigns on the navigation menu.
2. Click the + New Campaign button and select Standard Campaign.

Standard Campaign Basics

In the Standard Campaign Basics section (which is labeled Create Standard Campaign when you first create your campaign), enter general information about your campaign to identify it and determine how it displays to recipients and how they can interact with it (such as its Campaign Name, Campaign Type, From and Reply To email addresses, Subject, Branding Profile, and Language). Except for the Campaign Name and Campaign Type, all of your selections in this section display to recipients.

You can only select one language for each campaign. If you want to send the same campaign in multiple languages, you must create a separate campaign for each one. Make sure you create separate lists for these campaigns, to ensure that all contacts receive the campaign in their preferred language.

1. Enter the following information:
1. Enter a Campaign Name that will help to identify the content included or the purpose of the campaign.
2. Select a Campaign Type from the dropdown. Only use the Account Servicing campaign type to send important account-related communications.

   This campaign type sends to all contacts on the list(s) who are associated to active accounts (regardless of their subscription preferences or list exclusions), except for contacts on Prospect accounts, who are automatically excluded.  

3. Select a Reply To email address. If recipients reply to your campaign email, their replies will be sent to this address.
4. Enter a Subject line for the email. You can insert a merge variable if necessary. For a complete list of merge variables, click here.

   To use the Test Merge Variables link, you must have selected at least one list of recipients. Merge variables only populate for client contacts, not for employees. To add a merge variable to the Subject field, do the following:

   1. Place your cursor where you want to add the variable in the Subject field and then click the Insert Merge Variable button or begin typing the merge variable code. When you begin typing the code, a list of merge variables displays for selection.
   2. Select a merge variable from the list to insert it.
   3. Click the Test Merge Variables link to preview the email with the merge variable(s) included. Select a contact in the To: dropdown to populate the variable with that contact’s information in the preview.
   4. Click the Return to Send Email link to continue creating your campaign. You must complete all required fields before clicking the Send button.
5. Select a Branding Profile from the dropdown.
6. Select the Language in which any copyright and compliance text will display.
7. Select a radio button to determine the campaign frequency.
2. Click the Continue button to proceed to the Campaign Detail page and continue creating your campaign. Click Cancel to discard the information you entered and return to the Campaigns page.

Select List

You must create at least one list of recipients before completing the Select List section. You can select multiple lists if necessary. If you will be sending content in different languages, make sure you create a separate list for each one, based on the contacts’ preferred language. Dynamic lists in Draft status are not available for selection; you must save them first. The campaign inherits structure access from its associated lists. Only users with access to at least one of the structure combinations on the campaign’s list(s) can access it.

1. On the Campaign Detail page, click the Select List link.
2. The Select List page displays. Select the checkbox beside each List of contacts you want to use for this campaign. If necessary, you can do any of the following to locate a specific list:
• Filter the Lists by entering a full or partial List Name and clicking the Search button.
• Sort the Lists by clicking on a column heading. Click the column heading again to reverse the sort order.
• Browse multiple pages of Lists by clicking the First, Previous, Next, Last, or page number links.
3. Click the Select button to add the list(s) to the campaign. Click Cancel to discard your selection and return to the Campaign Detail page.

Design Email

You can customize the look and feel of your email, either with a template or a suite of design tools, and add content from the Content Library (including content that your organization has uploaded). You can also use merge variables to personalize the email with your organization's information and/or recipient's information. Arrange the content sections in the order in which you want them to display to campaign recipients. You do not need to complete the email design in a single session; use the Save button if you want to save your progress and return later.

1. On the Campaign Detail page, click the Design Email link to choose a template or design your own email. The Template Library displays.
• To use an existing template, locate it in the Template Library and click Select.
• To create an email without a template, click Design Email to open the Email Builder. See Email Builder for more information on building your design.
2. Click Save or Cancel to return to the Campaign Detail page.

Delivery Options

You can only send your standard campaign after completing the Standard Campaign Basics, Select List, and Add Content sections. Your delivery options depend on the campaign frequency you selected in the Standard Campaign Basics section.

You can send a one-time standard campaign immediately or schedule it to send in the future. All recurring standard campaigns require you to select scheduling options. If any of the lists you selected are edited before a scheduled standard campaign is sent, the campaign will be sent to the contacts who are on the lists at the time it is sent. Your schedule selection is permanent, but you can delete standard campaign editions in draft status if necessary.

Only Once

If you selected Only Once in the Standard Campaign Basics section during campaign creation, schedule your standard campaign for delivery:

1. Before sending your campaign, send a test email to ensure that all content displays as intended.
   1. Click the Send Test Email button.
   2. Enter the email address of the Test Email Recipient.
   3. Click Send Test Email.
   4. Review the test email to ensure that it displays correctly.
2. You have two options for sending your standard campaign:
• Schedule Delivery
  1. Click the Schedule Delivery button.
  2. Enter the Date in mm/dd/yyyy format, or click the calendar to select a date.
  3. Enter the Time (including a space and a.m. or p.m.), or click the clock to select the time.
  4. Click the Schedule Now button to schedule delivery.
• Send Now
  1. Click the Send Now button.
  2. You are prompted to confirm the sending of your campaign. Click the secondary Send button.

On a recurring schedule

If you selected one of the recurring options in the Standard Campaign Basics section during campaign creation, you must specify how often your standard campaign will be sent.

1. Before sending your campaign, send a test email to ensure that all content displays as intended.
   1. Click the Send Test Email button.
   2. Enter the email address of the Test Email Recipient.
   3. Click Send Test Email.
   4. Review the test email to ensure that it displays correctly.
2. Click the Schedule Delivery button.
1. Select the frequency of your campaign emails using the dropdown and the Days, Weeks, and Months radio buttons.
2. To schedule the sending of the first edition of your standard campaign, click the calendar to select the day and the clock to select the time.
3. If you selected Months, you must select one of the Repeat by options:
• If you choose the Day of the Month radio button, select the day of the month when you want the campaign to send from the Repeats on Day dropdown menu. If you always want the campaign to send on the last day of the month, select 31.
• If you choose the Week and Day radio button, select the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or Last from the first dropdown menu, then select the weekday from the second dropdown menu.
4. Determine when your standard campaign will end:
• To end your standard campaign after a specific number of occurrences, select the After radio button and enter a number.
• To end your standard campaign after a specific date, select the By radio button and click the calendar to select the date.
5. If you are creating a recurring standard campaign with the same content, you can select the Send only to contacts who have not previously received this campaign checkbox to prevent contacts from receiving the same content multiple times.
3. Review your selections and click the Schedule Now button.
4. A list of all editions of the campaign displays. Click Confirm Schedule to create the standard campaign or click Cancel to edit the Schedule Delivery options.
5. Regardless of the recurrence option you selected, the first edition of your standard campaign will be sent automatically. The delivery of all subsequent editions depends on the recurrence option:
• If you selected On a recurring schedule with the same content, all subsequent editions will send automatically on the schedule you selected. The second edition of your standard campaign will only display after the first edition is sent. Once the system creates the second edition, do the following to view its details:
1. Click Campaigns in the navigation bar.
2. Locate the campaign in the list and do one of the following:
• Click the campaign to open Campaign Detail. In the Editions area, click the Details link.
• Click the chevron  beside the campaign to display the individual editions. Click an edition to open Campaign Detail.
• If you selected On a recurring schedule with different content, you must add content to each edition and approve it before it can be sent:
1. Click Campaigns in the navigation bar.
2. To locate an edition, do one of the following:
• Click the campaign to open the Campaign Detail. In the Editions frame, locate the edition and click Edit Email. If necessary, use the Display From and To calendars to filter the editions in the list.
• Click the chevron beside the campaign to display the individual editions. Click an edition.
3. The Add Content page displays, where you can add your content. Once you have added it, click the Save Layout and Content button.
4. On the Campaign Detail page, click the Approve Edition button. The system can now send this edition as scheduled.
5. Repeat this process to select content and approve additional editions for sending.

Copy an Existing Standard Campaign

If the campaign you are creating is similar to an existing standard campaign, you can save time by copying it. However, the original campaign's frequency also copies and cannot be changed.

The following information does not apply to pre-built campaigns, which cannot be copied. See Campaigns for information about the types of campaigns available.

1. Click Campaigns or My Campaigns on the navigation menu.
2. Locate the campaign in the list and click Copy. If necessary, you can sort or filter the list:
• Enter a full or partial Campaign Name and click the Search button.
• Sort the Campaigns by clicking on a column heading. Click the column heading again to reverse the sort order.
• Browse multiple pages of Campaigns by clicking the First, Previous, Next, Last, or page number links at the bottom of the page.
• If you cannot find the campaign you are looking for, it may be hidden (for example, if it has already completed and does not need to be accessed often). Select the Show Hidden checkbox to include hidden campaigns in the list. If you want a hidden campaign to display in the Campaigns list by default, click its Show link.
3. Enter the New Campaign Name in the Copy Campaign pop-up window that displays, and then click the Create Copy button.
   The campaign is added to the Campaigns list. You must edit the standard campaign to schedule delivery, change the selected lists, modify content, or edit its basic information. You cannot edit its frequency.