Clockwork CRMDocs

Mailing lists

A mailing list is the set of contacts a bulk email shot is sent to. Lists are managed at Marketing → Mailing Lists.

The mailing list list: each list with its size, when it was last changed and by whom

Open in Clockwork CRMEnter your Clockwork CRM address at the top of the page to open this in your Clockwork CRM.

The mailing list list

Column What it shows
Mailing List Name The list's name, with its description underneath
Using Search Codes Yes if the list has person or company criteria
Size The number of recipients on the list, including everyone the criteria match now
Last Modified When the list was last saved
Last Modified By and Created By The users who last saved and who created the list

The search box at the top filters the list by name. Double-clicking a row opens the list for editing.

The ... menu on each row has:

Action What it does
Preview Recipients Shows everyone the list resolves to now. See Previewing recipients
Export Downloads the list as a CSV file of email addresses and names
Edit Opens the list
Delete Deletes the list

To delete several lists at once, tick them and select Bulk Delete.

You only see the lists you have permission to see. See Permissions.

Creating a mailing list

  1. Go to Marketing → Mailing Lists and select Add Mailing List.
  2. Enter a Name and a Description.
  3. Add contacts in one or more of the ways below: Quick Search, Search Criteria or Import from CSV.
  4. Set who can see the list under Permissions.
  5. Select Save.

Save stays disabled until the list has a name, a description and at least one contact, one criteria row or one CSV file. You can combine the methods. A contact that is added more than once is only counted, and emailed, once.

General details

Field What it does
Name The list's name, up to 255 characters. Required
Description What the list is for, up to 1,000 characters. Required. Recipients see it when they manage their subscription preferences

If any imported addresses on the list are on the blacklist, a warning at the top of the form shows how many. See Blacklisted addresses.

Quick Search adds people and companies to the list by name. Type in the search box and select a result to add it. Contacts added this way stay on the list until you remove them.

Search criteria

Search Criteria add everyone who matches a set of rules. The rules are checked each time the list is used, so the list stays up to date as your contacts change. A contact that stops matching leaves the list, and one that starts matching joins it.

Section What it does
Person Criteria Rules that select people, built the same way as the contact advanced search
Company Criteria Rules that select companies, built the same way as the contact advanced search
Import Search Code Paste a search code from the contact advanced search into Search Codes and select Import to copy its rules into the person or company builder

Rules can be put into groups. A contact must match every rule in a group, and is added if it matches any one group. Person and company results are combined into one list. See Searching contacts.

Importing from a CSV file

Import from CSV fills the list from a single CSV file.

  1. Select Upload and choose the CSV file in the file browser.
  2. Choose the Import Mode.
  3. Match your columns to the import fields: Name Header for the name and Address Header for the email address. Clockwork CRM picks these automatically when your columns are called Name, Email or Address.
  4. Select Save.

Both headers must be set before you can save. Select the × on the file name to remove the file before saving.

Import Mode What it does
Inclusive Keeps the contacts and addresses already on the list and adds those in the file. This is the default
Destructive Removes all contacts and addresses added by Quick Search or a previous import, then imports the file. Search criteria are kept

Each email address in the file is matched against your contacts:

  • If a company has that email address, the company is added.
  • Otherwise, if a person has that email address, on their own record or on one of their company links, the person is added.
  • Otherwise the address is added on its own, with the name from the file. If the name is empty, the part of the address before the @ is used.

Addresses added on their own are shown under Non Contact Addresses. Select the × on one to remove it from the list.

A CSV import is a snapshot. It does not change when your contacts change. Use search criteria for a list that updates itself.

Import failures

When some rows cannot be imported, the list is still saved and Import failures shows each failed row with its Line Number, Email, Name and Reason. The reasons are:

Reason What it means
Invalid email address The address column is empty or is not a valid email address
Duplicate email address The address appears earlier in the same file

Permissions

Permissions sets which Users and Teams can see the list. Only those users and the members of those teams see the list at Marketing → Mailing Lists and can choose it for a bulk email shot.

A new list starts with you and the Everyone team. You are always added to a list you save, even if you remove yourself.

Previewing recipients

Preview Recipients shows every recipient the list resolves to now: contacts added by hand, imported addresses, and everyone matching the search criteria. It is the same set a bulk email shot would send to.

The recipients of a mailing list, with how many will receive and how many have unsubscribed

The cards at the top show Total Recipients, People, Companies, Imported Addresses, Unsubscribed, Will Receive, Undeliverable and No Email Address, counted over the whole list. Select a card to show only those recipients. Select it again, or select Total Recipients, to show everyone. Only one card is active at a time. Search recipients... searches on a recipient's name or email address.

Each recipient has a Status. Select a status to show only recipients with that status:

Status What it means
Will receive The recipient will be sent the email
Unsubscribed The recipient has unsubscribed from this list and will not be sent the email
Undeliverable address The address is on the blacklist and will not be sent the email
No email address The contact has no email address to send to

A person's email address is the one on their record or, if that is empty, the first one on their company links.

Back To Mailing Lists returns to the list.

Unsubscribes

Every bulk email carries a link to an Email Preferences page. The page lists the mailing lists the recipient is on, with each list's name and description, and lets them turn each one on or off. Email clients that support one-click unsubscribe can also unsubscribe the recipient from all the mailing lists the email was sent to.

A recipient who has unsubscribed from every mailing list a bulk email shot is sent to is not sent that shot. Recipients are subscribed to a list the first time a shot is sent to it.

Blacklisted addresses

An address is blacklisted when an email to it permanently bounces, or when it fails the address check Clockwork CRM runs before a bulk email shot sends. Blacklisted addresses are not sent any further bulk email, to protect the sending reputation of your domain.

Imported addresses on the blacklist are highlighted on the list, and the preview shows them as Undeliverable address.

Person Criteria and Company Criteria include a Blacklisted rule. It matches contacts with an email address on the blacklist.

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