Sending Email through ExactTarget for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

What Is Sending Email through ExactTarget for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

You can send email to individuals (accounts, contacts, leads) as well as to groups (marketing lists, campaigns). Every send ties back to a campaign in the system for statistics and reporting.  You can also track the statistics of individual recipients.

Why Send Email through ExactTarget for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

Sending email through ExactTarget for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 allows you to combine the resources and contact information of your Dynamics CRM instance with the power email send capabilities of the ExactTarget application. For example, a corporate marketer can send a webinar invitation to customers by sending these emails on behalf of their sales representatives. This is more effective in building true one-to-one relationships than generic info@ or sales@ emails, and if the email recipient replies to the message, the reply response goes to the relationship owner.

How to Choose the From Information in an ExactTarget for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Email Send

When you send a message, you can choose the name and email address that appears in the From field from the following options:

• Me - ExactTarget uses the name and email address of the user logged in to Microsoft Dynamics CRM. This is the default selection.
• CRM Queue - ExactTarget uses the name and email address of a distribution group that you previously created in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. If you select this value, you must specify the distribution group to use.
• CRM Record Owner - ExactTarget uses the name and email address of the owner of the account, contact, or lead for each email.
• CRM Dynamic Owner - ExactTarget uses the name and email address of the dynamic account owner that you previously created in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. If you select this value, you must specify the role of the dynamic owner to use.
• ExactTarget From Options - ExactTarget uses the name and email address of a user that you previously created in ExactTarget. If you select this value, you must specify the ExactTarget user to use.
• Organization name - ExactTarget uses the name and email address for your organization.

How to View Email Send Statuses in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0

You can view the status of an email send in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 by viewing the General tab in the Information section of a send. The Last Status Message field displays one of the six following statuses:

• Active: The send has not been picked up by the ExactTarget application at this time.
• Waiting to Be Processed: The send has been made to the ExactTarget application and processing is pending.
• Sent to ExactTarget: The send was received completely by the ExactTarget application and is being sent or processed.
• Canceled: The user canceled the job inside of their Dynamics CRM instance, and the send was never completely sent to the ExactTarget application.
• Error: The job errored out on the ExactTarget application side. This status will be accompanied by a message and an error code describing the error, such as failed email validation, data transfer failure, or a failed job.
• Complete: The job sent successfully and information about the send has updated back in the Dynamics CRM instance.

How to Send an Individual Email

Use the following steps to send an email to an account, contact, or lead:

1. Select the ExactTarget tab in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM navigation bar.
2. Click Accounts, Contacts, or Leads in navigation pane.
3. Double-click the recipient you wish to contact.  Use the Look for field to search for a contact or the View field to filter the list of contacts.  Click a letter from the bottom of the screen to display contacts whose first name starts with that letter.
4. Click the Send ExactTarget Email button from the toolbar to bring up the SendExactTarget Email window.
5. Complete the information in the Send ExactTarget Email window:
   • Campaign - Choose a campaign to receive tracking data by clicking Lookup, selecting a campaign from the list, and clicking OK.
   • Email - Choose the email by clicking Lookup, select an entry for the list, and clicking OK,  Enterprise users can send email to recipients specific to your ExactTarget account.
   • Subject - This automatically populates from the selected email.  You can also select personalizations from the dropdown menu, which reflects ExactTarget attributes mapped to CRM attributes.
   • From - Choose from the available From options.
   • Send Time - Select Immediately for an immediate send, or select Later to specify another time and date.
   • Return Individual Tracking Results as Campaign Responses - Check this box to enable the feature.
6. Click Send. The system validates that the required input fields are complete and releases the email to the ExactTarget queue for delivery at contract-specific scheduling intervals.

How to Create a Marketing Lists from Email Behavior

You can create marketing lists and campaigns to send email. You can create a list based on the subscriber interaction with a previous email send.

Use the following steps to create a list based on link behavior:

1. Click the ExactTarget tab in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM navigation bar.
2. Click ExactTarget Sends.
3. Double-click the send from which to create the list to bring up the Send Detail window.
4. Click Send Links from the navigation bar.
5. Double-click the link that the list is based on.
6. Click Link Details to bring up the Link Detail page.
7. Select the Contacts, Leads, or Accounts to include on the list. Click the column headings to sort the list to make selecting items easier.
8. Click Copy to Marketing List from the toolbar to bring up the Copy to New Marketing List window.
9. Complete the information in the Copy to New Marketing List window for the Account, Contact, and Lead list items.
10. Click OK.

The system begins the process of creating lists with the selected Leads, Contacts, and/or Accounts. You can see the list on the Marketing List screen.

How to Send a Mass Email

ExactTarget can send mass email from a marketing list, a campaign, or a campaign activity.

Follow these steps to send a mass email from a marketing list:

1. Click Marketing Lists in the navigation window.
2. Double-click the list you want to use.
3. Click the Send ExactTarget Email button in the marketing list window's toolbar.

Follow these steps to send a mass email from a campaign:

1. Click Campaign in the navigation window.
2. Double-click the campaign you want to use.
3. Click the Send ExactTarget Email button in the campaign window's toolbar.

Follow these steps to send a mass email from a campaign activity:

1. Click Campaign in the navigation window.
2. Double-click the campaign you want to use.
3. Click the Send ExactTarget Email button in the campaign window's toolbar.
4. After clicking the Send ExactTarget Email button, complete the fields in the Send ExactTarget Email window:
   • Campaign - Click Lookup, select the campaign from the list, and click OK.
   • Marketing List - Click Lookup, select the marketing list from either Available or Selected records, and click OK.
   • Email - Click Lookup, select the email from the list, and click OK.
   • Subject - This field automatically populates from the selected email, or you can make modifications in the text box.  Insert personalizations by selecting them from the dropdown menu; these values represent ExactTarget attributes mapped to CRM attributes.
   • From - Select this entry from the dropdown options; these options are specific to user access.  Defaults include Record Owner and ExactTarget From options.
   • Send Time - Select Immediately for an immediate send, or select Later to specify another time and date.
   • Throttle Send - If this feature is turned on for your account, select it to control the send time and volume of your email jobs.
   • Return Individual Tracking Results as Campaign Responses - Check this box to enable this feature.
   • I Certify All Email Recipients Have Opted In - Check this box to agree.  This safeguard prevents sends to individuals who do not wish to receive email.
   • Once all information has been filled in, click Send.  The system validates that the required input fields are complete and releases the email to the ExactTarget queue for delivery at contract-specific scheduling intervals.

How to Troubleshooting Email Sends in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 using Status Messages

Depending on the status of your email send in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, you may need to take additional action to make sure your send completes correctly. Use these troubleshooting tips to ensure that your send reaches the ExactTarget application correctly.