Procedures for Marketing

Marketing performs many tasks as part of the holiday card process described in Holiday Card Solution Overview .

Preparing the Holiday Card Folders

For details about this process, see the following topics in the InterAction for Data Stewards and Marketing Users Guide:

  • Create a Marketing List
  • Adding Marketing Lists to Users’ Frequently Used Lists

The Marketing Department should create two folders as Marketing Lists for holiday cards:

  • Holiday Cards - No Signature for contacts that will receive an unsigned holiday card
  • Holiday Cards - Signed by Sponsors for contacts that will receive a holiday card signed by one or more sponsors

Note: InterAction provides a Holiday Card folder by default. This folder is configured as a marketing list with sponsorship. This folder may be used for part of this process, although you may want to rename it.

These folders should be created early in the year so that new clients and other appropriate contacts may be added over the course of the year.

New Marketing List

You can optionally “push” a marketing list to Web Client users’ frequently-used lists from the Windows client. To do this, set the Frequently Used By fields to the appropriate user(s) or group(s).

Note: No Data Change Management settings are required at this time. After contacts are validated, you will set the Add Request Action field to Review. See Configuring Data Change Management for Holiday Cards.

Inform users that the marketing lists have been created and how each one will be used. Let them know that appropriate contacts may now be added to the lists. A deadline should be given for when all contacts must be added.

Validating the Contacts Linked into the Holiday Card Folders

Before you can prepare the mailing, you must validate the contacts that are linked to the holiday card folders. This process entails running several searches to make sure contact records are complete and that the contacts linked to the holiday card folders are in fact contacts that should receive mailings.

See Searches for instructions on setting up each of these searches.

  • Run the saved search Mailing Lists - Recipients with No Mailing Address. If any contacts are found, notify the sponsor(s) that the contact cannot be sent a card unless they provide a valid mailing address. Delete the contact from the holiday card marketing list if no address is available.

  • Run the saved search Marketing Lists - Deceased Contacts. Delete any contacts found from the holiday card folder. If any contacts are found, notify the sponsor(s) that the recipient is deceased.

  • Run the saved search Mailing Lists - Recipients Requesting No Marketing Mail. If any contacts are found, notify the sponsor(s) that the recipient has requested that they not receive mailings from your organization. The policy on marketing mailings varies from organization to organization, however, and holiday cards may not be considered “marketing mail.” If policy dictates that holiday cards are included in this category, delete the contact from the holiday card marketing list.

Searching for Duplicate Contacts

Run a search to find any contacts linked into both folders, and delete any duplicate contacts found in the Holiday Cards - No Signature folder.

  1. Run the saved search Contacts Linked Into Both Holiday Card Folders (see Contacts Linked into Both Holiday Card Folders for instructions on setting up this search).

  2. If any contacts are found, delete them from the Holiday Cards - No Signature folder, since the professional who added the contact to that folder just wanted to ensure the contact received a card, but was not interested in signing it. Leave the contact in the Holiday Cards - Signed by Sponsors folder to ensure that the appropriate sponsors will have the opportunity to sign the card.

Configuring Data Change Management for Holiday Cards

After contacts have been validated, configure Data Change Management to review any new contacts added to the holiday card folders.

For details about this process, see the “Data Change Management Settings” topic in InterAction for Data Stewards and Marketing Users Guide.

  1. Set the Add Request Action to Review.

    If any users add new contacts to either list, a Data Change Management ticket will be submitted to the data steward responsible for the holiday card mailings.

  2. The responsible data steward must routinely check the Data Change Management Inbox for contacts added to either list.

  3. Approve tickets after labels have been printed.

Configuring Data Change Management

Printing Labels for Cards Requiring No Signature

Print the labels for cards requiring no signature. Assemble and mail the cards.

  1. Open the Holiday Cards - No Signature folder.

  2. Print labels for all contacts in the folder. Labels should be sorted by contact name.

Identify Contacts Whose Card Requires One Signature

Run the Holiday Cards Needing One Signature search to identify contacts with one sponsor. See Holiday Cards Needing One Signature for instructions on setting up this search.

  1. Run the saved search Holiday Cards Needing One Signature.

  2. Choose Tools > Reports.

  3. Select and print the Contacts by Sponsor report.

Select Contacts by Sponsor Report

Printing Labels for Cards with One Signature

Assemble the cards and labeled envelopes, then route the Contacts by Sponsor report and matching cards to appropriate sponsors.

  1. With the Holiday Cards Needing One Signature search results still displayed, choose Services > Automated Export.

  2. Select the Mailing Labels Sorted by Primary Sponsor merge form (see Mailing Labels Sorted by Primary Sponsor). Make sure All contacts in the current folder is selected.

    This mail merge pauses before completing the merge, allowing the records to be sorted by the Primary Sponsor additional field.

  3. Once the mailing labels are printed, match the mailing labels to the Contacts by Sponsor report, separating the labels and report pages by sponsor. Put labels on envelopes, insert cards, then route the cards to the appropriate sponsor to sign. Instruct employees to return the signed cards to the Marketing department.

Identifying Contacts Whose Card Requires at Least Two Signatures

Run the Holiday Cards Needing Two or More Signatures search to identify contacts with at least two sponsors. See Holiday Cards Needing Two or More Signatures for instructions on setting up this search.

  1. Run the saved search Holiday Cards Needing Two or More Signatures.

  2. Choose Tools > Reports.

  3. Select and print the Contacts by Sponsor report.

Printing Labels for Cards Requiring at Least Two Signatures

Assemble the cards and labeled envelopes, then route the Contacts by Sponsor report and matching cards to appropriate sponsors.

  1. While the Holiday Cards Needing Two or More Signatures search results are still displayed, choose Services > Automated Export.

  2. Select the Mailing Labels Sorted by Primary Sponsor merge form and print labels. See Mailing Labels Sorted by Primary Sponsor for instructions on setting up this merge form. Make sure All contacts in the current folder is selected.

    This mail merge pauses before completing the merge, allowing the records to be sorted by the Primary Sponsor Additional Field.

  3. Once the mailing labels are printed, match the mailing labels to the Contacts by Sponsor report, separating the labels and report pages by sponsor. Put labels on envelopes, insert cards, then route the cards to the appropriate sponsors to sign. Instruct employees to sign each card, cross their name off of the distribution list, and pass to the next person on the list. The last person on the list to sign a card should return the card to the Marketing department.

Managing Holiday Cards from Sponsors Who Have Left Your Organization

During the year, users may have added contacts to the holiday card folders, and now those users have left your organization. You will need to determine what to do with their lists.

Tip: You can deal with users who have left your organization proactively by searching for all contacts they have sponsored immediately after they leave. For details, see the Employee Leaves Organization best practice document on the InterAction Support Center web site.

When you separate the Contacts by Sponsor report by sponsors, you may be left with two types of lists: holiday cards where the former employee was the only sponsor, and holiday cards where the former employee was the Primary Sponsor but there are other sponsors who want to sign the card.

  • For cards where the former employee was the only sponsor, determine who should review the list and/or sign the cards. Distribute as appropriate.
  • For cards where there are additional sponsors, cross the former employee’s name off the list and route the cards to be signed by the other sponsors on the list.

Verifying Cards Have Appropriate Signatures and Mailing Cards

When cards are returned after being routed for signatures, ensure each card has the correct number of signatures. Seal envelopes and mail cards.

Recording Activities for All Contacts Who Received a Card

Activities appear in the users’ Alerts in Outlook and InterAction Web Client, and therefore alert the end user to the touch point with the contact. Additionally, activities are stored on the contact’s associated company record, and provide a rich record of interactions with the entire company.

For details about this process, see the following topics in the InterAction for Data Stewards and Marketing Users Guide:

  • Add an Activity Regarding Contacts
  • Fields Entered for an Activity

  1. For each of the holiday card folders, mark all contacts, and choose Mark > Add Activity.

  2. Add a global activity of type Marketing Mailing, and enter [Organization]’s (year) Holiday Card Sent in the activity summary.

Add Activity