You now have the ability to create and run a customized and personalized email marketing campaign using InterActive vForms at a small fraction of the cost of using an outside vendor. The Professional edition of InterActive vForms has advanced features of email, E.A.R.S. (Email Automatic Return System) technology, and database management tools to download your LOS or contact management data into an excel format for your use.

We know the future will demand more from mortgage professionals. Our goal is to encourage each of you to use the advanced marketing, database management tools, and our E.A.R.S. technology to further your business, polish your professional image, and create new clients and borrowers by generating a referral pipeline of very happy clients.

To meet the changes and demands that will be placed on the mortgage professionals in the future, we have a few suggestions that you may wish to commence using today:

• Secure as many email addresses of your clients, borrowers, vendors, and lenders.
• If you are not using a contact management database software system, please acquire one of these programs such as Outlook, Outlook Express, ACT, Goldmine, or Microsoft Access, to mention a few. Outlook and Outlook Express both use the Windows Address book to store their data and contacts. Outlook Express is furnished free with a windows operating system and Outlook comes included with any of the windows office products. We personally recommend Outlook over Outlook Express with its many additional features.
• Learn how to download your LOS (Loan Origination Software) borrower data into the Windows Address Book or Outlook contact management software using two clicks of your mouse and vForms (vTip # 6 covers this).
• Take the time to learn how to use the "RTF" automatically populating email and letter messaging within vForms (see vTips #13, #14, and #15 for RTF operations).

Creating and running an email marketing campaign using InterActive vForms

The Professional Edition of InterActive vForms allows you to select multiple contacts and send RTF marketing messages simultaneously. Using the Standard Edition, You will need to select a single contact and email your selected RTF marketing message and then repeat this step for the next contact.)

STEP ONE: Create your marketing message using the RTF documents in vForms

1. Create a new "RTF" marketing message letter using InterActive vForms (see vTips #13, #14, and #15).
2. When creating your message, drag and drop the appropriate fields into the letter that you wish to have populated from your LOS or contact management software (see vTips #14 and #15).

• If you are using your LOS data, the "borrower", "co-borrower", "date", "today", and "my_records" should be popular field codes for you to use.
• If you are using the data from your contact management software such as Outlook, ACT, Windows Address Book, or others, the "contact" fields and the "my_fields" will be very useful.

3. Open the database you wish to use by selecting the "Borrowers", "Prospects", or "Contacts" icon in vForms.

• You now can view the list of contacts you selected in # 3 above appearing on the left side of the vForms screen.
• You can also change the view and see multiple tables of information on these contacts by following step one in vTip #7.
• You should consider sorting your data in an order that will meet your needs for this specific marketing email campaign. You can sort the data by following the steps outlined in vTip # 7.

4. Select your "RTF" marketing letter by clicking on it in the vForms library section of vForms.
5. If you choose you can set the letter as an attachment or a PDF for the email.

• PROFESSIONAL EDITION USERS: Left click on the first contact and then hold down your "Shift" key. By hitting the "Down Arrow" on your keyboard, you can highlight several contacts to include in this email marketing campaign. You also have the ability to click on a single contact name, hold your CTRL button down and select other names.
• STANDARD EDITION USERS: will need to select one contact and email this marketing RTF file message and then repeat the process again for the second and further contacts.

6. Click on your "Send" icon in vForms.
7. The next screen may show the "vForms Send Option" view. This screen will appear if you have selected an attachment or you have vForms Printer documents that have not been sent. We suggest you delete these vForms Printer Files prior to sending your email marketing campaign emails.
8. Click "OK" and a screen will appear saying "Multiple Contacts Selected. Run in Auto Send Mode?":

1. If you wish to automatically send all emails, click YES.
2. If you wish to review each email prior to sending, click NO.

9. When the first message is sent or deleted selecting the NO option in step 8 above, the next contact will appear. Follow the same procedure outlined above for each contact until you have finished your email campaign. If you selected the YES option in step 8 above, all emails will be sent.

• STANDARD EDITION USERS will need to select the next contact, the RTF message file and repeat this process until you have completed your email campaign.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact us by email or call us at the office. Future vTips will cover the E.A.R.S. (Email Automatic Return System) technology and other database management tools and enhancements.