Maileon basic setup checklist
In this document, we cover all the main steps of onboarding a new customer. This ensures that we don't overlook things, and gives you a handle on each step. We distinguish the following steps:
- Create an account (in the partner portal)
- Configure your account
- Subdomain configuration
- Basic settings in the account
- Registration form
- Unsubscribe page
- Templates
- Importing contacts
- Create new users
- Full training
1. Create an account (partners only)
Within the partner portal, you can create a new customer or a new account under an existing customer. To do so, go to the menu item ‘Customers & Accounts’ > ‘Account Jobs’ and click on the + icon or the green button ‘Create Account Jobs’. Then choose ‘Account creation’. Fill in all the fields, and click ‘Create account’. This process takes a maximum of 15 minutes, after which the account is ready for further setup.
2. Configure your account (partners only)
As soon as the account has been created, you can activate the necessary modules for the customer. You do this by clicking on the account name and then clicking on ‘Account configuration’. There you will find a long list of all available modules. Behind each module is a brief explanation. If you would like an explanation for a specific module or don't know exactly what you need, submit a ticket via [email protected] and we will help you.
3. Subdomain configuration
We always advise you to mail with your own subdomain. By adjusting the DNS settings on a subdomain of your choice, we can then use this subdomain as the sending address. In addition, images, online versions of your mailings, trackable links and landing pages will all run over this subdomain. This not only improves deliverability but also ensures consistency for consumers. Links in sent campaigns will contain the domain of the customer. For a detailed description of subdomain configuration, click here.
4. Basic settings in the account
In the account settings, you will find many settings that you can adjust or that you need for certain functions. The most important ones are listed here:
- Mailings > Standard settings
Enter all standard values here that are filled in or selected when you create a mailing. For example, the default name for a new mailing, a prefix added to the subject line for a test mail, etc.
Important: set the ‘Tracking method’ to ‘Track on individual user basis’, and lock this setting. This ensures that regardless of the contact's permission level, opens and clicks are recorded at contact level. In Germany, this can only be done if one has double opt-in permission from the contact, in the Netherlands, you can track contacts on an individual basis if there is a form of consent whereby they have agreed to the privacy statement (stating that tracking is applied).
For organisations that do not want to record opens and clicks at a contact level, this option should be set differently. Think of (semi-)governments that only want to inform and protect citizens' privacy.
- Mailings > Analytics & Conversions
Activate and configure Google Analytics here, so that it is standardized for every mailing. You can insert the domain here to which UTM tags should be restricted, so that the UTM tags are only placed behind links leading to the customer's website and not, for example, behind a social link.
Note that you can leave ‘utm_medium’ set to ‘no distinction’. This will then always be filled in with ‘email’. Test the correct placement of UTM tags by clicking on links in a test mail, or within the editor by going into preview mode and clicking on links there.
- Lists & Contacts > Contact management
Under bounce management, you can set how many times a contact is allowed to bounce (soft & hard) before being blocked. By industry standards, this is set to 10x soft and 3x hard.
Tip: you can set it to block hard bounces after the first time. As a rule, these are in fact permanent bounces, but the default setting allows a margin for error.
- Lists & Contacts > Contact management
Under unsubscriber management, you can set which fields should be anonymised when unsubscribing and which fields should be taken to the temporary Unsubscriber database.
5. Newsletter subscription form
Maileon offers several options to place a newsletter subscription form directly on the website that automatically registers contacts into Maileon:
1. PHP form generator
In the ‘Settings’ of the account, you'll find the ‘Subscribe Page Generator’ at the bottom left (if you don't see it, activate the module in the ‘Account configuration’ within the partner portal). There you can choose the fields you want to include in the newsletter form; which API key to use and whether to trigger a specific DOI (double opt-in) email after subscribing. No, API key available yet? Then create one under ‘API Keys’ within the account's Settings. Once you have entered everything, you can generate the PHP code, and download it. You can forward the Zip file to the web developer, who can implement the code on the website.
2. REST API based on a custom form
Here, the web builder builds his own newsletter form and uses an API call to create the contact in Maileon. View the documentation here: https://dev.maileon.com/api/rest-api-1-0/contacts/create-contact/
3. In the case of WordPress: Maileon for WordPress plugin
Maileon has built a comprehensive WordPress plugin that you can implement very quickly and easily. View and download the plugin here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/xqueue-maileon/#description
4. Maileon login page
With the ‘Pages’ module within Maileon, it is possible to create simple sign-up landing pages, hosted on the client's subdomain. You can style this page to your liking, and link all kinds of ‘form fields’ to fields in Maileon. You can then link to this page from social media or the client's website.
6. Unsubscribe page
The standard unsubscribe procedure used within Maileon, is a confirmation page that is shown after someone clicks on unsubscribe. By default, this is a Maileon page showing the text "Unsubscription successful". You can customise this by either having a confirmation page created within the customer's website or creating a custom page within Maileon.
If you choose a page within the customer's website, this page must be registered in Maileon. You do this under ‘Settings’ > ‘Pages’ > ‘Page Management’. Then under ‘Settings’ > ‘Pages’ > ‘Basic Settings’ you can indicate that an unsubscriber should be redirected to a specific page.
Tip: create a redirection page for "thanks for your registration" and "oops, something went wrong". You can link these pages with, for example, a double opt-in confirmation link and a profile modification link.
7. Template
Set up 1 or more templates for the customer. It helps to make 1 master template, which can then be used to prepare newsletters, action mailings, DOI mail, etc. This helps to get the customer started. We do not cover building the template further in this checklist. Need help? Contact us at [email protected].
8. Importing contacts
Via ‘Lists & Contacts’ > ‘Contact Import’, you can upload a CSV file to Maileon. In 4 steps, the wizard will guide you to a successful import. Within this procedure, you can convert (map) the values in the columns of the CSV file to Maileon contact fields. If a field does not yet exist in Maileon, you can create it directly without leaving the import procedure.
In the last step, choose the appropriate permission method. You can choose from ‘Single’, ‘Confirmed’, ‘Double’, ‘Double opt-in plus’. For the Dutch market, you can forget about the ‘Double opt-in’, because the ‘Double opt-in plus’ is always applied. The ‘plus’ stands for the fact that you have permission to track the contact in terms of opens and clicks.
Tip: tick the ‘Contact import tracking’ option. This way, you indicate to Maileon that you still want to be able to select this group in a future filter. It also allows you to create a ‘Contact Filter’ immediately and on top of that a ‘Target Group’, ‘Test list’ or ‘Default list’.
9. Creating new users
Under ‘Settings’ > ‘User list’ you can find the option to create users. Enter the email address, first and last name and choose a role for the user. As soon as you save it, the user will immediately receive an email with login instructions.
10. Training
Make sure users are trained in using Maileon. If you would like Maileon to provide training, please let us know at [email protected].