NOTE: This article is for customers with the New Admin Experience interface (vertical left-navigation bar).
If your interface is different, view the "classic" version of this article.
The Messages List is where you manage all the messages that have been created by anyone in your organization. You can use this page to create, edit, and delete messages, as well as perform other administrative actions to keep your messages organized.
- You can manage folders to group your messages by theme or type.
- You can assign your messages to Message Categories to track their performance and effectiveness and manage unsubscribes.
- You can publish a message to your account-specific Message Library when sending that message to a group.
To manage your messages:
- Access the Admin interface.
- Navigate to Messages > List.
TIP: On list pages, click a column header to sort on that column. Click the columns count below the list to add and remove columns in the current view.
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Create a Message
- Click the plus sign to the right of the page title.
- Give your message a name.
- Assign a category to your message: click the link, followed by select message category. Then, click choose category, select it in the dialog, and click Select to apply it.
- Optionally, click select... to open the Select Folder dialog and place the message into a folder.
- By default, you'll be the Owner of the message. If you'd like it to be someone else, click the link, select the user in the dialog, and click Select.
- Click Create.
You'll be automatically taken to the template-selection page. After selecting one, you can begin creating your message in the Message Editor. See Understand the Message Editor to learn how.
TIP: When you're finished working on your message, navigate back to the Messages list and confirm it's available there.
Manage folders
You can organize your messages by grouping similar or related messages into folders. Because the Messages list displays all of your messages by default, organizing your messages into folders enables you to isolate a group of messages to more easily work with and manage them.
TIP: Create folders and organize your messages from the beginning; otherwise, it will be a more time consuming and difficult task doing so after dozens of messages have been created. See Folders to learn more.
To manage your folders:
- Click the folder icon.
- Click a folder's ellipsis icon to access the following options:
TIP: In the dialog, you can click the plus (+) and minus (—) symbols to expand and collapse the folder structure.
- View - View the contents of a folder on its own list page with the messages that it contains. If a folder is selected, Viewing: All in the upper left becomes a View All button which, when clicked, displays the original full list of messages.
NOTE: When you're viewing a folder, its name displays above the list and the folder icon is solid orange.
To restore the original full list of messages, click the folder icon and then click the View All button.
- New Folder - Create a sub-folder in this folder.
- Rename - Rename this folder.
NOTE: You cannot rename Main Folder.
- Delete - Delete this folder.
NOTE: You cannot delete Main Folder, a folder that has sub-folders, or a folder that was created by a different user.
- Click Close.
Edit a Message
NOTE: You can edit messages only if you have the proper permissions.
- Select a message and click Edit, or double-click a message.
NOTE: A prompt will display if the message is used in one or more campaigns. To continue editing the message, click Edit Message.
- You'll be taken to the Design tab in the Message Editor, where you can edit the theme, background color, font style, and the message's content. See Understand the Message Editor to learn more about these options and the other Message Editor tabs.
Image repository update
In December 2019, all Communications Enterprise images were migrated to a new repository. Images that were inserted into messages prior to this migration remain linked to the pre-migration repository. If you try to edit one of these images, an on-screen message will indicate that you have to perform a one-time save in order to update the image’s link to the new repository.
- Edit the image and then save it to the new repository.
NOTE: Message-based images that you do not edit will remain unaffected by the migration.
Send a Message
Select a message and click Send to access the following options:
- To an individual - Send your message to one or more individuals. This is a great way to single out specific contacts for a message that, perhaps, has confidential information.
- To a group - Send your message to one or more groups.
- A deliverability test - Send a test message to one or more recipients. This is a good way to verify that the text-to-image ratio is not a spam trigger.
TIP: Before sending your message, you should test it to confirm that it will be successfully delivered. When ready, click Send again to send the message to an individual or a group of contacts.
Track a Message
Select a message and click Track to access the following options:
NOTE: This button will be enabled only when a sent message is selected.
- Message - Access the Message Tracking page to see a variety of metrics about the message.
- Deliverability Test - View the results of the message's deliverability test, if it had one.
TIP: See a monthly list of all your account's deliverability tests in Reports > Deliverability Testing Usage.
TIP: Below the list, click the column count and add the Last Sent and Last Test columns so you can see which messages have been sent and which have been tested.
Search for Messages
Here at the top right, you can use the search feature to quickly find messages:
- Click the magnifying glass icon to expand a search field.
- Enter alphanumeric and/or special characters to query the Name, Owner, Template, and Category fields of all records.
The list will automatically update with each typed character and display all records (visible and hidden) that contain a match. Click the X to clear the search field to restore the original list.
Use the Preview Panel
Select a message to view additional details in its Preview Panel. (Click the message again to deselect it and close the Preview Panel.) The contents will vary depending on whether the message has been sent.
In the Preview Panel, you can:
- Edit the message's name by clicking it (editable items are indicated by a dashed underline).
TIP: You cannot click to "place" the cursor in this field; it defaults to the right side. Use the arrow keys to move left and right. If you click while the field is activated, it will close.
- See which Groups the message was sent to and which Campaigns it has been used in. Click these links to view more detail.
- Assign the message to a different Owner.
- See the message's Subject and sender (From).
- Scroll down to see the latest snapshot of the message's statistics.
NOTE: The Cancel and Save buttons will only appear at the bottom of the Preview Panel if you make changes in the panel.
Perform management actions
Select a message to enable the More menu at the top right. Click this menu to:
- Preview a fully formatted version of the message for easy review.
- Create a copy of the message.
- Move the message to a folder.
- Delete the message.
NOTE: You can't delete messages that are used in one or more campaigns.
Related articles
- The Reports section gives you access to a variety of reports on message activity, such as message opens, link clicks, and bounces. The Message Trends page has several graphs that enable you to quickly see whether there are patterns in your message-activity. See Message Activity Reports to learn more.
- To learn about publishing your messages, see Manage your Message Library.