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Archive for Sending emails
Do you regularly send out marketing emails, newsletters or family greetings to the same group of people?
If yes, then you can make this quick and easy by creating Email List in Outlook.
You can create Email List for different groups of people for example, you could have an Email List called Family and add the email addresses of all your family members to that group. Similarly you can create list for newsletters etc…
This saves you a lot of time when sending email blast as you are not required to individually type in email addresses… just select the group and Outlook sends a copy of the same email to all contacts.
Here are the steps to create an Email List in Outlook: (Instructions are for Outlook 2013 unless specifically mentioned)
- Open Outlook
- Click the Home tab > click New Items > click More Items > click Contact Group. This will display the blank Contact Group screen as shown below.
- Enter a Name for the group/list
- Click Add Members button on the ribbon. You have the option to select your contacts from your Outlook Contact list, Address Book or add a new contact. Select one of this options from the drop-down list
- Now add your contacts to the group by clicking on the contact and click Members -> button. To select multiple contacts, press the CTRL button on the keyword and click on each contact and then click the Members -> button
- Click OK
- Click Save & Close
This will now save all your contacts to that group. You can repeat the same steps above to create different groups.
When you need to send an email to this group:
- Open a new email
- Click on the To: button
- Select the Group you want to send the email too
- Send the email
The email will be sent to all the contacts in the group.
NOTE: the emails will not be personalized and it will show the email address of every person this email is sent to in the TO: field on the recipient’s side.
So if you are looking for a quick way to send a non-personalized email blast, this works perfectly for you.
However if you are looking for a way to send emails which are personalized and individually addressed to the recipient, you can try out our Email Merge for Outlook addin.
With EmailMerge, you can personalize your emails for example Greetings/Salutation:
Hello John
Or
Hello Michelle
When the email is received by the person, he/she will only see THEIR email address in the To: field therefore they are more likely to read and respond to your email.
Check out the free demo video on our website for the mail merge addin for outlook
You can also try it out yourself by downloading the 30 day free trial
I hope you find this tip useful.
If you know of other ways to send out email blast from Outlook, share it with our readers by leaving a comment below.
As you type a few characters of an email address or name in the Outlook email TO/CC/BCC field, Outlook automatically provides suggestions of contacts/email addresses that match what you have typed.
With hundreds of other things on mind, it is difficult to remember each contacts email address so the Auto-Complete feature does a great job of remembering this for you.
BUT… People’s email addresses change or you may have stopped communicating with certain people – yet their old email addresses keep showing up in the list.
Even worse, if you typed the wrong email address of the contact and sent the email, outlook saves this address and it appears as a suggestion every time you type characters that match it.
So here’s a quick tip on how to maintain Outlook’s Auto-Complete list:
Deleting Single Entries
It’s easy to delete individual items from the list. Say you want to delete the email address which you mistyped previously, simply type the first few characters matching that address in the To: field to display the list. Then use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move to the email addresses and click Delete.
Deleting the Whole List
Use with Caution because there is no way of getting the list back!
You can also completely delete the list to start from a clean slate by following the steps below: (Instructions apply to Outlook 2013/2010 unless specifically stated)
- Click the File tab
- Click Options
- Click Mail.
- Under Send messages, click Empty Auto-Complete List.
This should now clear all email addresses.
I hope you find this tip useful.
Related Post
Have you ever mistakenly sent out an important/confidential email to the wrong person as a result of using Outlook’s Auto-Complete list?
It happened to me once, so here’s how I ensure that I always send the email to the right person.
Outlook’s Junk Email folder is fantastic as it helps keep your inbox SPAM-FREE so that you are spending time working on real emails rather than deleting SPAM.
The Junk email filter automatically checks all your incoming emails but you can take more control of what is considered SPAM and what is not.
Here are some of the filters which you can apply to make it more effective:
Safe Sender List
Outlook has a Safe Sender’s list.Outlook knows that anyone who is on your Safe Sender’s list is authorized to send you email.
It makes sense (most of the time) that anyone you actually write to should automatically be put on your safe sender’s list.
To turn it on…
- Go to your Inbox
- Click Home > Junk > Junk Email Options
- Click the Safe Senders tab
- Tick the checkbox Automatically add people I e-mail to the Safe Senders List.
- Click OK
Safe Recipient List
Bulk emails normally have a higher chance of getting marked as SPAM due to its content etc, but if you belong to a mailing list which you regularly follow-up, you might want to add the list sender to your Safe Recipient list so that emails sent to this email address or domain is not marked at SPAM regardless of the content.
To add Recipient to the list:
- Go to your Inbox.
- Click Home > Junk > Junk Email Options
- Click the Safe Recipient’s tab
- Click Add
- Type the email address or domain in the box that appears
- Click OK and then OK again.
Blocked Sender List
Getting to many unwanted emails from a particular sender? You can easily add their email address to the block list so Outlook automatically moves email from that address to the Junk folder.
To add Sender to block list:
- Go to your Inbox.
- Click Home > Junk > Junk Email Options
- Click the Block Senders tab
- Click Add
- Type the email address or domain in the box that appears
- Click OK and then OK again.
I hope you find this tip useful in keeping your Inbox SPAM-FREE.
Do you have your own tips to manage Junk/Spam emails?
Let our readers know by leaving a comment below.
Wednesday,
April
10th,
2013
When buying products online, one of the key things customers look for on the website is TESTIMONIALS, what do other existing users of the product have to say about the product or the company?
People fear being wrong or making the wrong choice therefore they need some sort of assurance before committing to purchase a product.
Testimonials build trust, credibility and a sense of security for the prospective customers when they visit your site.
When a customer who has not had the pleasure of working with you before comes to your website… your sales copy or marketing messages maybe viewed with some suspicion or assumed biased… after all you have a vested interest in selling your product.
But… testimonials from existing happy customers are different… it’s no longer just you saying how good you are… it’s other people (who have nothing to gain from the sale) saying how your product or service has helped them.
This is how I personally shop online, it makes me feel much safer to purchase products from businesses with happy customers.I’m sure this is the same for most of us.
To get testimonials, you need to have a system, so here’s what I recommend:
- Ask for testimonials as soon after the sales as is reasonable but…give the customer sufficient time to actually use the product first.
- Do not assume that all customers are happy. Some customers may actually be having problems so ask for their feedback as well. This may help you improve your offerings and you can always ask again once you have helped solve their problems.
- If you’re requesting for testimonials using email, make sure that you PERSONALIZE the email with at least the customer’s name and the name of the product purchased. We all know that people use automation tools but it still is much nicer to receive an email which speaks specifically to us.
Using Outlook to Request for Testimonials
Depending on the number of sales you make, you may be able to write and send each email individually. Personally I think that testimonial requests can be done once a week.
- Maintain an Excel file with a list of sales. At the minimum the spreadsheet should contain the customer’s name, email address and product purchased
- Create a prewritten email that you will use to request for testimonials. The advantage of a prewritten template is that the quality of your request is not dependent on how you feel or how much time you have.
- Use a product like EmailMerge for Outlook to create and send out your testimonial requests. Email Merge PRO will work directly with your Excel spreadsheet and send personalized individually addressed emails to each person.
Finally… here’s the template that we use to request for testimonials
I hope you find this post useful to getting great feedback from your customers.
If you have a lot of customers, download a trial version of Email Merge PRO for Outlook from our website today.
Do you have your own techniques for requesting testimonials?
Share it with our readers by leaving a comment below.
Tuesday,
March
12th,
2013
Click Reply on an email in Outlook 2013 and it doesn’t open a new window. Instead it uses the new inline feature to compose the email in the reading pane itself. If (like me) you don’t like it, here’s what you can do to turn it off and get Outlook to open a new window.
But first…
Why I DON’T like Inline replies
If your replies don’t require much thought and are simple responses of a few words then inline replies may be OK.
Most of my emails are not like that… I am responding to requests for information or providing information. They require a little bit more thought and I like to see it in a separate window. Office 2013’s flat colour schemes don’t help much either in keeping the different areas of work separated.
Having the reply in its own window stops me from trying to multi-task or look at the next email instead of focusing on one thing at a time.
I find I do much better work (and much faster) this way.
How to turn off Inline Replies
To turn off Inline replies in Outlook 2013:
- Click File
- Click Options
- Click the Mail tab
- Scroll down to the Replies and Forwards section
- Tick the check box Open replies and forwards in a new window
Do you have any other settings that you have changed to get the most out of Outlook 2013?
Let us know by leaving a comment in the blog.
Do you file emails out of the Sent Items into dedicated archive or project folders? You should… but you still may want to keep a copy in the Sent Items folder too. Here’s the how and why.
There are two main ways in which people keep their emails organised… using Tags/Labels (manually or with Outlook addons like Email Tags for Outlook) or in dedicated project folders (manually or with Outlook addins like Quick File for Outlook). Both methods rely on keeping both received and sent emails together… so that you can see all related correspondence together.
But.. our experience (and those of thousands of customers who use our Outlook Addins) has been that we still need to keep a copy of the emails in the Sent Items folder.
Why user still want to keep a copy of emails in the Sent Items folder
The two main reasons are:
- Emails you need are often quicker to find: We often need to refer to something that we have sent out in the last few days. It’s usually easier to look it up quickly in the Sent Items folder compared to anywhere else.
- What have I done with my day: Many users tell us that they refer to their Sent Items folder when filling in timesheets etc.
I am sure there are other reasons but the above are the two main reasons that users have told us.
So how can you file a copy of the emails and still have them in the Sent Items folder too?
How… if you’re using drag and drop to move emails
If you’re using drag and drop to file emails from the Sent Items folder, right-click and then drag drop to the desired folder. When you release the right mouse button you will be presented with options to move or copy. Click on copy.
How… if you’re using Quick File for Outlook
QuickFile for Outlook allows you to automatically file emails from the Sent Items folder after they are sent. This means you don’t have to manually remember to file emails (users tell us that email filing systems fail most often because of unfiled Sent Items emails). Quick File also has an option to save a copy of the email and leave a copy in the Sent Items folder too.
- Compose your email as normal and click Send. QuickFile will display the Send&File screen:
- Select the folder to which you want to file a copy of the email
- Click on the Show Options >> link on the bottom right corner of the screen
- Select the option “File a COPY of email“
- Click Send & File button
This will now file a copy of the sent email in the folder you selected and also leave a copy in the Sent Items folder.
Note: If you normally want to file emails this way, you can change the relevant setting on the QuickFile settings screen.
How…if you’re using Email Tags for Outlook
Our latest email management program, Email Tags for Outlook, is based on the idea of using labels/tags to organize your emails. It moves the tagged emails into one (or few) email archives/buckets too. While doing the move, Email Tags can leave a copy in your Sent Items too.
- Compose your email as normal and click Send. EmailTags will display the following screen:
- Enter the Tag(s) you want to add to the email
- Select the folder/bucket you want to file the email, from the File in: drop down
- Tick the checkbox for “Leave a copy of email in Sent items“
- Click Send & File
This will now file a copy of the sent email in the folder you selected and also leave a copy in the Sent Items folder.
Note: If you normally want to file emails this way, you can change the relevant setting on the EmailTags settings screen.
If you’re not a user of QuickFile or Emailtags, you can use the following links to download a fully functional trial version:
Download QuickFile for Outlook
Download EmailTags for Outlook
I hope you find this tip useful.
Please let us know by leaving a comment below.
Tuesday,
February
26th,
2013
Reader Question: Outlook includes my email address in the To field when I do a Reply-All. Clearly I do not want to email myself but Outlook lacks the intelligence to not add my email address to the email. Do you have a solution?
YES. This functionality is built into Send Guard for Outlook. You can turn it on from the settings screen using the following steps:
- Open Outlook
- In Outlook 2010/2013, click on the Standss Outlook Addins tab > click SendGuard > Settings In Outlook 2007/2003, click on the Tools menu > Standss > SendGuard > Settings
SendGuard will display the following screen:
- Click on the Reply Guard tab
- Tick the checkbox for Automatically remove me when doing a Reply to All
- Click OK
Now if you do Reply-to-All on any email, SendGuard will automatically remove your email address from the mailing list.
If you haven’t tried Send Guard for Outlook, you can download a fully functional trial of the Outlook addin.
SendGuard has a number of special filters that check outgoing emails to ensure that they are going to the correct people with all the required information. It’s built in tools include the Attachment Guard, Subject Guard, Reply (and Reply All) Guard, Account Guard, Bad Mood Guard and Send Confirm.
Tuesday,
February
19th,
2013
Have you ever BCCed someone on an email so that you can secretly keep them in the loop without the other recipients knowing? Here’s why it is a dangerous practice and what you should do instead.
What is BCC (for those who haven’t used it before)
When you send out an email you can add recipients email addresses to the To, CC or BCC fields. CC stands for carbon copy and is a term that comes from when we used typewriters and used carbon paper to make copies of letters to send to extra people.
BCC stands for Blind Carbon Copy.
Normally when you send an email, recipients can see who else received the email because they can see the To and CC fields. But they cannot see the BCC field which means that if you BCC someone on an email, the other people who received the same email will not know.
Why might you use BCC?
- To send a copy of the email to yourself so that you get it in your Inbox as an action item.
- To send a copy to your Gmail account etc. for archiving.
- To secretly inform someone about an email conversation
What is the danger of using BCC?
If you used BCC to keep a recipient hidden from others, imagine what would happen if the hidden recipient did a reply-to-all!
Suddenly the other recipients would be aware that you had been using BCC and depending on the nature of the email conversation, this may be viewed as dishonest or sneaky.
What you can do instead of using BCC
Instead of using BCC, I recommend that you send the email out to the main recipients only using the To and CC fields. Then FORWARD the sent email to anyone else who you need to inform.
Now even if the secret recipient does a Reply-to-All, it only comes back to you.
How to avoid accidental Reply-to-Alls yourself
If you or others in your organization are dealing with confidential information that you are BCCed on, you might want to also look at Send Guard for Outlook. to avoid doing an accident Reply-to-all yourself!
Send Guard has special filters that check emails as you respond to them and as they are sent out.
A special prompt will warn you and ask for confirmation if you reply to an email on which you have been BCCed.
This can avoid the accidental disclosure to other recipients that we referred to earlier.
How do you ensure confidential information is not accidently disclosed?
Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Thursday,
December
6th,
2012
Christmas is just around the corner… its the time of the year when we need to send out invitations, greetings and newsletters to friends, families and clients.
Depending on your contact list, the best way to contact your friends this year maybe using email, fax or post/hand delivery.
Most of these mailing can be considered “mass mailing” i.e. we want to send copies of the same mail to everyone… possibly customized with their name and address at most.
Microsoft Outlook and Word have some built-in features that automate this process for you. In addition we have built our own tools to further speed up and simplify the process for you.
In this post I’ll discuss both, the built in free way as well as our own addins.
How to Email out Invites, Greetings and Newsletters.
I am going to start with what I consider to be the easiest, fastest and most powerful way of doing this… our own EmailMerge PRO for Outlook.
Seeing is believing so check out this short video on how to send out Invites, Greetings and Newsletters using EmailMerge Pro.
Send unlimited emails to unlimited number of contacts directly from Outlook. EmailMerge supports HTML emails so don’t hold back in creating beautiful and colourful emails this Christmas season 
How to Fax out Invites, Greetings and Newsletters.
Despite what many people will have you believe, Faxing is not dead.
In fact in terms of deliverability, it can beat email – there is almost no chance that your fax won’t get delivered because of an over-zealous spam filter.
You can use Microsoft Word and the free fax printer that comes with Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 to send out personalized faxes to your customers this year.
The Bad News: Windows Fax and MS Word don’t talk easily to each other out of the box.
The Good News: Fax4Word allows you to fax merge straight from Word to the Windows Fax printer.
View more information on Fax for Word
How to Print Letters and Envelopes for Posting and Hand Delivery
Even if you will be sending paper based mail this year, technology can help you.
Here are step-by-step instructions to:
Use mail-merge in Word with Outlook data to create and print personalized letters
Use mail-merge in Word with Outlook data to print mailing labels and envelopes
I hope you find the above information helpful in staying in touch with friends, families and clients this year.
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