FAQs
SETTING UP YOUR NEWSLETTER
How do I log on to my account?
How can I change my profile information?
How do I pay for my newsletter?
How do I know what is going out each month?
What is the delivery schedule for IN YOUR INTEREST?
MAINTAINING YOUR MAILING LIST
How can we check the status of our subscribers on our mailing list?
What do my subscirbe and unsubscribe totals mean?
How do I export names from my contact database so I can upload them into my newsletter account?
Is it possible to add a spreadsheet list of subscribers to my account?
Can I add names to My Mailing List one at a time?
How can I find out which consultants I am sharing clients with?
What can I do if I'm sharing a subscriber with another consultant?
Is it possible to duplicate a name on my subscriber list if I upload the same person twice?
How can I see who has unsubscribed from the newsletter?
Can I organize my Mailing List by group?
SETTING UP YOUR NEWSLETTER
Q: How do I log on to my account?
A: To manage your newsletter, go to www.RinglerInYourInterest.com and click on the Login button in the top right-hand corner. In the window titled Associate Login, enter your username and password that we provided for you. You should be at the Manage Account page. Now click on My Account Information. Then find the link Click Here to Change Your Password under your email address and change your password. Answer a Secret Question (for customer service) and hit Save at the bottom of the page when you are finished. (Back to Top)
Q: How can I change my profile information?
A: First, log in to your Ringler account and click the Manage Account tab. You'll be able to edit anything in your profile, including your picture, contact information, Featured Links greeting and From My Desk story. When you're all done with your changes, remember to click Save and then Preview Newsletter to check out your edits. (Back to Top)
Q: Do you have a user's manual?
A: You can download the Member Startup Guide & Best Practices by clicking here. This short and easy-to-follow manual will take you through the steps necessary to set up your Headings, Photo, Links and From My Desk Article. You will note that we preloaded your newsletter with the current photo now displayed online in your bio at www.RinglerAssociates.com. Of course you can change any of these items as you see fit. Note: any time you want to see how your newsletter will look once you've added and saved information, click on Preview Newsletter at the top of your management page. (Back to Top)
Q: How do I pay for my newsletter?
A: To pay for your subscription of IN YOUR INTEREST, you will need to enter your billing information. Click on Billing Status in Manage Account and follow the directions to enter your company-authorized credit card information. Your card will be billed $100 immediately for setup and delivery of the first issue. It will then be billed on the 10th of every month following for that month’s newsletter unless you cancel your account before midnight on the 1st. (Back to Top)
Q: How is the newsletter priced?
A: The introductory rate for the newsletter is $100 per month for the first sixth months. As previously stated, the pricing of IN YOUR INTEREST is based on participation. The rate will stay at $100 if there are 60 or more Ringler subscriber accounts after six months. If there are 50 to 59 accounts, the rate will be adjusted to $120 per month. If there are 40 to 49, the rate will be adjusted to $150 per month. We will provide regular updates on participation and let you know well in advance if there will be any changes to the subscription rate. In the meantime, tell you colleagues who are not signed up to seriously consider this marketing opportunity! (Back to Top)
Q: How do I know what is going out each month?
A: Each month, you will receive a Preview Issue of the newsletter one week before publication. The Preview Issue will only be sent to the account holder and anyone on your subscription list you so designate. Typically you would include staff you trust to help you monitor your newsletter program. The Preview Issue will come to you just as it would appear to your subscribers with your photo, contact information, greeting, news story, etc., as currently set in your account. This allows you plenty of time to change any of your information before the newsletter is sent the following week. If you don't have the time to customize your greeting for the month, we provide you with a suggested FROM MY DESK for your approval. But you can be as hands-on and personal with your greeting as you want, whenever you want. The preview process guarantees you will know what is being sent out to your referral sources under your name. And if you have concerns about any of the content, you will have time to comment before the newsletter is finalized. (Back to Top)
Q: What is the delivery schedule for IN YOUR INTEREST?
A: The newsletter will be delivered the third week of every month. The Preview Issue will be sent out one week before final delivery. Of course events might call for a change in this schedule on occasion, but we know the most effective e-newsletter programs are personalized, relevant and regularly anticipated by your subscribers. (Back to Top)
MAINTAINING YOUR MAILING LIST
Q: How can we check the status of our subscribers on our mailing list?
A: First, click on My Mailing List. You'll see a report that lists how many emails are active, bounced, unsubscribed and held. Bounced addresses that are either no longer in existence or entered wrong. Held addresses are being shared with another consultant and are currently receiving the House issue. You can then sort the attached list by status and see exactly who is on these lists. You can also find a detailed description of each subscriber status by clicking on "What does all this mean?" under the Subscriber Overview window. (Back to Top)
Q: What do my subscribe and unsubscribe totals mean?
A: Subscribe is the number of clicks on the "Subscribe to this newsletter" link in the top right-hand corner of your newsletter. This typically happens when people forward the newsletter to someone else and they decide they would like to receive the newsletter as well. When they enter their name and email address, it is captured directly into your list. Go to a copy of your newsletter and click on "Subscribe" to see what I mean.
Unsubscribe, of course, is the opposite. If someone decides they don't want to receive your newsletter, they can click on unsubscribe at the bottom of each page of the newsletter. They are then taken out of the system for any future mailings regardless of whether you or someone else at Ringler tries to upload the address again. You can view the subscribers you have who have unsubscribed by going to your mailing list, selecting Unsubscribe from the Status drop-down list, and then clicking on Display. (Back to Top)
Q: How do I export names from my contact database so I can upload them into my newsletter account?
A: First, open Outlook, click on File and then Import and Export. A list of options will pop up. Select Export to a File, and then click Next. Another list will come up, giving you a bunch of different options for saving your file format. You'll want to choose Comma Separated Values (Windows), or CSV. This is a universal file format used to upload lists and is easily compatible with Microsoft Excel. Now you'll get a list of all your folders, including calendars, RSS feeds, etc. Click on Contacts since we want to export Outlook contacts only. If you have created other contact folders within this main contact folder, make sure to check off the Include Subfolders box. After this, click Next and then choose the location for your backup file. Now make sure to browse to another location as Microsoft defaults to a hidden folder. Click Finish and you're done! (Back toTop)
Q: Is it possible to add a spreadsheet list of subscribers to my account?
A: Yes. First open the Excel document containing all of your subscriber contact information. Delete ALL OTHER columns EXCEPT first and last names, and email address. Those three columns contain the only info you'll need for the uploading process. If the file isn't already saved in the CSV format, click Save As and make sure it is saved as CSV. Next, go to ringlerinyourinterest.com. Go the red banner logo in the upper right hand corner of the homepage and click Login. Enter your username and password and login. Scroll down and click My Mailing List. Click the Add Subscribers button in the middle of the page. Click Batch Upload on the righthand side of the page. Now, on the Import Subscriber List page, choose your subscriber list from your documents and then click Upload File. Review your data and make sure First Name corresponds with the first name column on your spreadsheet, Last Name with the last name column and Email with the email column. Then click Import Now. (Back to Top)
Q: Can I add names to my mailing list one at a time?
A: Yes, you can. Instead of selecting Batch Upload, select Add Subscribers and manually add an individual's first and last name and email address. (Back to Top)
Q: What does Hold Status mean?
A: Hold status occurs automatically if you share a contact with another consultant. All holds are then sent the house newsletter rather than having the client receive two or more of the same newsletter from different consultants. (Back to Top)
Q: How can I see which consultants I am sharing a client contact with?
A: Log into your account and click on "My Mailing List." Find the link "Viewed Shared Contacts" in the middle of the page in the right column. Click on that link. You will now see a list of the contacts you share with other consultants, including the name and email of the client. You will also see the name and email of the other consultant. Right now all shared clients are sent the Ringler house newsletter (see here for recent issue). If you have questions about the Ringler policy on shared contacts, see the next heading. (Back to Top)
Q: What is Ringler's current policy for dealing with shared contacts?
A: Here are your current options:
- You can contact your fellow consultant and work out who will "get" which contact. You will then need to UNSUBSCRIBE the names on your list you agree to give up, and vice-versa for the other consultant.
- If there are a number of contacts shared with a consultant (or consultants) and you all are actively working with that contact, you can create a "regional" newsletter (in addition to your personal account) that will combine your contact information. We will then move all the conflict email addresses into the regional newsletter list. We are reducing the monthly charge for the Regional newsletters to $50/month, so if there are two or more of you in a region, this cost would be split evenly.
- If consultants can't agree on either who "gets" the contact or a regional newsletter, the shared contacts will continue to automatically receive the house newsletter. This ensures the contact stays in the Ringler family.
(Back to Top)Q: Is it possible to duplicate a name on my subscriber list if I upload the same person twice?
A: The system will not duplicate a listing with the same email address. This is a great feature as it allows you to add new names to your contact database, export the entire list on a monthly or quarterly basis, and re-upload the entire list without duplicating the listings you already have in your subscriber list. (Back to Top)
Q: How can I see who has unsubscribed from the newsletter?
A: Normally people just click Unsubscribe at the bottom of the page and confirm. They are then automatically unsubscribed. However, if there's a problem, you can go to your account and open the My Mailing List page. Search for the name of the person who asked to be unsubscribed and check the Status column. If there is not a "u" in the column, select the address by clicking in the little box at the end of the column. Then go to the bottom of the page and select Unsubscribed in the drop down menu. Click on Move. Refresh the page and you should see a "u" next to the name. You can see a list of anyone who has unsubscribed by selecting Unsubscribed from the pull down menu at the top of your list. Then click Display. You will now see only those subscribers who unsubscribed. Note that once a subscriber is unsubscribed, the email address is locked out of the system and cannot be sent by any of our members. (Back to Top)
Q: Can I organize My Mailing List by group?
A: At this time, you cannot divide subscribers in our system by group. However, you may want to divide them up first on your end so you can look at each of them separately. We suggest exporting your entire list first. Then create additional worksheets for each of your groups (remembering to save each worksheet as a CSV file). As you go through your master, cut and paste those you want on the adjustor list (for example) on the adjustor sheet. When you are done, you can upload each list to your IN YOUR INTEREST email list while keeping them categorized for your own purposes. (Back to Top)
If you have a question that wasn't answered above, don't hesitate to contact us directly.