Introduction

In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the process of how to mail merge in Gmail And Foresight.

Introducing Mail Merge in Gmail and Foresight, a powerful tool that will revolutionize the way you communicate with your contacts.  With the incredible feature of Mail Merge in Gmail and Foresight, you can now send personalized emails to a large number of people with just a few clicks. Utilizing this tool, you can merge data from a spreadsheet into your email, making each message unique.

If you run a business, or just want to send lots of emails, Mail Merge in Gmail and Foresight can help. You can use this feature to send out reminders for upcoming events or follow up with potential clients at the right time. As a result, using Gmail and Foresight, you can also schedule your emails in advance.

Understanding the benefits of mail merge

Before we dive into the technicalities of mail merge in gmail, let's take a moment to understand why it's such a valuable tool:

  • The main benefit of mail merge is its ability to automate and personalize mass emails. With mail merge, you can tailor your emails to the recipient, making them feel more personal and increasing your chances of engaging them.
  • Apart from personalizing, mail merge saves a lot of time as well. You can create one email template and merge it with a list of recipients in place of composing and sending individual emails.

Why Mail Merge in Gmail?

Mail merge is a process of sending bulk emails. It’s a part of most data processing applications that enables users to send the same letter or a document to several recipients. Mail merge in Gmail is very useful. Gmail is the most popular email service provider with 1.5 billion active users. Like, who has the time to type and re-type the same email over and over again?

Business owners should have Gmail mail merge for their businesses. It allows you to customize each and every email effortlessly. 

  • Sending emails to specific customers with sensitive information regarding business or service.
  • Sending updates to the customer regarding upcoming offers and deals.
  • Lastly, there are PR campaigns. Businesses put a lot of effort into PR campaigns and journalists need to attain these campaigns. So, the mass emails to these journalists need to be impeccable.

Is mail merge Gmail unnecessary for non-business owners?

Absolutely not. Gmail mail merge is very useful, not only for businesses but also for all types of users.

  • As a teacher, you can send emails to your students.
  • Party invitations have always been a hassle for most people. Sending the same invitations to each individual is extremely time-consuming and boring. Implementation of Gmail mail merge will make the task convenient. 

Mail merge in Gmail with a Google Workspace account allows you to send emails or the deliverability of the emails.

In addition to these, mail merge also saves you valuable time. It boosts effectiveness when creating documents. For example, you can customize letters with specific names or other elements. This way you can deliver polished, personalized emails that require little to no time. 

Gmail Mail Merge with Foresight

The Foresight Automation tool is an innovative solution that enhances the efficiency and convenience of mail merging with Gmail. With its advanced features and user-friendly interface, the Foresight automation tool simplifies the process of sending personalized emails in bulk.

  • One of the key benefits of using the Foresight automation tool for mail merge is its seamless integration with Gmail. Integrating Gmail with automating mail merge allows users to leverage the familiar, powerful features of Gmail. By using Foresight the automation tool, users can save valuable time and effort by automating repetitive tasks involved in mail merging.
  • Security is a top priority for the Foresight automation tool. Users can have peace of mind knowing that their data is safe and confidential.

Let’s see these -

Simple Mail Merge

This is the first case of Mail Merge. A simple mail merge with a single template is pretty simple.  Here’s how to mail merge in Gmail.

  1. First, you need to prepare a Google Sheet with two columns. Email Address and First Name.
  2. Now, download that Google Sheet in CSV Format. Click File Button > Download > Comma Separate Values (CSV).
  3. After downloading the file, Sign in to Foresight using your “Google Account”.
  4. Click the New rule button on the bottom right side of the window. This is the New Rule Button, click on it to create a new rule. 
  5. A popup will appear on the screen, named Select a Trigger. Click on the Data Uploaded Trigger.
  6. In the next panel, click on the upload box and select the downloaded CSV file from your hard drive. Wait for the CSV parsing to finish. 
  7. As the CSV file is parsed, fields will appear on the screen. Click Next at the bottom to proceed.
  8. Now, you will reach the Select an Action screen. Click on the Email action. 
  9. Here, first, you need to click the Sign in with Google button to provide some necessary permissions in Google Workplace for Foresight. Under the To field, select the Email Variable. 
  10. Enter a subject and body for your email message. Type {{ and select the First Name Variable to start greetings.
  11. Click the REVIEW button below.
  12. Enter a Rule Name. Type Survey Bulk Email.
  13. Click the CREATE button below.
  14. A Rule will be created, named Survey Bulk Email.
  15. Click the Upload icon on the rule card and upload the same downloaded CSV file. 
  16. Upload the CSV file. And you will see the Rule has been triggered and the Action has been executed. Wait for the execution to complete.
  17. After the Rule Execution is complete, you will get a notification at the top right corner. Check the details and you will see, the rule has been executed successfully.

You can confirm it by accessing your Gmail account and checking the Gmail Sent Folder. You will see multiple emails were sent.

Mail Merge with Multiple Templates and Rich Personalization

This is the second case of Mail Merge.

Here’s how to send a bulk email in Gmail with multiple templates using Foresight.

  1. Create a Google Sheet with multiple templates. Google Sheet has seven columns:
  2. Now, download this Google Sheet in “CSV'' format. Click File Button > Download > Comma Separate Values (CSV).
  3. Next, Sign in with your “Google Account” to Foresight.  
  4. Click the New rule button on the bottom right side of the window. This is the New Rule Button, click on it to create a new rule.
  5. In the Select a trigger screen. Select the Data Uploaded Trigger.  
  6. Now, Click on the upload box and select the downloaded CSV file from your hard drive. Wait for the CSV parsing to finish.
  7. After the CSV file is parsed, fields of the CSV document will appear on the screen. Click Next at the bottom to proceed.

    Note: The steps 2-7 in Multiple Template Mail Merge are the same as those in Simple Mail Merge. You can see screenshots from Simple Mail Merge.
  8. Now, you will reach the Select an Action screen. Click on the IF action.
  9. Furthermore, Rename Branch 1 and put the name THANKYOU_FOR_YOUR_PURCHASE.
  10. Now, you have to set the condition of this branch. Set the variable to Email Template Name, set the operator to text is exactly, and input the email template name THANKYOU_FOR_YOUR_PURCHASE as the value field.
  11. Click ADD NEXT ACTION.
  12. Now, select the Email action.
  13. In the Edit actions screen for the Email action, you may have to grant necessary permissions to Foresight by clicking the Sign in with Google button. If you see the Access granted on top, Foresight has all the necessary permissions. 
  14. Select the Email Address Variable on the To field.
    • Tip: Type {{ to see all variables in the To field.
  15. Fill in the Subject and the email message.
  16. In the email message body, type {{ to populate the variable list and choose the variables. In our demo, we have included the First Name variable and the Purchase Date variable in the email message body.
    • Tip: Type {{ and choose the purchase date variable.
  17. On the right side of the rule, an Automation Graph is available. Click the If shape to navigate back to the If action. 
  18. In the If action, click Add Branch.
  19. In this Second Branch, you have to set similar conditions as the first branch except for the value field. In second branch, the condition is set to Email Template Name text is exactly THANKYOU_FOR_YOUR_LOYALTY.
  20. Click Add Next Action in the If condition. 
  21. Select Email action. 
  22. In the Edit actions page, select the Email Address variable in the To field. Then, input the Subject and type another email in the email message body.
  23. On the right side of the Rule, an Automation Graph is available. Click the If shape to navigate back
  24. In the If action, the branch name will be COUPON_CODE. And condition will be as follows: Email template name text is exactly COUPON_CODE and a different email template in the email message body.
  25. Click on Review.
  26. Under Rule Name, type Multiple Template Mail Merge.
  27. Click Create at the bottom.
  28. Rule will be created.
  29. Click the Upload icon on the Rule and upload the same downloaded CSV file.
  30. After the Action is executed successfully, a notification will appear in the top right corner.

Your work is complete. You will see the Action executed successfully in the Notification section. Go to your Gmail Sent folder and see, multiple emails have been sent to different users according to the template name. 

Note:

  1. Gmail now allows sending 2000 emails daily. Gmail email sending limit.
  2. After you've established the rule, you can save time by reusing it to upload new CSV files.
  3. A mail merge does not always require to be initiated by a CSV file. As a Google Workspace user, you can send personalized welcome emails to Google Workspace new users

Troubleshooting Common Issues with Mail Merge in Gmail

  • Email Deliverability: One of the most common issues with mail merge is emails getting marked as spam or not being delivered at all. How to avoid your messages being marked as spam
  • Merge Tag Errors: If your merge tags are not working as expected, double-check that you've correctly inserted them in your email template. Verify that there are no typos or missing characters.
  • Sending Limits: Gmail has a limit on the number of emails you can send per day. If you're sending a large number of emails, you might encounter sending limits. To overcome this, consider using a third-party email service provider Foresight that specializes in mass email sending or break your email campaign into smaller batches. Understand send limits
  • Formatting Issues: Sometimes, the formatting of your email template may not render correctly in the recipient's email client. To overcome this, keep your email design simple and avoid complex formatting. Test your emails in different email clients and devices to ensure they display correctly.

Advanced Tips and Tricks for Optimizing Mail Merge in Gmail

let's explore some advanced tips and tricks to optimize your mail merge campaigns in Gmail:

  • Segment Your Recipient List: Organize your list by location, industry, or past interactions.
  • A/B Testing: To determine the most effective email template, subject line, or call-to-action, consider conducting A/B tests. Create multiple variations of your email and test them on a small portion of your recipient list. Analyze the results and implement the most successful elements in your main campaign.
  • Personalized Attachments: You can personalize attachments using mail merge. Your recipients can receive customized proposals, invoices, or other documents this way. Send personalized emails with mail merge

By implementing these advanced tips and tricks, you can take your mail merge campaigns to the next level and achieve even greater success.

Best Practices for Successful Mail Merge Campaigns

  • Maintain a Clean Email List: Regularly clean your email list by removing invalid email addresses, unsubscribes, and inactive users. This ensures that your emails reach the intended recipients and improves your deliverability rates. Unsubscribed recipients
  • Test before sending: Test your mail merge campaigns. Send a test email to yourself or a small group of colleagues to check for any formatting issues or errors.
  • Personalize: The key to a successful mail merge campaign is personalization, but do not overdo it.
  • Monitor and Optimize: Regularly monitor the performance of your mail merge campaigns and make data-driven optimizations. Analyze open rates, click-through rates, and other metrics to identify areas for improvement and refine your campaigns.

Conclusion

The mail merge feature in Gmail is a strong tool that can greatly improve how productive you are with emails. The Foresight automation tool is a game-changer for mail merge using Gmail. Its seamless integration, powerful features, and user-friendly interface make it the ideal solution for individuals and businesses looking to streamline their email campaigns. 

With the Foresight automation tool, users can save time, increase productivity, and achieve better results in their mail merge endeavors. Foresight. Remember to follow the step-by-step guide outlined in this article to set up and use mail merge effectively. Start merging and see the difference it makes in your productivity and efficiency.

Try a 14-day free trial to learn the features and other useful Google Workspace tips from Foresight.

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