Use SwiftPage to Send "off-the-cuff" E-mails

Ever wanted to send an impromptu, spur-of-the-moment e-mail using SwiftPage, but did not want to take the time to edit - or create - a template just to send a quick message?  You can with a simple, one-time setup that can be used again and again.
SwiftPage comes with many predesigned templates - any will do, but they do have one called Blank Template that is a good one to start with, since it's mostly blank, which is what we want.  Here's what you do...

First, go to Global Templates, choose the Blank Template, and then choose Copy to Local.  Name it what you want, but make it easy to identify.  I chose to call mine Personal Message, you'll see why in a minute.

Now one of your Local Templates, Edit it, removing *anything* you do not want the user to see.  My initial template came with some blank text "windows", so I deleted those, and changed the header to something very simple and unobtrusive.

Here's the key to this whole thing working.  You can add any field you want, but the *KEY* field to add to your now blank template is called [[SpePersonalMessage]] - it's one of the Mail Merge fields.  Again, add any other field you want (I added my name & phone as a "signature"), but this is the field that will hold your witty prose that you're dying to get out.

Finally, Save your template.

To use it, you'll do whatever you need in SageACT! to get a Contact, Group, Lookup, Company, etc ready to send.  Personally, I use Groups and Lookups most of all when sending messages.  Once you have your desired recipients, click the SwiftPage icon (called Sage E-marketing for ACT! in newer versions), which launches the SwiftPage interface:

Choose your new "blank" template - again, mine is called Personal Message - type in your message in the Personal Message box, and Send Now (or later, or whatever option you want).  Your message will merge into the [[SpePersonalMessage]] field, along with any other merge fields, and off it goes.

Using this template, you can do new lookups, and type in a new message, without editing the template over and over again.  Good luck!