TABLE OF CONTENTS

What are the differences between databases, segments and tagged lists?

Databases

Each list you load into Pinpointe is a separate database. 


Let's use an example. If "jane@company.com" is a contact in 3 of the databases you have loaded into Pinpointe, she accounts for 3 separate contacts.


If you send an email campaign to 1 of the databases that "jane@company.com" is on and she unsubscribes, she is still subscribed to the other 2 databases. She might get a little irritated if she receives another marketing email from your company. 


You can save the hassle of manually unsubscribing jane@company.com from those other two lists by using segments, but first you need to create a master (main) database.


Note: Your administrator may have already created a database for you. To check to see if a database already exists, click the 'Manage Databases' link on the home screen (Fig 1).


Fig 1



Segments

Segments are like "saved searches" or flexible, dynamic lists that can be changed anytime. You can define your "segment or "audience" based on demographics (custom fields you upload) and behavioral info like opens and clicks.


Pinpointe highly recommends working from a master database and segmenting it into small lists rather than uploading multiple databases. You’ll be able to better target audiences by pulling out portions of your list and sending targeted emails to specific segments. You’ll also be able to manage your lists more effectively!


Tagged Lists

Tagged lists are lists that you upload into a Pinpointe database that you tag with a certain name. Tagged lists make it easier to select contacts from within your database and send them a targeted campaign.


What is a segment?

Segments are like flexible dynamic lists or "saved searches" that can be changed any time. You can define your segment (or "audience") based on custom fields you upload (demographics) and/or behavioral info like opens, clicks, etc. 


Pinpointe highly recommends working from a master database and segmenting it into small lists instead of using multiple databases. You'll be able to better target audiences by pulling out portions of your list and sending targeted emails to specific segments, and you’ll also be able to manage your lists more effectively.


Examples of segments:

  • All Active contacts in list X that have NOT opened any email campaigns before a specific signup date (Date Added)  
  • All contacts located in a specific state (CA, NY, etc.) 
  • All contacts with a specific title or titles who are located in a specific area (CTO, Sales, etc.) 


A good segment to create is:

  • All active contacts in list X that have never opened an email campaign


The contacts in this segment are those contacts in your list(s) that you are paying for that are not producing any results. At some point, you may wish to export them to a csv file and unsubscribe them using the Bulk Unsubscribe feature.


To create a segment of all active contacts who have never opened any email campaign would look something like the following (Fig 2):


Fig 2




After clicking "Save", you will save your segment. 


You can both Export Active contacts from any segment(s) AND send an email campaign to any Segment(s).


Note:  When creating a segment, it is always recommended to add the criteria Activity Status ... is ... activeIf you don't do this, the number of contacts displayed and comprised of in that segment will include Unsubscribed and Bounced contacts as well as all the Active contacts. However, you 'll only be able to send and export the Active contacts.

For example, if you do not include that criteria, and your segment includes 500 Bounced Contacts, 500 Unsubscribes and 10,000 Active Contacts, the number of contacts it displays will be 11,000 total. If you send to or export that segment, it will only send or export the 10,000 Active contacts.

How do I create and utilize segments?

Create a Segment


On the home screen, click on the "Manage Segments" link (Fig 3).


Fig 3




On the Manage Segments page, click on the "New Segment" button (Fig 4).


Fig 4



Name your new segment and select the list(s) that you want to segment your contacts from (Fig 5).


Fig 5



Set up the Segment Rules to define what's in your segment. Segments can be defined by multiple rules that can be separated by AND or OR separators. By default, the separators between rules are AND; change them to OR by clicking on them (Fig 6). 


Fig 6


When you're done with setting up the rules for your segment, save it by clicking on the "Save" button. 


Send An Email Campaign to a Segment


On the Home screen, click on the "Send Email" link (Fig 7).


Fig 7




Under “Who Do You Want To Send To?”, select “All Contacts in the Selected Segments ("Saved Searches").” Select the segment(s) you would like to send your email campaign to and click the "Next" button (Fig 8).


Fig 8



Select which Email Campaign you want to send, then click the "Next" button (Fig 9).


Fig 9




After reviewing the details, click "Schedule My Email Campaign" to send out your Email Campaign (Fig 10). This will add it to the Email Queue. 


Fig 10



Note:  You may see a "Waiting" status.  This is normal due to our servers sending out emails in the queue every 2 minutes.

How can I send an email campaign to part of my list?

Let's say you have a list that has a large number of contacts and you would like to send to only 25% of the list each day for 4 days. On the other hand, you may want to only send one campaign to 20% of your list.


This can be accomplished in Pinpointe quite easily by using a custom field and segments. 


Set Up A Custom Field

 

To randomly select a percentage of your contacts to send an email campaign to, you must create a custom field called RandomID (a 'number' field). This will populate with a random number between 1 and 1000. We can then use segments to select contacts with a Random ID between x and y.


For example, selecting contacts with a RandomID between 0..250 will select 25% of the list. Selecting 500..599, will select a different 10% of the list.  If your list has 5,000 contacts, selecting a RandomID between 0..250 will send to the first random 1,250 contacts. To send to all the contacts in 1,250 increments, next select a RandomID between 251..500, then 501..750, and finally 751..1000.


Implementation Steps:


The instruction below will first cover the steps assuming you have *not* yet uploaded your contacts to Pinpointe. Then the article will explain how to modify an existing list in Pinpointe if you have already uploaded contacts.


To begin you must create the custom field 'RandomID', type number, and associate it with your list (or lists). 

 

On the left navigation menu, go to Resources -> Custom Fields (Fig 11).


Fig 11



On the next screen, click the "New Custom Field" button (Fig 12). 


Fig 12




Next to 'Custom Field Type' select 'Numbers Only' and name your customer field RandomID. Click the 'Next >>' button (Fig 13). 


Fig 13




In the next screen, change the values to the following, then click "Next" (Fig 14):

  • Default Value: 4
  • Field Length: 4


Fig 14



On the next screen, click the checkbox(s) next to the list(s) you would like to add the custom field to, then click the 'Save' button to finish (Fig 15). 


Fig 15

 

Prepare and Save Your Excel File


Now that you have your custom field set up, you'll need to edit your spreadsheet in Excel to include a column called 'RandomID' in Excel.


  • With your list open in Excel, create a column and name it "RandomID" (Fig 16) 
    • Fig 16
    •  
  • Click in the first cell underneath - in the example it is A2. Here you want to insert the formula =RANDBETWEEN(1,1000) in the box next to fx (Fig 17).
    • Fig 17
  • Hit the "Enter" (or "Return" for Mac Users) button. A random number should appear in the cell.  
  • Click on the lower right corner of cell A2 and drag it down to all of the contacts in your file that you want to give a random number to (Fig 18).
    • Fig 18
  • Now save your Excel spreadsheet. *Remember to save in .CSV file format (Fig 19).
    • Fig 19


Import your list into Pinpointe as you would normally do (you can see the video on uploading contacts in our knowledgebase).

Import Your List Into Pinpointe


To learn how to import your list into Pinpointe, please read Importing Your Contacts From a Spreadsheet.

Step 4: Import Your List Into Pinpointe


Now that the list is imported, you can now create a segment or do an "on the fly" selection of email segments.


For example, if you want to send emails to the first 25% of your list, you can create a segment as follows:


To create segment, review the article "How do I create and utilize segments?")


Create and save a segment with the following criteria:


  • RandomID ... IS BETWEEN   0 .. 250


This will select 25% (250 /1000) of the list


You can then send your email campaign to this segment


Updating an Existing List:

 

If you have already uploaded a list into Pinpointe and you now want to segment it as above, you need to add the additional field to the list and update the contacts. Do the following:


  • Create the field in Pinpointe called RandomID as noted earlier and add this field to your list.

  • Export the active contacts from your list, and edit the list in Excel.  
    In the exported file, you can delete all columns except the column with an email address. Now add the column called 'RandomID' as noted above.

  • Finally, we will re-upload the spreadsheet contacts into Pinpointe to update your current list:
    • When importing, select the option 'Yes, overwrite existing contact details.' 
    • This will then update / add *only* the RandomID field.


Managing your New Contacts:


You can create a segment called "No Random ID - [Database Name]" to monitor as a check for contacts imported that were not assigned a RandomID.


To do so:


  • Go to Contacts -> Manage Segments.  
  • Create a new segment.  
  • Select the correct Database.
  • Set the Criteria to:
    • Activity Status ... is ... active
    • RandomID ... is empty
    • Save and exit


From time to time, or especially after importing new contacts, look at the contact count for this segment at Contacts -> Manage Segments


IF the contact count is not 0, then those contacts need to be exported, assigned RandomID values, and re-imported using the steps outlined above.