mail chimp - send an attachment

We find that using Mail Chimp is a much smoother ride using the browser Firefox. DOWNLOAD FIREFOX FREE HERE. When using Mail Chimp, give each page and window plenty of time to load and refresh. This site uses some pretty advanced techniques and you need to let the pages load before you start typing information in.

Technically, you cannot send an attachment with a newsletter you send out using Mail Chimp. Why doesn't Mail Chimp provide this service? Here's a short list.

• Your newsletter has a much better chance of being caught in a spam filter with an attachment
• They put a huge strain on th email servers at Mail Chimp and it would be too expensive to use the service if attachments were allowed
• You risk 'pissing people off' by sending large attachments.
• The default 'out of the box' settings on most mail clients (like Outlook Express) is to not accept attachments.
• The average punter is wary of any email sent with an attachment and may just delete your message
• Did I mention the chances of being caught in a spam filter are high??????

So how do I get my attachments to my customers?

Never fear, you can simply upload the files to our server and link to this file, or you can upload your files to a service like www.yousendit.com and link to the file there. You Send It have free accounts and also paid busines accounts for higher volumes.

NOTE: if you have a large mailing list and you're planning to do this on a regular basis, please contact us first. We may not allow you to upload the files on to our server on the current hosting plan you have with us.

STEP 1 - UPLOAD THE FILE TO OUR SERVER

1. Log in to the Control Panel (www.yourdomain.com.au/cpanel) - your user name & password would have already been supplied to you.
2. Click on the Legacy File Manager icon(in the Files Section). Choose Web Root from the list and click Go.The file manager will now open up in a new window.
3. You will now see a list of the files & folders installed on your website. You should be in the public_html folder (see current directory at the top of the page).
4. To keep everything neat and tidy, we're going to put all these attachments in a sub-folder called news.
   To create the folder the first time: While inside the public_html folder, click the Create A New Folder link. Over on the right hand side of the screen near the top, type news in the box provided and click the Create button.
   To find the folder after creation or on subsequent visits: While in the public_html directory, scroll down until you see the news folder and then click on the blue folder icon to the left of it. You are now in the news folder.
5. Once you are in the correct folder, you're ready to upload. Click on the Upload File(s) link (with the arrow next to it)
6. Click the Browse button to find the file on your computer to upload, find the file on your computer, then click Open.
7. Repeat step 6 for additional images. Note: if you have a slow internet connection or if any of your images are large, it's probably a good idea just to do them one at a time.
8. Place a tick in the Overwrite Existing Files box if you want the file/s you're uploading to replace any old copies that may be on the server
9. Click Upload

HANDY TIP: To delete old attachments, once in the news folder, click on the name of the file you wish to delete. Over on the right hand side, you'll see a list of options, one of them says Delete File. If you're absolutely sure you just deleted the right file, click the Trash Can. Otherwise, click on the name of the file underneath the trash can to restore the file to it's original location.

NOTE: You can completely and totally and utterly destroy your website by deleting the wrong files in here. Please read carefully and make sure you're in the correct folder before you start deleting stuff.

STEP 2 - LINK TO IT IN YOUR NEWSLETTER

1. Open up your web browser. First off, we're going to check the file got uploaded ok. Type the following address in to the address bar, substituting the relevant information.
   www.yourwebsiteaddress.com.au/news/filename.pdf
   Where 'yourwebsiteaddress.com.au' is replaced by your actual website address and 'filename.pdf' is the file name you uploaded. Note: file names are case sensitive and should not contain spaces in them.
   
2. Once the file actually loads/appears in your browser, Highlight the address in the address bar, right click and copy to your clipboard
3. Back in Mail Chimp, highlight the text you want to link, ie: CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR LATEST SPECIALS
4. Click the HYPERLINK icon (below)
   
5. In the LINK pop up box, make sure Link Type is URL (this is the default), Protocol is http:// (this is the default) and then paste the address in the URL field
6. Click OK