The right way to personalize electronic mail with mail merge in Gmail

Learn to mix Google Contacts and Gmail multi-send to merge names into individualized emails.

In late 2022, Google added the flexibility to personalize Gmail messages despatched from multi-send mode. This implies chances are you’ll now insert a @firstname, @lastname, @fullname or @electronic mail area inside a multi-send electronic mail, and the system will merge the corresponding area knowledge from a recipient’s Google Contact report. Extra importantly, when Google introduced the function, the corporate additionally indicated that “help for customized mail merge tags utilizing spreadsheets” shall be added sooner or later.

Multi-send mode is offered to individuals who use:

• Google Workspace Particular person.
• Google Workspace Enterprise Normal or Plus.
• Google Workspace Enterprise Starter, Normal or Plus.
• Google Workspace Training Normal or Plus editions.

Moreover, a Google Workspace administrator should allow the function by setting Permit Multi-send Mode to ON within the Admin console at Apps | Google Workspace | Gmail | Person Settings | Multi-Ship mode.

The right way to handle a recipient checklist in Google Contacts

A Gmail multi-send merge attracts from knowledge in Google Contacts, so be sure you have appropriate data for every contact area you plan to make use of in your multi-send merge. If it’s essential to import data into Google Contacts, chances are you’ll obtain a Google-provided template to be sure you have knowledge within the appropriate fields for a .csv import. Open Google Contacts in a desktop-class browser to evaluation the information fields (Determine A) used within the mail merge course of:

• Prefix
• First Title
• Final Title
• Suffix
• E mail

Determine A

First, be certain that the information for every recipient is appropriate in Google Contacts with a evaluation of identify and electronic mail fields. For ease of use, chances are you’ll need to label contacts, so chances are you’ll later choose that label so as to add all related contacts in an electronic mail recipient area.

Generally, additionally, you will need to create a contact label (e.g., E-newsletter as proven in Determine A), then add that label to each contact you want to embody on that checklist. This makes it potential to then choose the label whereas within the recipient area in Gmail so as to add all contacts with that label to the recipient checklist. You could choose the checkbox to the left of every contact for a set of contacts, choose the label icon (above the checklist of contacts), then select your contact label and choose Apply so as to add the label to the chosen set of contacts.

SEE: The right way to handle your Google Contacts (TechRepublic)

Be certain that your recipients lists don’t exceed Gmail sending limits or guidelines. One notable numeric constraint is that the utmost variety of recipients for a multi-send electronic mail is 1,500 electronic mail addresses. Do you have to ship this amount of electronic mail from an organizational deal with, you’ll be capable to ship 500 further electronic mail messages that day earlier than you attain the every day general restrict of two,000 messages.

SEE: The right way to ship mass emails from Gmail (TechRepublic)

The opposite vital rule is to not ship spam: Be certain that the individuals you electronic mail are individuals who need to obtain your electronic mail. By default, each multi-send electronic mail contains an “Unsubscribe” hyperlink that enables a recipient to take away themselves from this checklist. Nevertheless, if you ship electronic mail internally — to individuals inside your group — unsubscribing might not be an choice. In different phrases, individuals might not be capable to unsubscribe from a multi-send inner message, comparable to these less-than-useful emails from a frontrunner in your group who has mastered the artwork of the meaningless missive. For those who actually want to by no means see electronic mail from a specific individual in your group, you might configure a filter to archive chosen emails mechanically.

The right way to insert mail merge fields in a multi-send Gmail

To create a brand new multi-send electronic mail, you’ll want to make use of a desktop-class browser, comparable to Google Chrome as follows:

1. Go to Gmail.
2. Choose the Compose button within the higher left. (If the button isn’t displayed, choose the three horizontal line menu choice within the higher left nook after which choose Mail.) Alternatively, if keyboard shortcuts have been enabled, press the c key.
3. Choose the multi-send icon from the lower-right portion of the compose menu icons, as proven by the purple field in Determine B. The icon shows as an envelope positioned in entrance of one other envelope. A textual content field conveys that “You’re utilizing multi-send mode” together with further textual content and a hyperlink to study extra.

Determine B

4. Add recipients (e.g., a set of recipients through a Google Contact label), an electronic mail topic and content material, a lot as you would possibly in any commonplace Gmail.
5. Transfer your cursor within the textual content space of the e-mail to the place you want to insert your merge area, then sort @ to entry obtainable mail merge tags, as proven by the purple circle in Determine B. As of March 2023, these embody @firstname, @lastname, @fullname and @electronic mail.
6. Choose the specified electronic mail tag from the checklist.

After you might have entered your entire multi-send electronic mail content material, choose the Proceed button. At that time, chances are you’ll choose:

• Cancel, which lets you return to enhancing your electronic mail,
• Ship preview, to convey a duplicate of your electronic mail to your individual Inbox, so chances are you’ll fastidiously evaluation the e-mail content material, or
• Ship all, to carry out the merge, which sends an electronic mail to every chosen recipient.

Since, by definition, multi-send emails go to many recipients, be certain that to preview each message earlier than sending. Inevitably, typos, errors, omissions and incorrect dates/occasions have a tendency to stay properly hidden and solely reveal themselves after you press Ship. Use the Ship preview choice, mixed with cautious proofreading to attenuate errors.

If a number of recipients lack knowledge in a merge tag you might have used, the system will mean you can enter a default different (e.g., textual content to make use of when no first or final identify is current) or return to the draft and modify the recipient checklist to both add the lacking knowledge or take away the recipient. For instance, in case your electronic mail begins, “Hello @firstname!” you would possibly select “there” for contacts that lack an entered first identify, which ends up in “Hello there!” textual content to these contacts.