VF-Blaster 2.0
Contents
1. VISIONFRIENDLY COWMI WEB ENGINEERING VF Blaster 2 0 User Manual fs VF Blaster 2 0 Blaster 2 0 User Guide Table of Contents Quick Start Guide 8 Easy Steps to Send Out a VF Blaster 2 0 Email Campaign Upload a List Upload a List Map File Fields to List Fields Set Import Rules Upload Results Building an Email Email Creation Tools D Co O O O N NNOOORA A N NIO The Library Library Tour Using the Wizard Write the Copy Offer Styles 11 Edit Email Campaign 12 The Email Canvas 12 Write Paste Edit Text 16 Add Edit Delete Images 16 Create Links 17 Personalize a Message Using Merge Fields 18 Launching and Analyzing a VF Blaster 2 0 Email 19 The Launch Process 19 Reporting 20 Tracking 22 VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 1 A VF Blaster 2 0 Blaster 2 0 User Guide Quick Start Guide 8 Easy Steps to Send Out a VF Blaster 2 0 First Email Campaign There is a lot of great detailed information to be found throughout this user manual The next couple of pages is a brief summary that can get users started in a short amount of time The rest of manual goes into more detail and elaborates on more specific details To get started right away just follow the 8 easy steps below 1 Login to VF Blaster 2 0 at https visionfriendly vresp com New users will need to contact VisionFriendly com at 630 553 0000 or email Info VisionFriendly com to set up an account2. 2 Upload a List There will be a New List link on both the Home and Lists sections of the account Click that link and the system will walk the user through the rest of the process When finished there should be at least one list in the account alongside the Master List Just note that lists will need to be in either Comma Separated Values csv or Text Tab Delimited txt format before they can be uploaded These are the two standard spreadsheet formats so just about any spreadsheet or contact management program like Excel will have the option to Save As or Export To one of these formats 3 Upload or Find Images The Library section of the account is where images can be uploaded for use in emails VF Blaster 2 0 also provides 75 000 pictures in a free Stock Photo Gallery for users to utilize Any uploaded images need to be in JPEG jpg or GIF gif format Using one of these two formats ensures uploaded pictures will look right to all recipients 4 Edit Images Use the Library s editor to resize crop flip or rotate pictures VF Blaster 2 0 will open an image editor by mousing over any image in the Library and clicking the pencil icon The editor can also be accessed when adding pictures to an email 5 Choose an Email Builder There are four different email editors in VF Blaster 2 0 the Wizard the Canvas Freeform and Plain Text e The Wizard is a template driven editor that is great for new users e The Canvas is
3. above categories To help with the analysis and use of this data graphs are provided showing response percentages in each category lists showing exactly which links were clicked and how many times that clicking happened lists showing how the email performed with the top 100 recipient domains and exportable spreadsheets that show exactly who opened the email exactly who clicked links and so on ne Reports Name Type Launch Date End of Summer Sale Canvas Aug 25 2008 2 09PM TV DVD Offer Canvas Apr 15 2008 12 47PM Mid April 08 Canvas Apr 15 2008 10 25AM Survey Feedback Wizard Apr 07 2008 10 12PM New Shipment Wizard Apr 07 2008 9 48PM View All Sent Emails VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 Sent Open Click Bounce Unsub Conv 27 48 19 0 4 0 Actions 12 004 19 10 1 0 n a Actions 11 977 17 9 1 0 n a Actions 11 899 22 15 1 0 n a Actions 11 839 18 12 1 0 n a Actions A 21 VISIONFRIENDLY COM WEB ENGINEERING VF Blas ter 2 0 VF Blaster 2 0 User Guide Tracking In addition to this default reporting VF Blaster 2 0 also provides more advanced tracking options that have to be turned on through Account gt Analytic settings These advanced options are Click to Conversion CTC Tracking This requires adding a snippet of code to a page on a website If someone clicks a link in the email and makes their way to that page VF Blaster 2 0 will count them as a conv
4. inbox requiring the recipient to click a button or link to turn the images on Many of these same email browsers will display the Alt Text to the recipients to help them decide if they want to turn the images on or not So it s a good idea to be either descriptive or action oriented like Go here to read more 2 Ifthe recipient is blind subscribers who use a screen reader to check email and access the internet can have their screen reader read the image Alt Text aloud e Alignment This drop down menu assists with how the image will align with nearby text to the left right etc If there is no text near the image no action here needs to take place e Dimensions Allows altering the height and width of an image Note that it is much better to make alterations using the editor provided within the Library itself and it is not recommended using this field to make changes to the size of an image e Vertical and Horizontal Space These two fields allow for the addition of space around the image to cushion it from whatever other content surrounds it e Border This determines whether the image will have a blue border around it if a link is added to it Keep the default to 0 here if no border is desired Click Insert when finished and the image will be added to the email To Edit the properties of an image Select the image and click the Insert Image button This will pull up the Adjust Display page for that image To D
5. merge field to catch any missing data from a list FIRST NAME Reader or FIRST NAME Subscriber with this example anyone whose first name does not appear in the list would see the default text instead like Reader or Subscriber The system will prompt to enter this backup text if the Insert drop down menu is used A few other important things to note about creating an HTML email within the Canvas e There is an Undo button This is an easy way to erase mistakes e Pressing Enter while writing text creates a double line paragraph break Press Shift Enter for a single line paragraph break e Be sure to use the Save button fairly regularly The Canvas is divided into an HTML Content section described above and a Text Content section Every email sent out through VF Blaster 2 0 is formatted as a multi part MIME This means that any HTML email created and sent out using VF Blaster 2 0 includes a backup text version that will be visible to recipients using email clients that cannot display HTML Though these VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 18 VISIONFRIENDLY COM WEB ENGINEERING VF Blas ter 2 0 VF Blaster 2 0 User Guide recipients will generally be an extremely small percentage including the text backup message ensures they receive a legible message instead of a broken HTML email The Text Content section is for creating the backup text version VF Blaster 2 0 allows the user to either write the backup ve
6. z User Guide 1 Choose Layout Create your email using a blank canvas or select a pre built layout 2 Save Canvas Save your email content 4 Redo Redo the previous action Choose ave a layout li tinvas a A Sa 5 Find and Replace specific content in your email 3 Undo Undo the previous action 6 Cut specific content in your email 7 Copy specific content in your email 8 Paste specific content in your email 9 Paste MS Word content to remove proprietary characters pf aX 2 Be VST 10 Insert Image Edit Image Properties Place or edit properties of selected image D Hyperlink Create a clickable hyperlink B Unlink Link Remove a clickable hyperlink 43 Anchor Link Create a clickable hyperlink to text within your email 14 Custom Character Insert a custom character 45 Horizontal Line Insert a horizontal line g b lh 46 Insert Table Insert and format a table in your email 17 Document Properties Set default fonts and colors for your entire email 48 Font Color Choose a specific font type 19 Font Background Color Choose a background color for the font within your email 20 SpellCheck Check for spelling mistakes within your email Oo 4 GA 2 F VF blaster 2 U VisionFriendly com 63U 553 UUUU 14 VISIONFRIENDLY COM VF Blaster 2 0 WEB ENGINEERING VF Blaster 2 0 User Guide 21 Font Family dropdown Choose a s
7. VF Blaster 2 0 anti spam terms amp conditions the user will be given the option to build a list from scratch by entering one record at a time or to upload a file from a computer Most users upload a file from their computer as entering one record a time would be incredibly tedious for more than a few records The only technical requirement to upload an external file is that the file is saved in CSV Comma Separated Values or TXT Tab Delimited Text format These are the standard spreadsheet formats so whether a file originates in Excel Outlook Address Book Apple Numbers FileMaker ACT Quickbooks or any other spreadsheet contact management program one of the available options within that program will be to save or export that file in CSV or TXT format After a file is chosen for upload click Next A Map File Fields to List Fields section will appear This is where the user can appropriately label each column of data using the drop down menu to the right of each group Email Addresses should be labeled as Email Addresses First Names as First Names and so on The drop down menu can be used to choose one of the standard fields or to create custom fields Data can also be ignored by selecting the Do Not Import option from the same drop down menu VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 A VISIONFRIENDLY COM WEB ENGINEERING VF Blas ter 2 0 VF Blaster 2 0 User Guide Map File Fields to List Fields Some f
8. a graphical HTML editor with enhanced design options and flexibility e Freeform allows users to copy and paste their own pre designed HTML code into the system e Plain Text can be used to create simple text emails without pictures or logos 6 Build an Email Several sections of this guide provide detailed instructions on how to use the various email creation options VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 2 VISIONFRIENDLY COM WEB ENGINEERING VF Blaster 2 0 VF Blaster 2 0 User Guide f Launch an Email After an email has been designed it is time to send it out Launching an email through VF Blaster 2 0 is a quick five step process Preview This tab provides a preview of the email message Send Test From here a test of the email can be sent to an email address and to a list of other people who may want to look over the message before launch Select Lists One or more lists may be selected as the audience for a message If more than one list is selected any duplicate recipients will automatically only receive one copy of the email schedule A message can either be sent out as soon as possible or it can be scheduled for a future launch VF Blaster 2 0 will allow advanced scheduling of up to four weeks Launch VF Blaster 2 0 will ensure all the previous steps have been completed before allowing a launch If a step was missed VF Blaster 2 0 will make the user go back and finish it before continuing But if ever
9. alutation the Greeting field is optional Closing The ending paragraph s and signature for a message This will follow any offers that are added VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 10 VISIONFRIENDLY COM WEB ENGINEERING VF Blas ter 2 0 VF Blaster 2 0 User Guide f Unsubscribe Message As noted in 7 iai Menem the List section of this guide Language VF Blaster 2 0 takes care of all ari language you wish to use for your unsubscribe text unsubscribes automatically This is Enter your Unsubscribe Message reset to default done by automatically inserting an ae unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email sent out A provided drop down F Que menu can be used to have that link say pone isla aces Sika pasos erie tr vee AAE ENA TAA something other than unsubscribe oe vee like Remove Me or Leave This List sake me off this list f Phrase from the following list to define the link your recipients Stop receiving mail ot wish to receive further email from you and customize the unsubscribe Que message that introduces the link 8 Postal Address Including an organization s postal address within the message is required by the US CAN SPAM Act of 2003 as well as laws within many other countries VF Blaster 2 0 requires the user to enter their current postal address within this box this will automatically be populated if entered in the users account profile The profile can be fo
10. aster 2 0 If a reader clicks that link then the email will open up in a web browser This is useful since there are still email browsers out there that could break parts of an email message and opening the email in a web browser which will always support a wider range of HTML and content will ensure everything looks exactly right Most recipients won t need to use this but it s nice to include for the small number that might Enter Your Salutation This is a great place to personalize the message Type Hello Dear etc and follow that with FIRST NAME and VF Blaster will automatically populate the first name of each recipient within the individual email they receive So Dear FIRST NAME friend of XYZ Company in an email received by Rebecca will become Dear Rebecca friend of XYZ Company Any data from a mailing list can be merged into any part of a message by writing the name of the field within the brackets And note that the Salutation field is optional If first names are not available on a list Hello or Greetings can be used as a default value in the event that personalization data is only available for a portion of a list Ex FIRST NAME Valued Customer Greeting Generally used as an opening paragraph for a message On the section following Write Your Content the option to add numerous offers or articles to the message will be available and will follow the greeting As with S
11. cords rejected Download CSV 1 Records had no valid email or postal address 1 Account Snapshot Total list members in account 2 569 Total unique mailable email addresses 2 569 The Results page also includes an Account Snapshot that shows how many records and unique mailable addresses are now included in the entire database Assuming this is the first list the total numbers seen here should reflect the number of addresses that were uploaded If this is the second or third or twentieth list then this number will be different With the upload complete at least three lists should be in the users account e The Master List e My Web Signup Form e The List That Was Just Uploaded a Mailing Lists View and manage your list members All Lists All Members ag New List Displaying 1 through 4 of 4 custom lists Results per page so hea O Name Size Date Created Last Mailed Master List All Members 2 550 Jul 30 2008 5 39PM Never Actions o Chicago Customers 1 439 Sep 11 2008 2 54PM Never Actions 0O My Web Signup Form Has Opt in 1 jul 30 2008 5 39PM Never Actions D Newsletter Subscribers 1 438 Sep 11 2008 2 53PM Never Actions B San Francisco Customers 1 240 Sep 10 2008 10 57AM Never Actions The list size calculation may be slightly delayed VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 6 VISIONFRIENDLY COM WEB ENGINEERING VF Blaster 2 0 Building an Email To help ensure such a w
12. create emails with multiple columns change text fonts colors and sizes similar to the same way as a word processing program import images from the Library turn any text or pictures into links alter background colors and so on The flexibility and customization options are the major benefits of the Canvas There are three ways to start adding content to the Canvas editor listed in order from least advanced to most VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 12 es VF Blaster 2 0 biaster z User Guide 1 The most straightforward way to build a Canvas email is to click the Choose Layout button and select one of the over one hundred starter layouts provided This section allows the user to alter the layouts and content This is the method used by nearly all Canvas users 2 The Canvas can be used to edit a premade HTML email Use the Edit Source tab to paste in the HTML code the design will then appear in the editing area and can be edited by using VF Blaster 2 0 s tools to make changes 3 For users familiar with a WYSIWYG editor every single part of the email can be built from scratch by adding and formatting tables and then dropping content into those tables To get started with the Canvas go to Emails gt New Email choose the Email Canvas and click Next Step Just as with the Wizard VF Blaster 2 0 will prompt the user to enter a From Label and a Subject Line To repeat e Enter Your From Label It i
13. ded photo editing tools scroll over the image This will present the options to either delete or edit the image Selecting the edit option will open the image up on a new screen where changes and edits can take place After making changes either Save over the current image or Save As a new image using the options found in the lower right hand corner of the screen To create folders and sub folders click the Create New Folder link on the main page of the library Then drag and drop images between folders Using the Wizard As noted at the beginning of this stage the Email Wizard is a basic email creation tool that walks through the process of adding content to any one of 300 different borders The Wizard is a tool perfect for beginners or users who don t have access to a web designer To access the Wizard go to Emails gt New Email select the Email Wizard Option and click Next Step The first step to creating a Wizard email is to choose the border for the message The borders are categorized according to design amp industry They all function in the exact same way aside from two exceptions VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 Some of the borders are known as Color Match Borders these appear within their own marked categories These are basic borders that allow the user to change the colors to match the contents of the email Other borders are Fixed Width borders these can be found under various categori
14. elete any image choose the image and click the delete key on the keyboard Create Links Turn any images and text within an email into links the more opportunity readers have to click through to a site the better To do so highlight the text select the image and click the Hyperlink icon within the toolbar This will open a dialog box to insert the link be sure to include the http portion of the link when entered To remove links select a created link and click the Unlink icon VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 17 es VF Blaster 2 0 biaster z User Guide Personalize a Message Using Merge Fields Personalize an email using data from a mailing list This is most commonly used to address recipients by their own names instead of by a generic title like customer Here s how to do it 1 Select the Insert drop down menu located on the bottom row of icons in the Designer s Toolbar nees We 9 CO BX DBE BOP BWLD E 3 A 2 F 2 Choose to insert First Name Last Name Title etc depending on what information is needed to merge into the message 3 There should be an equivalent merge field in the email that looks like this FIRST NAME or TITLE 4 The insert drop down menu shows only standard fields If a list includes custom fields merge those by manually entering them A custom field named LastPurchase would be merged as LastPurchase 5 It is recommended to set default text for a
15. ersion Click to Sale ROI Tracking This allows tracking of how much money any email recipients who clicked a link in the email spent once they reached the organizations site This data can then be used to calculate the Return on Investment for an email ROI tracking works in much the same way as Click To Conversion tracking By adding a snippet of code to the site that VF Blaster uses for reporting within the users account This requires more technical knowledge as it must be setup on the site in such a way that it can capture the specific amount of money spent by each individual Google Analytics Integration VF Blaster 2 0 s integration with Google Analytics allows users to take click through tracking to the next level This will follow a recipient from an open to a click and then to see exactly what that recipient does on a website through a Google account VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 22
16. es This means the width of the border and by extension the content within that border is set to a specific pixel width that does not change with the size of the recipients email browser Any borders not noted as fixed width are variable width which means they expand and contract with the size of the recipient s email browser VISIONFRIENDLY COM WEB ENGINEERING VF Blas ter 2 0 VF Blaster 2 0 User Guide Write Your Copy After selecting a border the system will go to the Write Your Copy page From here a user can start adding text content in the form of a From Label Subject Line Salutation Greeting and Closing 1 1 Enter your From Label Enter Your From Label It is recommend that o F O this be something that is consistent and rarely E ESE E changes like a company name A much better response to an email can be achieved if the name is one recipients recognize 3 Hosted Version M Include link to hosted version of campaign Click to view this email in a browser Har Enter Your Subject Line The subject line is like the headline of a newspaper article it should be concise interesting and describe what the message is about Try to keep the subject under 45 characters because many email browsers cut the subject line off at that point Hosted Version This check box inserts a link at the top of the email that points readers to an online version of the email message that is hosted by VF Bl
17. ide variety of users can get the most out of VF Blaster 2 0 four different email creation tools are provided to cover all levels of expertise They are The Email Wizard This is a basic email builder for novice to moderate users The Wizard gives users the choice of about 300 different email borders and then walks users through adding content to the border chosen The Email Canvas This is a graphical HTML WYSIWYG editor for moderate to expert users The Canvas is far more flexible that the Wizard and allows for VF Blaster 2 0 User Guide 2 Choose a campaign type e D Email Wizard lt Select a themed border and follow the steps for simple email creation Email Canvas Design a custom email using our graphical HTML editor chtml gt Freeform HTML Upload pre built HTML and Text content For Advanced Users A O Text Only Create a plain text email without images or graphics more types of layouts and content editing e Freeform HTML This tool is for anyone generally an expert user who has their own HTML design ready to go All that s necessary to create an email with this tool is to copy and paste HTML into the provided content box e Plain Text This editor creates simple plain text emails Images font styles or adjusting layouts is not permitted with this tool This section of the manual will take a detailed look at two of these tools the Wizard and the Canvas But first lets examine a reso
18. ields in your file have been mapped to existing list fields Fields that did not match can still be loaded as custom fields Examples from file Map to Field 1 abraham gqmail com andrew yahoo com dwight a 2 Abraham Andrew Dwight Franklin James Harry Jol 3 Lincoln Jackson Eisenhower Roosevelt Garfield Trur 4 IL TN TX NY OH MO MA NY NJ State gt FirstPurchase Type Medium Text 125 max After labeling the data Import Rules can be set If this is the first list in the account ignore this section for now Import Rules are important and will be discussed a bit further down 5 No No Yes No Yes No Yes No No Set Import Rules In the event that the list you are loading contains records already found F Preserve older data if a match is found reject the newer record Import newer data if a match is found overwrite the older record After clicking Next a Results page will be displayed Duplicate email addresses incorrectly formatted addresses and previous unsubscribes bounces are all removed during the upload process A report of this data can be downloaded if needed VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 5 a VF Blaster 2 0 Diaster z User Guide i Name It 2 Add Members 3 Results Your list has been uploaded and processed Help List Upload Results Total records added 19 Total records updated o Total re
19. ind some foreign or malformed characters if it is pasted directly into an HTML document like an email website or a blog To help get around this problem a Paste from Word option is included in the toolbar that will remove proprietary formatting and ensure all recipients can see the text without any problems Add Edit Delete Images To add an image select the location in the message where it should be placed click the Insert Image button in the top row of the toolbar This will open up the Library where there is the option to select any image previously uploaded or choose from the Stock Photo Gallery 1 Select Image 2 Adjust Display Image URL If using an external image with an existing URL enter the URL here and click the Adjust Display tab eee My Images Viewing 1 to 16 of 16 in My Images 3 My Images 3 Bridge Photos 1 E SF Pictures C Television Images Gi Trash 7 empty trash lap2 jpg Sk R Upload Images E Create New Folder PT logo jpg PaintedLadies jpg transamerica 5k 17k 11k Now there will be an Adjust Display page This page allows several different properties of the image to be altered VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 16 es VF Blaster 2 0 Blaster 2 0 User Guide e Alternative Text The Alt Text for the image should be a description of the image The Alt Text serves two purposes 1 Many email browsers initially block images when an email arrives in the
20. l editor All steps must be completed to send the email 1 Edit Email Campaign Any final changes to an email can be made here 2 Preview This step shows a preview of both the HTML and Text versions of the message 3 Send Test Send a test of the email to any email address or list of email addresses There is no cost for sending tests The only difference between a test email and a live email is that the subject line in a test message clearly states that the email is a test and both HTML and text versions will be sent out as separate messages Remember in a live email the appropriate version will display depending on each recipient s preferences VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 19 fe VF Blaster 2 0 Blaster 2 0 User Guide 4 Select Lists One or more lists may be selected as the audience for a message If more than one list is selected any duplicate recipients will automatically only receive one copy of the email 5 Schedule A message can be scheduled to go out up to 4 months in advance or as soon as possible When scheduling an email every email that is sent through VF Blaster 2 0 scanned by the system before it can be sent This helps put a stop to spam fraudulent messages and other emails that violate VF Blaster 2 0 s Terms of Service This helps ensure that the email campaigns for all VF Blaster 2 0 users get delivered at a high rate Because of this policy of looking over every e
21. mail approval windows fall between the hours of 7 AM to 7 PM PST 7 9 11 1 3 5 7 seven days a week Each noted approval time represents the guaranteed time an email will be approved If a message is launched at 1 30 PM the next approval time is at 3 00 which means the email will be approved between 1 30 and no later than 3 00 as that is the guaranteed time lf a message Is scheduled two months in advance it will still be approved by the next guaranteed time on the day of scheduling The email will then sit in the users account with a status of pending launch until the scheduled date and time 6 Launch The system will ensure all the necessary steps have been completed VF Blaster 2 0 will allow the user to set a reply to address this is the address that receives any replies to the message VF Blaster 2 0 will notify the user of any duplicates that have been removed from a list When ready to Launch click Launch Reporting Once an email is sent out reporting will begin automatically This includes who opened the email clicked a link bounced unsubscribed or wasn t tracked as doing anything at all these reports are available under Emails gt Sent Emails or in the Reports section of the Home Page 1 Open This is tracked based on whether or not an invisible tracking image within the email was loaded by the recipient Since many email browsers turn images off by default requiring end users to click a link to
22. pecific font type 22 Font Size dropdown Choose a specific font size 23 Insert Merge Fields dropdown Insert personalization fields survey links forward to a friend links etc Font family Font size v insert 24 Bold the chosen selection 25 Italics Italicize the chosen selection 26 Underline text e Left Justified Make all text left justified 28 Center Center all text 29 Right Justified Make all text right justified i kai I 1 gt Pap 34 Remove Formatting Remove all formatting from selected text 83 Outdent Outdent your text 32 Indent Indent your text B Numbered List Create a numbered list 0 Bulleted List Create a bulleted list VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 es VF Blaster 2 0 biaster z User Guide Write Paste Edit Text The Canvas allows the user to write copy and paste and edit content The Canvas includes a full range of text editing options like altering Font type and size changing colors adding bullets and other similar options writing amp editing text should not be all that different than using other text editors Pasting from Microsoft Word or Google Docs is a simple process The copy shortcut is CTRL C on aPC or Command C on a Mac The paste shortcut is CTRL V on a PC or Command V on a Mac The only snag here is that Microsoft Word specifically uses proprietary formatting that can leave beh
23. rsion from scratch or use the Import from HTML button at the very top of this section to pull the text from the HTML version Using the Import option is recommended just be sure to review the imported text to ensure that it displays properly Once finished creating both the HTML and text versions of the email VF Blaster 2 0 will prompt the user to enter an Unsubscribe message and Postal address Unsubscribe Message As noted in the List section of this guide VF Blaster 2 0 takes care of all unsubscribes automatically This is done by automatically inserting an unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email sent out A provided drop down menu can be used to have that link say something other than unsubscribe like Remove Me or Leave This List and customize the unsubscribe message that introduces the link Postal Address Including an organization s postal address within the message is required by the US CAN SPAM Act of 2003 as well as laws within many other countries VF Blaster 2 0 requires the user to enter their current postal address within this box this will automatically be populated if entered in the users account profile The profile can be found under the Account section Click Next Step to proceed This will save all work Launching and Analyzing an Email The Launch Process Now that email is designed it is time to Launch The launch process consists of six steps each of which is represented by a tab in the emai
24. s recommend that this be something that is consistent and rarely changes like a company name A much better response to an email can be achieved if the name is one recipients recognize e Enter Your Subject Line The subject line is like the headline of a newspaper article it should be concise interesting and describe what the message is about Try to keep the subject under 45 characters because many email browsers cut the subject line off at that point Beneath these two steps is the Canvas itself which is divided into an HTML Content and Text Content section The HTML Content section is open by default Within the HTML Content area is the Designer s Toolbar and the blank canvas itself The best way to get started is to click the very first button in the toolbar Choose Layout This will open a pop up window that provides numerous layouts filtered into several categories Many of the layouts are themed with particular industries in mind but this can all be changed and edited unlike the Wizard borders Every part of each layout can be edited and changed very easily After choosing a layout start adding content This guide will cover specific actions like adding images creating links adding editing text personalizing the message and changing background colors The following two pages are images that describe the functionality of each button VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 13 arn VF Blaster 2 0 biaster
25. sit our How To Do Everything Site Offer Image Browse a computer for an image or use one that is already saved to the Library The image will align to the left right or above the messages text depending on which offer layout is selected To proceed click Next Edit Email Campaign This will bring up Edit Email Campaign staging area of an email All work has now been saved up to this point and any changes to the email can be done here e Use the green buttons along the top of the page to choose a different border change the color of the current border if its a Color Match border add a logo or add more offers e Use the links in the upper right hand corner to add a Forward to a Friend Link or do a basic Spam Check of content It is recommended to do both for all emails e Use the links within the body of the message to edit any part of the content to delete offers and move offers up and down in relation to each other e Use the tabs along the very top to launch the email Each tab must be gone through before sending the email To learn more about this move on to the section Launching and Analyzing a VF Blaster 2 0 Email to read about the email launch process The Email Canvas The Email Canvas is a Graphical or WYSIWYG What You See Is What You Get HTML tool The Canvas opens with a blank canvas and provides a full designer s toolbar to assist in adding and editing content With the Canvas the user can
26. und under the Account section To proceed click Next Step VF Blaster 2 0 will now allow the user to select an Offer Style Offer Styles Tithe Offer Styles allow for adding images links and other text content to a Offer Text Wizard email There is no limit to the number of these sections allowed in a message think of them as individual content blocks that stack on top of one another There are a number of different types of offer styles some are image only some are text and link only and some allow links text and images A description and illustration of each layout are Title Offer Text available Link to your site Link to your site Let s take a moment to look at an Offer that allows for the addition of links text and images 1 Content Title This creates a bold header or title for this Title particular offer section This field is optional Offer Text 2 Copy This is the text message of an offer and it can be as long or as short as needed Personalization Such as FIRST _NAME can be used here the same as with anywhere else in the message 3 Click through URL Use this to create a link to a website The link has two parts the link itself and the link text Link to your site VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 11 VISIONFRIENDLY COM WEB ENGINEERING VF Blas ter 2 0 VF Blaster 2 0 User Guide URL http www VisionFriendly com tutorials Link Text Vi
27. urce that plays a very important part in the email creation process The Library Before building an email the Library section of the account will need to be used to prepare images 25mb of space has been reserved for images all at no charge which can be used with any of the email tools except for the Plain Text editor The Media Library allows for e Upload Images VF Blaster 2 0 allows for the upload of images in jpg or gif format the two standard image formats on the web e Search the Free Library There are more than 75 000 pictures available in numerous categories that can be used as often as needed and at no additional cost VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 7 VISIONFRIENDLY COM WEB ENGINEERING VF B as te r 2 0 VF Blaster 2 0 User Guide Displaying 11 through 20 of 72 images Pages 12345678B ta 1000881705 jpg 1000611223 jpa 1000611200 jpa 1000616785 jpg 1000616782 jpg small 350x229 56k smal 234x350 69k small 350x234 55k smal 350x234 50k small 234x350 30k large 800x524 328k large 535x800 423k large 800x535 339k large 800x535 324k large 535x800 208k 1000616855 jpg 1000616837 jpg 1000616779 jpg 1000616836 jpgq 1000616863 jpg small 234x350 67k small 350x234 83k small 234x350 69k smal 234x350 69k small 234x350 63k large 535x800 418k large 800x535 542k large 535x800 391k large 535x800 470k large 535x800 402k irporation All Rights Reser
28. ved PHOTOS M gt gt e Resize images Easily create email friendly graphics that complement any layout Images can be adjusted by pixel or percent to get the exact size needed e Flip amp rotate images The flip amp rotate tools can instantly change the orientation of an image A simple click will change the orientation for any image e Crop images The Media Library comes with a simple cropping tool that allows for trimming specific sections of an image e Organize images Create and manage folders and subfolders to store images Start by uploading new images then drag and drop from one folder to another VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 Q VISIONFRIENDLY COM WEB ENGINEERING VF Blaster 2 0 VF Blaster 2 0 User Guide Library Tour Accessing features from the library is a simple process To upload images choose the Upload Images link in the Lower Left Then select the file from a location on a computer To choose images from the VF Blaster 2 0 free Stock Photo Gallery click the Search Gallery Images link which can be found right next to the Upload Images link within the Library This will open a pop up window with a search for photos option or a browse through a variety of different categories option Scrolling over an image will open a larger preview It is recommended to use the smaller image whenever possible If editing of the image is required use the larger size image To access the provi
29. view images in the email they receive only those people interested enough in the email to turn the images on or those people who do not have this restriction on their own inbox will be reported as an open if they open the email The need for an image also means that opens for plain text emails cannot be tracked If someone opens an email more than once only one open will be counted VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 20 VISIONFRIENDLY COM WEB ENGINEERING VF Blaster 2 0 VF Blaster 2 0 User Guide 2 Clicks The total number of clicks displayed in the report shows exactly how many times each link within the email has been clicked If one person clicks a single link several times each of those clicks will be counted individually 3 Bounces If an address bounces It means the email could not be delivered to that address Bounces are broken down into two categories e Hard Bounces Bounces that very clearly state the email could not be delivered i e user unknown no user mailbox here etc Are marked as bounced within the account immediately e Soft Bounces Bounces that are caused by an apparent temporary error VF Blaster 2 0 will try to deliver these for three days if the message still can t be delivered after this period then VF Blaster 2 0 will mark the email address as bounced 4 Non Responder A non responder is an address that cannot be placed into any of the
30. ything is ready click the Launch button 8 Look Over the Reports Once an email is sent reporting will immediately begin Reporting on who opened the email who clicked on links and which links they clicked who bounced and or unsubscribed More advanced and free reporting like Google Analytics Integration and Click to Conversion Tracking can be turned on by changing the Analytics Settings found within the Account section VF Blaster 2 0 VisionFriendly com 630 553 0000 3 fe VF Blaster 2 0 Blaster 2 0 User Guide Upload a List Before an email can be sent out through VF Blaster 2 0 a list will need to be prepared If an opt in form from VF Blaster 2 0 is being used then the list is already in the account Otherwise a list will need to be uploaded VF Blaster 2 0 allows for any number of lists with any amount of records in each list When sending an email a list will need to be chosen to send to It s important to note that VisionFriendly com maintains a strict anti spam policy as this helps us achieve extremely high delivery rates for the emails sent VisionFriendly com does not allow the use of purchased rented or harvested lists Emails sent through VF Blaster 2 0 should only go to those people who have requested to receive that email in one way or another i e through a website over the phone at a tradeshow etc To upload a list navigate to Lists gt Mailing Lists gt New List Once the user agrees to
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