10 steps to get started with marketing

The ten items in this article cover the basics for getting started working with the marketing features in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. For a complete list, visit the Resource Center by clicking Resource Center on the left navigation pane in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. For more information, see Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Help.

Key steps

1. Understand the difference between campaigns and quick campaigns

   A quick campaign is a communication method that creates a single activity for distribution to accounts, contacts, or leads, or a marketing list. Contrast this with campaigns, which support end-to-end marketing programs that have multiple activities.

   For more information, see the article What's the difference between campaigns and quick campaigns?

2. Understand how marketing lists work

   In Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, marketing lists are groups of accounts, contacts, or leads related to accounts. Examples of leads that are related to an account might be individuals who purchase products or services for their own use, or employees of an account. A marketing list can only contain one record type. You can use a marketing list to send a quick campaign. Or, you can add multiple marketing lists to a campaign. For more information, see the following articles and Help topics:

   • Creating and managing marketing lists
   • Create a winning marketing list
   • Leverage marketing lists across your team
3. Create and save personal views

   From any list, you can click Advanced Find and modify the query that created that view. You can then save it with another name. The next time you use that list, in the View list, in the View box, in the My Views section, select the saved view. Unfortunately, these new views cannot be saved as the default view.

4. Use mail merge with marketing lists

   You can do mail merges on records that are in a marketing list. The steps for doing this are outlined in Leverage marketing lists across your team.

5. Customize the marketing list members view

   In Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, most views (the lists of records that are displayed) can be customized by a system administrator using the Customization feature. Marketing list members views, though, cannot be customized using that feature. Instead, customize these views using one of the following methods:

   • If you aren't a system administrator, you can create a custom view for yourself using the steps outlined in the article Leverage marketing lists across your team. See the section "Refine your marketing list."
   • If you have System Administrator or System Customizer permissions, see the blog post Customize Marketing List (List Member View) for a workaround to creating this view for your organization.
6. Assign and share records

   What Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online customer information you can work with is determined by permissions and ownership. If more than one person needs to work a record, it can be shared or assigned. When you share a record with another user, you are giving that user specific permissions, such as Read, Write, or Delete, to that record. When you assign a record to another user, you are making that user the owner of the record.

   • On the Actions toolbar, click More Actions, and then click Sharing.
   • On the Actions toolbar, click the Assign button.
7. Track campaigns with default marketing reports

   By default, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online includes the following reports that assist you in monitoring and analyzing marketing activities:

   • Campaign Activity Status: Use this report to track a campaign. The report displays a summary for one campaign.
   • Campaign Comparison: Use this report to identify your most and least successful campaigns.
   • Campaign Performance: Use this report to track the progress and status of your campaigns.

   To understand the how, where, and when of using these reports most effectively, see Campaigns from start to finish.

8. Send an e-mail to a customer or another person in your organization
   • To send quick mail to a customer, in their account, contact, or lead record, on the Actions toolbar, click Send E-mail. Complete the form and then click Send.
   • To send a quick e-mail to the owner of a record, on the Administration tab of a record, double-click the name of the Owner. When their record opens, click Send Direct E-mail, complete the form and then click Send.
   • To instant message anyone with a presence jewel. If you have Office Communicator 2007 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online for Outlook installed, you may see the presence jewel. You can click the jewel and send instant messages or e-mail.
9. Let your customers unsubscribe from marketing communications

   Make it possible for your customers to unsubscribe from your marketing campaign communications. Note that you cannot add unsubscribe functionality to direct e-mail or e-mail templates. Follow these steps to set up unsubscribe functionality:

   • In Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, in the Navigation Pane, click System Settings.
   • Click Administration, and then in the main pane, click System Settings.
   • In the System Settings dialog box, on the Marketing tab, select the appropriate options in the Set the auto-unsubscribe options section.
   • Click OK to finish.
10. Understand campaign templates

    To run campaigns effectively, it helps for you to understand the difference between campaigns and campaign templates. For more information, as well as for details about creating and using templates, see Save time with a library of campaign templates.

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