Conditionally Include Text Files in GoldMine E-Mail Templates
The ability to conditionally include text files in html e-mail templates can be quite valuable when building templates to be used for mass mailings or even one-off e-mails.
The option in the template composition menu to include a text file is clear enough — you put some externally-generated HTML into a .TXT file and create an e-mail template in GoldMine with nothing but a reference to the .TXT file. When you merge the template, the HTML in the .TXT file will become the contents of your e-mail. The option to conditionally include a TXT file has always been a mystery.
Let’s assume a mail-order sporting goods shop has a web import form that asks customers if they would like to be alerted to product specials in a monthly news letter. The customers can pick from a broad range of interests. Their choices populate a series of user-defined fields in GoldMine with a yes or no value. Beyond providing excellent demographic information about your customers for future targeted campaigns, this information could drive a more general e-mail template-based newsletter. A series of conditional .TXT file insertions could tailor your HTML newsletter to your customers’ specific interest(s) instead of barraging them with a long list of products, most of which they have probably no interest in.
In constructing your e-mail, you would want to put together the basic body of your nicely-formed HTML document with your logo, web-site links, etc. and then break it into two .TXT files. These would be your header and footer, essentially. The rest of the .TXT files would be the various interest-driven specials that are included based on the customer-stated preferences you gathered via web-import (or sales call).
Use the conditionally include a .TXT file option to craft a series of macros like these:
<<file:(contact2->uski)=”Yes”?j:\goldmine\templates\sportsletter\ski.txt>>
<<file:(contact2->ufootb)=”Yes”?j:\goldmine\templates\sportsletter\football.txt>>
<<file:(contact2->ucamp)=”Yes”?j:\goldmine\templates\sportsletter\camp.txt>>
<<file:(contact2->uhunt)=”Yes”?j:\goldmine\templates\sportsletter\hunt.txt>>
When you mass-merge the resulting e-mail template, your customers will only get the ads they have expressed interest in.
Doug Castell
If you’re looking to print your fliers, then yes, Word would be your best choice. As for the distribution lists, don’t let GoldMine’s ‘distribution list’ feature confuse you, it’s not what you’re looking for. Concentrate on filters and groups and performing word merges against them using the Document Management Center (under the VIEW Menu in GoldMine)
leigh
Hi Doug,
We spoke an the phone once. I bought the book you recommended. It will be very helpful, I can see. However, the reason I bought a book (and this is my bad, I didn’t read the table of contents first)is learn how to build marketing fliers and templates and set up distribution lists. What do you recommend here – Word? I liked very much the sample template you sent me. My first application for my GM contacts is to design an open flier and link it to GM for mass distribution having the flier stamped automatically with contact name. (Actually, I would be happy with a distribution even without the stamping at this beginning stage.)