PassTracker - Sending Bulk Emails

Select Bulk Email Method

First you select your method of emailing. Passtracker supports two plugins as well as FileMaker's built in SMTP sending and sending via your own email client.

Bulk Emailer Choices

There are four main types of email sending. The differences are:

1) FileMaker SMTP - free built in, uses an SMTP server to send mail. There are fields for the SMTP server, user name and password. Pros: cleaner solution, doesn't fill your outbound mail box with bulk mail. Cons: a bit finickier to setup. No HTML Mail

Requires that you fill in SMTP Host, Port, SSL option, Port Number, as well as Email From and Email Name.

2) FileMaker via Email Client - uses the mail client on your computer to send mail. Make sure you set this up in your email client before sending. Pros: Easy to set up once you have your mail client working. Cons: Fills your mail box with outbound bulk mail.

3) SMTPit - a plugin available from this website (www.smtpit.com). See the website for more details on how to install the plugin. Pros: This plugin gives you the ability to send in HTML mail as well. Cons: costs money.

4) Mail.it - a third party plugin available from (www.dacons.net). Pros: Does HTML Mail as well. Cons: costs money.

FileMaker via Email Client Choice

Note: If you use this method, you don't need to fill in the SMTP host, port or SSL info. What you should do is click the 'Send FM no dialog button' to avoid having to click all the messages to send in your mail program. With this item clicked, the mail will just send in the background. If you have multiple email accounts, be sure that the 'send from' account you want this bulk email to originate from is selected in your Mail program.

Click Bulk Emailer button

Once the method of emailing is selected, your next thing to set up is a boilerplate mail message.

Email Message Setup

Setup your message to send.

Setup Groups - Select the clients you wish to send to

Select the clients you wish to send it to by tagging them in the groups list and then selecting that group to send.

Add or remove to email groups

There are buttons at the bottom to set a found set to a group.

Sample test batch, ready to send.

Here is what it would look like with a few customers selected for a test batch. Note that the Group set to email is Customers and there are three customers tagged to send. Now go to the Bulk Emailer tab and you should see this:

Bulk Emailer Screen

Use the Send All button to email this batch out.