{"id":1013,"date":"2019-10-11T12:21:24","date_gmt":"2019-10-11T10:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.datananas.com\/en\/?p=1013"},"modified":"2022-09-19T16:24:36","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T14:24:36","slug":"mail-merge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.datananas.com\/en\/mail-merge\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Mail Merge? 4 Best Mail Merge Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Email is\none of the best marketing channels that you can\u2019t ignore. Research<\/a>\nshows that email generates $38 for every $1 spent. This means the email has a\nwhopping 3800% ROI which is just insane. In another study<\/a>,\n59% of marketers reported that email marketing is the marketing channel with the\nhighest ROI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It isn\u2019t just about sending emails to your subscribers and customers but you have to send them highly personalized emails. Statistics show that 74% of marketing professionals say that personalization increases customer engagement significantly. Among several other approaches to making your emails personalized, mail merge stands out from the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine sending\nemails to your customers without referring them with their name. Do you think\nthey would be pleased to receive such emails?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It irritates customers when they don\u2019t receive a personalized experience. As much as 71%<\/a> of consumers feel frustrated when they don\u2019t receive personalized messages from brands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what\nexactly mail merge is and how you can use it in your email marketing campaigns?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s\nfigure out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Mail Merge?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is a\nuseful feature that lets you link a document with data to a template. The data\nfile contains information about email recipients such as first name, last name,\naddress, phone number, etc. The data is inserted into the email template at\nspecific places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mail merge\nlets you personalize\nemails<\/a> with a single data file and a single email template. The data\nis picked from the file and is inserted automatically at specific places in the\ntemplate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It is\nextensively used in email marketing especially cold email marketing campaigns.\nIt helps you save time, increase effectiveness, and increase personalization.\nAt the end of the day, mail merge lets you take control of your emails like a\npro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mail Merge with Gmail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you are\nnot sure how to use mail merge, your best bet is Gmail. You can use mail merge with\nGmail easily and make your emails personalized. You can use a single email\ntemplate and customize it to a great extent with this amazing feature. Mail merge\nwith Gmail is free to use and provides you with decent personalization\nfeatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is how\nto use mail merge with Gmail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step #1: Download and\nInstall Add-on<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Download<\/a> the Mail Merge with Attachments<\/strong> Chrome extension. It is a free\nextension that lets you use mail merge right from your Gmail dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download,\ninstall, and activate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step #2: Create a New\nTemplate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After you\nhave installed the add-on, open Google Sheet. Select Mail Merge with\nAttachments and then select Create Merge\nTemplate<\/strong> from Add-ons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This will\ncreate a new template. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step #3: Create Contacts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Create a\nnew group in Google\nContacts<\/a> for the people who will receive the email. Add all the\nrecipients to the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternately,\nyou can add recipient details in the Google Sheet directly. It gets tedious so\ncreating a group in Google Contacts is a better option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step #4: Import Contacts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After you\nhave created a group and all the contacts are added into it, you need to import\nthe group into the sheet. Select Import Google Contacts under the mail merge\nmenu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It will\nautomatically import all the contacts into the sheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step #5: Configure Mail\nMerge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Create your\nemail in Gmail and use placeholders in the subject and body for customization.\nAfter you\u2019re done with the email, move to the sheet and click Configure Mail Merge<\/strong> to run your email\ncampaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When done,\nclick Run Mail Merge<\/strong>. Your email\nwill be sent to the recipients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can use\nother mail merge extensions and add-ons. There are several free add-ons\navailable to choose from. The procedure will remain somewhat similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mail Merge Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can\u2019t\nuse mail merge without a tool. The whole point of using it is to make emails\ncustomized automatically. And that\u2019s where you need a specialized tool that\nwill handle all the data, template, tracking, processing, and personalization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is an\noverview of the best mail merge tools that you can choose from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Datananas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Datananas<\/a> is one of the best mail merge tools\nthat provides you with tons of features that make email personalization and automation\na lot more exciting. It has a user-friendly dashboard that lets you create,\nmanage, and customize email templates easily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best\nthing about Datananas is that you can integrate it with your Gmail account. You\ncan start sending highly personalized emails in no time via your Gmail account.\nIt picks contacts from your Datananas account and sends them emails based on\nthe template you have selected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\ncreate automated workflows, add follow-ups, track opens and clicks, manage\nprospects, and connect it with your CRM tool. You can choose from several\ncustomization parameters that are used to personalize emails. You can write and\nmanage templates right from your Datananas dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\ncreate email templates in Datananas, your email and subject are analyzed. You\nget suggestions on its structure, personalization, length, and vocabulary. This\nhelps with creating highly engaging emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other key Datananas features include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n