Mail Merge is a powerful tool for
writing and sending a personalized letter or e-mail to many different people at
the same time. You can also use it to create envelopes or labels with each
recipient' information. Mail Merge imports data from another source such as
Excel and then uses that data to replace placeholders throughout your message
with the relevant information for each individual you are messaging. You can
use it to quickly create personalized messages for hundreds of people at once.
Mail merge is used to batch-process
many personalized documents in Microsoft Word and other office suites. Both
a template letter and a database or spreadsheet with the required information
is needed. The template letter is then filled with the details found in the
database.
PART I – ADDING RECIPIENTS
1. 1. Understand what the Mail Merge function allows you to
accomplish. Mail Merge is a feature designed for creating mass mailing
and emails, as well as envelopes and labels with different information on each
one. You can load a database of recipients or manually enter them, and then use
placeholders, or "Fields", to automatically fill in each recipient's
information in their own copy. This allows you to create one document that you
can send to hundreds or even thousands of people.
2. 2. Create a recipient spreadsheet (optional). You
can manually enter each recipient during the Mail Merge process, which is fine
if you have just a handful of people you're messaging, but you'll find things a
lot easier if you have a spreadsheet or database of your recipients before you
start.
3. 3. Click the "Mailings" tab to open the Mail Merge
tools. If you are using Word 2003 or older, click the
"Tools" menu and select "Letters and Mailings" → "Show
Mail Merge Toolbar".
4. 4. Click the "Start Mail Merge" button and select your format. You can use Mail Merge
to create emails, letters, envelopes, labels, and directories. You can also
select "Normal Word Document" if you're not sure.
If you select "Envelopes",
the Envelope Options window will appear, allowing you to choose how your
envelopes will be formatted as well as the physical envelope size.
If you select "Labels",
the Label Options will appear, allowing you to choose the type of label paper
as well as the size of each label.
5. 5. Click "Select Recipients" and select how you want to add
recipients to the Mail Merge. Recipients are the most powerful part of Mail Merge,
as they allow you to replace placeholders, or "Fields", in the letter
with each recipient's personal information. You can manually enter your recipients,
load a database or spreadsheet file, or load your Outlook contacts.
If you select "Type a New
List", a new window will open which will allow you to manually enter each
recipient's information. This is useful if you don't have access to a spreadsheet
with your recipients' information in it, but it is also the slowest way to
enter the data. You can click Customize Columns... to create custom
fields for the data you are entering.
If you select "Use an Existing
List", you can browse your computer for a variety of different spreadsheet
and database files, including Excel and Access. You can also click the New
Source... button and connect to an SQL server online.
If you select "Choose from
Outlook Contacts", your Outlook contacts will be loaded, and you can
deselect all of the contacts you don't want to include.
PART II – CREATING THE DOCUMENT
1. Start creating your document as you normally would. Once
you have your recipients entered, you can begin creating your document. You can
make it from scratch or use any template. It's important to enter your
recipients first so that you can use the appropriate fields while creating the
document.
2. Click the "Greeting Line" button to create a custom
greeting. You can use the preview in the window that appears to see how
it will appear on each copy of the Mail Merge.
3. Click the
"Insert Merge Field" button and select the field that you want to
insert in the document. These fields will then be replaced with the data from
the recipient database when the documents are generated.
For example, if you want the document to display the
recipient's first and last name, you would select "First", push Space,
then click the "Insert Merge Field" button again and select
"Last".
For another example, you can use the
"Address Block" button to create envelopes with each recipient's
address printed on it. Type your own address into the return address area of
the envelope template, and then add the "Address Block" to the
recipient area of the template.
You can select any field that
contains recipient data. Make sure that it applies to all ofthe recipients on
the list, as blank fields will be very obvious when reading the document.
4. Click the "Highlight Merge Fields" button to make
the inserted fields stand out.This make
it easier to tell how the fields look while editing.
5. Click the "Preview Results" button to see how the
final product will look. The display will toggle
to show the Mail Merge document filled out with your first recipient's
information.
PART III – COMPLETING THE
MAIL MERGE
1. Check for errors. Click
the "Check for errors" button to have Word scan each document in the
Mail Merge to ensure that all recipients have valid data for each of the
fields. Any invalid results will be reported, allowing you to fix them before
proceeding.
2. Finish the merge
process. Once you have finished checking for errors, you can
finish the merge process and create the individual documents. You have three
options when you click the "Finish & Merge" button:[1]
"Edit Individual
Documents" - You will be able to choose which entries you want to perform
this action on. Once you do, a new document will be created, with each entry as
a new page. You can then go through and make manual edits to each one.
"Print Documents" - You
will be able to choose which entries you want to perform this action on. Once
you do, the documents will be sent to your printer, where each individual one
will print.
"Email Documents" - You will
be able to define the Subject line as well as select the Field that contains
the recipients' email addresses. You will then be able to send the bulk email
message off using Outlook. Note that this will immediately send the message, so
make sure everything looks good!
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