Targeted emailing: send customer campaigns from Dolibarr

Why exporting contacts produces outdated lists

The scenario is a common one. A campaign is being prepared. Someone exports the contacts from Dolibarr into a spreadsheet file, imports it into a sending tool, then sends the message. Three weeks later, the whole process starts again with a new export. In the meantime, a contact has changed address and a customer has left their company. Worse, someone has unsubscribed in the sending tool without Dolibarr knowing anything about it. At the next export, that person is back on the list and receives a message they had already refused. This is not only annoying. It is a risk with regard to your obligations on personal data. The cause is simple: two databases coexist, and neither is the reference. Dolibarr already holds your third parties (the companies you deal with), your contacts, their categories and their commercial history. The most reliable approach is to keep that database as your single source of truth, and to run the sending and the follow-up from it as well. That way every change, whether it is a new address, a departure or an unsubscription, is recorded once and applies to every later campaign. You no longer have to reconcile two files by hand, and you no longer depend on someone remembering to carry over a refusal.

Preparing your database: enable the module and make addresses reliable

Dolibarr includes an emailing module (bulk sending campaigns), which you enable from the module configuration. Before using it, check that email sending works. The sending server must be set up, with a sender address that matches your domain name. Without this, your messages will end up in the spam folder. Then take an hour to clean up your records. A contact without an email address is useless, and a duplicate will send the same message twice. If your host limits sending volume, ask them before the first campaign. A mass mailing from a server that was not designed for it can damage your sender reputation. Our hosting and maintenance team can check this configuration on your instance. Do this preparation once and properly. It will save you from correcting problems after a campaign has already gone out, when it is too late to undo them.

• Check that test emails sent from Dolibarr do arrive in the inbox.
• Merge duplicate third parties and contacts before any campaign.
• Complete or remove contacts whose email address is empty or invalid.
• Confirm the permitted sending limits with your host.

Segmenting with categories and third-party types

A good campaign starts with a good target. Dolibarr lets you classify third parties and contacts by category, and this is the simplest tool for segmentation. Create categories that match your real needs: active customers, prospects to follow up, customers in a given sector, contacts who should receive the newsletter. Here is a concrete example. An installer who wants to tell business customers about a new product range has no need to write to private individuals. One category dedicated to business customers is enough, and it can be reused from one campaign to the next. Avoid multiplying categories. Beyond about ten, nobody knows which one to use any more. Also decide who is responsible for keeping them up to date. If the salesperson classifies contacts as they go, the target stays accurate without extra effort. To structure the follow-up of your prospects, our article on the sales pipeline in Dolibarr complements this approach. Review your categories from time to time, and delete those that no longer serve a purpose.

Creating the campaign, choosing recipients and testing

An emailing campaign in Dolibarr is built in a few steps: a subject, some content, then the selection of recipients. The content accepts substitution variables, such as the recipient's name, to avoid the generic-message effect. Recipients are selected from categories or from the filters offered by the module, which removes any need for an export. Before sending, the rule is to test on yourself and on a colleague, checking how the message looks on a computer and on a phone. Reread the subject line, because it decides whether the message is opened. Check every link, and make sure the message states clearly who you are and why the person is receiving it. Then validate the campaign and start the sending. On large lists, sending in batches is better than a single send, because it spares your server. Keep the first versions simple. A short, clear message with one useful piece of information usually works better than a long one.

• Write a short subject line that announces the real content of the message.
• Insert the personalisation variables and check how they render in a test.
• Check all links and readability on mobile.
• Select the target category rather than a list typed in by hand.

Handling unsubscriptions without losing them

This is the point that justifies the whole article. A commercial message must offer a simple way to refuse further mailings. In Dolibarr, the unsubscribe link inserted in the message updates the contact record: the address is marked as no longer wishing to receive emails. This marking stays attached to the record and will be respected in later campaigns, unlike an exported file, which forgets everything. Check that the link is present in your message template and test it once with a test address. Then check that the record has actually changed status. If a person writes to you directly to unsubscribe, apply the same request to their record without waiting for the next campaign. This discipline protects your image and covers you if a recipient files a complaint. It also keeps your lists respectful of the people on them, which is the basis of a lasting relationship with your customers.

Tracking results and reusing what works

After sending, the campaign record shows the status of each recipient: message sent, in error, or not sent. The errors deserve your attention. An address that bounces is often an outdated address. Correct the record or remove the address, which improves the quality of the database for next time. Also note the replies received by return email and link them to your commercial activity: an appointment created in the calendar, or an opportunity opened on the third party. In this way, the effect of the campaign is measured in your CRM and not in a separate spreadsheet. Keep a record of what worked: subject, target, day of sending. Duplicating a successful campaign is faster than starting from scratch. If your use becomes regular and you want more advanced automation, the DolicraftCRM module extends sales management without double entry.

Your next step: a first pilot campaign

Do not try to organise everything at once. Choose a small target, for example your active customers in a single sector, and a single useful piece of information: a closing date, a new product, a maintenance reminder. Clean up those records, create the category, send a test, then launch the campaign. Then look at the errors and unsubscriptions, correct the database, and only afterwards widen the target. If you would like advice on your sending configuration, the segmentation of your third parties or the training of your teams, contact Dolicraft. We will look at your instance with you and show you what can be done directly in Dolibarr, without going back through an export.