A Dynamic Group automatically omits bounced email addresses and opt-outs from previous sends. It automatically adds new group members who meet your query criteria: new customers, new prospects, new networking contacts, for example. It will also automatically limit the list to contacts with email addresses.
Instead of fiddling with Lookups to build a list each time you publish your e-letter, with an ACT Dynamic Group you just create a Lookup of the Dynamic Group members. Your newsletter is ready to go.
I also create a Dynamic Group for bounced emails to follow up with readers who change email addresses or to find the replacement for readers who left their company (good sales follow up strategy, too).
I don’t like losing subscribers I worked so hard to get! As soon as the email is updated, it automatically “leaves” the bounce Group and pops back into the newsletter list Group. No muss, no fuss.
Here’s how to set up an ACT Dynamic Group Membership list:
- Go to Groups (on the left panel of icons). Create a New Group called “E-Newsletter Group.”
- Click the Add/Remove Contacts button under the Contacts tab. The Add/Remove Contacts dialog appears.
- Click the Edit Criteria button. The Group Criteria dialog opens.
- Begin building your list criteria. For example, the first thing you want are only contacts that have email addresses. So select Contact for the Type of field, and click the drop-down arrow for Field Name. Type “e” to find the email field. Click the drop-down arrow for Operator and choose “Contains data”. The “Value” box will grey out. Now click the Add to List button.
- Continue adding other criteria. For example, you may want to exclude vendors or out-of-town contacts.
- To exclude opt-outs or bounced email addresses from previous mailings, you will need to create an ACT! field to track this. In our office we have a field called “List Preference” with a multi-select drop down for “do not email”, “email failed”, “do not fax” and “do not mail.” We keep this updated (Swiftpage can automate this process), and then use it in our criteria selection by indicating “List Preference” “Does not contain data.”
- Mind your “AND” and “OR” operators as you add each line of criteria. Test your results after adding each query string by pressing the Preview button.
Here’s a snapshot of our newsletter’s partial list criteria (some of our groups have 20+ criteria!)
Keep your email lists up to date automatically with ACT!'s Dynamic Group Membership feature
If sending an email newsletter takes too much time and has too many steps, you’re not as likely to keep publishing. ACT!’s Dynamic Group Membership feature helps simplify the e-marketing list process.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I will set up a dynamic list today, thank you for telling me how its done.
so now I see I have a boat load more work to do on my database in order to have enough criteria to filter…thanks for the great tidbit…
Lori,
Thanks for the how-to above! I’m still learning the ins and outs of ACT. I have one question though, in #6 you say “and then use it in our criteria selection by indicating ‘List Preference’ ‘Does not contain data.’”
What happens if they just don’t want to be sent FAXes for example? Using this criteria selection would not let us email the newsletter. Might it work better if I choose “Does not contain” twice using “do not email” in one entry and and “email failed” in another entry?
I imagine you just wanted to keep the instruction simple but I wanted to make sure.
Rob, great question! You are technically correct. I was writing this as if using it for email. But if you were creating a list for a fax blast, you’d likely have a separate group with a separate query for it and would adjust the ‘list preference’ value to suppress ‘do not fax’ entries. Good catch! Thanks for your feedback
Hi Lori,
Thank you for the how-to instructions. Do you know if there is a method to create a group of contacts that are active in the past 6 months by using dynamic membership in Act? Using Field Names such as Last Reach, Last Meeting, Last E-mail, etc..
Thanks again,
Jack
Yes, Jack. All those fields will work in your dynamic group, as long as you use ACT! to complete activities and make phone calls. Keep in mind that email blasts (through ACT! or Swiftpage will update all send records in the Edit Date.