This help article is a brief overview of key concepts in Direct Mail.
Projects
A “project” is the file where Direct Mail stores all of your data: messages, mailing lists, reports, and more. When you launch Direct Mail for the first time, a project is automatically created for you (titled “Direct Mail Project”). Each time you open Direct Mail thereafter, your most recently used project will be opened automatically.
In most cases, it is best to keep your data in one project instead of creating multiple projects. This is because each project is a silo, and important data (like unsubscribe and bounce information for your contacts) would not carry over if you were to create a new project for each new campaign, or each new month, or each new year, etc. However, if you are managing email marketing for separate, independent businesses or clients, then a separate project per business or per client is the right approach.
By default, project files are saved in our cloud. This lets you access your data from multiple devices and lets you collaborate with others. However, if you would prefer to keep your data out of the cloud, you can move the project file from our cloud and back to your Mac’s hard drive.
Messages
Messages are the email content you will send out. Messages are managed in the ”Messages” tab. You can create as many messages as you like. When creating a message, you can use and customize one of our built-in templates, import your own code, or just create a "plain" message with little to no formatting (use the "Plain" template). If you have a template from another email service, our free Concierge Service team can import it into Direct Mail for you.
Contacts
Contacts are the people that you send your email campaigns to. Contacts are managed in the “Contacts” tab. You can add or import as many contacts as you need. A contact has only one required field: email address. You can additional information to a contact, including first name, last name, company name, and up to 30 custom fields. These additional fields can be used to personalize emails, segment your list of contacts, or for your own reference.
There are a number of ways to add contacts to your list. You can add contacts manually one-by-one. You can import and sync contacts from a variety of file types (including CSV) or from other apps or websites that you use. You can add them automatically via email sign-up forms. You can add them via integrations with Zapier (for example, automatically add new customers when they checkout from your online store). You can also add them via our API.
How to Organize Contacts
Contacts belong to one (and only one) list. When you create a new project, a list named “Main List” is automatically created for you. You can create additional lists, but it is almost always best to instead keep your contacts in one list and use Groups and Smart Groups (described below) to organize them. The reason is that the contacts in each list are completely separate. If a contact in List A unsubscribes or updates their information, it has no effect on contacts in List B, even if they share the same email address. You would not want to be emailing contacts in List B that had already unsubscribed from List A (unless, of course, the two lists are entirely different in purpose and the contact had signed up for both).
A Group is a collection of contacts in a list. A contact may belong to zero, one, or many groups. Contacts are added to a group (or removed from a group) manually. Groups are the way to manually curate the contacts in your list in any way you see fit. When you import contacts, Direct Mail automatically adds those contacts to a new group to help you remember where those contacts came from.
A Smart Group is also a collection of contacts in a list. A contact may belong to zero, one, or many smart groups. However, unlike groups, contacts are automatically added to (or removed from) smart groups based on rules that you define. Smart Groups are a way to automatically organize contacts within your list. For example, you could create a smart group that contains contacts that all have a certain company name, contacts that live nearby, contacts that opened your last email campaign, or contacts that have not clicked a link in your newsletter in a long time.
Reports
When you send a campaign, Direct Mail creates a report to track all the details: who you sent it to, the message that was sent, who opened the email, what links were clicked, who unsubscribed, etc. Reports are managed in the “Reports” tab. Reports update live as long as you have an internet connection, so you do not need to manually refresh them. Reports can be shared or exported in PDF or CSV format. Select multiple reports at one time for a back-to-back comparison of key metrics.
Sync and Collaboration
If your project is saved in the cloud (the default), then any edits you make are automatically synced to your other devices. Edits that are made while you’re disconnected from the internet are saved and synced when you reconnect. Projects in the cloud can also be shared with other Direct Mail users. You can control what permission other users have, from read-only to full editing and sending privileges.
Autoresponders
An autoresponder is an email campaign that sends itself automatically when it is “triggered”. Triggers can include someone signing up for your mailing list, a birthday or anniversary of a date, or a prior autoresponder being sent. You can customize the time your campaign is sent, as well as filter which contacts should receive it.
Integrations
As mentioned in the “Contacts” section above, Direct Mail can natively import and sync contacts from a variety of files and apps. Our integrations go beyond just that, however. You can use Zapier to connect Direct Mail to thousands of other apps and services you use. Examples could include automatically adding new Shopify customers to your list in Direct Mail, or sending a notification to your Slack channel whenever a new campaign is sent out. You can also our API integrate Direct Mail with your custom code.
Compliance
We understand the importance of complying with the GDPR and other privacy laws and regulations. Direct Mail gives you the tools to comply with personal data requests (including permanently deleting a contact’s data), and our company has received the necessary certifications to process personal data in accordance with the law. Please see our compliance page for more information.