Personalize Emails and Letters with Mail Merge
Overview
Mail merge allows you to create personalized communications that look like you wrote each email or letter individually for your contacts. Instead of generic "Dear Customer" messages, you can automatically insert your contacts' names, addresses, and other personal information to make your communications feel personal and professional. This powerful feature works with both email templates and printed letters, helping you build stronger relationships with your clients while saving time on mass communications.
Whether you're sending marketing emails, appointment reminders, or thank you letters, mail merge transforms impersonal communications into personalized messages that capture attention and build trust.
Mail Merge Video:
Mail Merge Step-by-Step Instructions
For Email Templates
1. Navigate to Your Email Template
Open an existing email template or create a new one where you want to add personalization.
2. Position Your Cursor
Click where you want to insert the personalized information (such as in the greeting or body of your message).
3. Access Mail Merge Options
Click on Merge Tags or Insert Mail Merge Fields (depending on your template editor).
4. Select Contact Information
Choose the contact field you want to insert, such as:
- Contact's First Name - for personal greetings
- Contact's Full Name - for formal communications
- Company Name - for business correspondence
- Address - for location-specific content
5. Add Your Information
You can also insert your own business information using fields like:
- Your Name - your personal details
- Your Company - your business name
- Your Phone - your contact information
6. Save and Preview
Click Save and then Preview to see how the personalized content will appear to recipients.
Important: The merge codes may look unusual in the template, but they will display properly when sent to contacts.
For Letter Templates
The process for personalizing letters works exactly the same way as email templates. Position your cursor where you want the personalized information, click Insert Mail Merge Fields, and select the appropriate contact or business information.
Always Test First! Send any template with mail merge fields to yourself before sending to contacts to ensure everything displays correctly.
Mail Merge: Questions and Answers
Q: What does the mail merge code look like in my template?
A: In your template, mail merge codes appear as special text that might look unusual (like %%first_name%% or similar). Don't worry - this is normal! When you save and preview your template, or when it's sent to contacts, the codes are replaced with the actual contact information.
Q: What types of information can I merge into my templates?
A: You can merge contact information (first name, last name, company, address, phone, email, etc) and your own business information (your name, company, phone, address). The system automatically generates the correct code when you select from the merge fields menu.
Q: Can I use mail merge in both the subject line and body of emails?
A: Yes! Mail merge fields can be inserted anywhere in your email template, including subject lines, greetings, body text, and signatures. This allows for complete personalization of your communications. Copy and paste the merge code to the subject line.
Q: What happens if a contact doesn't have information for a merge field I'm using?
A: If a contact is missing information for a specific merge field (like a missing first name), the field will typically appear blank in the sent message. To avoid awkward gaps, consider using merge fields only for information you know most of your contacts have.
Q: Do I need to test my mail merge templates?
A: Absolutely! Always send test emails to yourself before sending to your contact list. This allows you to see exactly how the merged information will appear and catch any formatting issues before your contacts see them.
Q: Can I combine multiple merge fields in one message?
A: Yes! You can use as many merge fields as needed in a single template. For example, you could use the contact's first name in the greeting, their company name in the body, and their address for location-specific content.
Q: Will mail merge work the same way for letters and emails?
A: Yes, the mail merge process is identical for both letters and emails. You insert merge fields the same way, and they function the same way regardless of whether you're creating printed letters or electronic communications.
Video Transcript:
This video will cover personalizing your emails and letters with Mail Merge. Let’s say you want to send an email or a letter to your clients, but you want to make it look personal, like you sat down and wrote it just for them. This is where Mail Merge comes in. Let’s demonstrate this in an email template. Let's add some personalization. Click on ‘Merge Tags’ and we’ll add the client's first name. When you select a mail merge tag, the system automatically generates the necessary code to accurately display your contacts' data. We can also add any of these other fields here. There are even fields that will Mail Merge your personal information, like your name and your company. If you send personalized letters, you add Mail Merge fields the same way. After you build any email template, especially ones that include Mail Merge tokens, you should send that template to yourself to make sure everything looks ok, before you send it to the outside world.