To send an email blast to your CRM merchants using MailChimp (for example to announce a new service or a feature) you will first need to:
- Export your merchants data and emails to a CSV file
- Create a new list in MailChimp and import your merchants from the CSV file
- Set up your email template
A similar approach can be taken with other marketing platforms, such as the Campaign Monitor and others.
Exporting Merchant Data to a CSV File
To export your merchant data to a CSV file , open the User Accounts page from the administration menu (Users & Groups > User Account), select the Merchant user class, and export the report to a CSV file:
Note that your CSV file displays the export summary in the first few rows.
In order to import the CSV into a different system, you will need to remove the summary rows, so that the column names are shown in the first row as shown in this example:
Adding a New MailChimp List
After you've updated your CSV file, you are ready to import your merchants into MailChimp by creating a new list, and then importing your merchants into the list.
For step-by-step instructions on creating a new list and importing subscribers please see these articles:
https://mailchimp.com/help/create-a-new-list/
https://mailchimp.com/help/import-subscribers-to-a-list/
Adding an Email Template
Once your list is setup, you can add an email template into MailChimp, and map the MailChimp placeholders to the appropriate columns imported from your CSV file.
For more information on MailChimp templates please see this article:
https://mailchimp.com/help/types-of-templates/
After your send out your mail blast, the template placeholders will be replaced with the actual Merchant data, such as the first name, last name, etc.
In this way each merchant will receive a personalized email containing their specific information.