Email & Texting Options and Best Practices
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Sending Mass Email to Students
Email is a great way to communicate with students and one of the top ways they tell us they want to be communicated with. Please be aware of the amount of email that students already receive. Reach out to Dani to discuss if email is the correct communication tool for your needs.
Sending Official WSU Internal Email To Students, Faculty Or Staff
- First, contact Dani to make sure this is the best medium for your needs.
- Learn more about details of mass email and requirements.
- If we decide this is the medium to get out your message, you can request it through the Mass Email Request Form.
A nice looking email can be made for this send with a header and a footer, but it will not have the layout options or analytical information that go out through email programs such as Mail Chimp.
WSU Announcement System
The announcements are a great communication tool to connect with students in a more targeted manner through categories.
Features of System:
- It is an opt-out system instead of an opt-in, so all students and faculty/staff receive all announcements targeted to them unless they opt-out or change their categories of interest.
- There are various categories for you to post your announcements to better target students who choose those categories to receive information about. You can pick up to three categories when posting.
- There are some mandatory categories that students and faculty/staff will not be able to opt out of.
- Users can select how often they want to receive the announcements email.
- You can add pictures, attach flyers and add an "add to calendar" button.
Learn More About Announcements & Request a Post or Access
Note: please advise your students to check their student emails or forward their student email to their preferred email so they receive communications from WSU.
Email Programs
MailChimp
- tracks email lists for you and allows you to create many targeted email lists
- adds essential legal elements to the bottom of the email
- provides helpful analytics
- will allow you to add an email sign-up on your website that is compliant with General Data Protection Regulation
- includes templates for professional layout
- if you are using MailChimp (or any mass email program), your email is getting stuck in spam. Contact Mark Maxson mmaxson@weber.edu to learn how to fix this. You MUST have a paid MailChimp account so that you can work with MailChimp customer service to get IT all the info they need.
- IF YOU USE MAILCHIMP you must first submit a request by completing the Software Risk Assessment
G-mail
- can send directly from your Weber email account
- can only send 500 emails a day
- minimal design options but you can download the HTML email template from the WSU brand website - the download includes instructions for using the template
- you must maintain your email list in a secure manner
- follow best practice guidelines below
- If you want to use WSU's Listserve: learn more about the Listserve and fill out the mass email request form on the Campuswide Communications Guidelines website
If neither of these options work for you or you have a very specific subset of students, contact Dani daniellemckean@weber.edu and we can talk about other options such as the CRM in Admissions.
Best Practices for Creating and Sending Email
Footer Copy
All mass email to students needs to have in the bottom of every email sent:
- the ability to unsubscribe
- department contact information
- how you received the student’s email
- what the purpose of your email list is
- a link to our privacy policies: weber.edu/WSUHomePage/WSU-Privacy-Statement.html
Footer Copy Example:
Copyright © 2021 Weber State University Outdoor Program, All rights reserved.
We send special offers and trip information to customers who opt in when renting gear.
Our mailing address is:
Weber State University Outdoor Program
4022 Stadium Way Dept 3301
Ogden, UT 84408-3301Weber State University Privacy Policies
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this listIf you are sending email through your Gmail account:
- The “unsubscribe” copy can ask users to reply the email to request to be unsubscribed
- Maintain your email list to ensure that emails that bounce and all unsubscribe requests are properly removed
If you are sending email through MailChimp:
- These elements are already added to your email (if you set up your templates correctly)
Sending Logistics
- How often: Please remember that students are already overwhelmed with email and will not read your email if it comes too frequently. Only send email when you actually have something important to send them. You could even create a poll and ask your students on your email list how often they would like to be emailed.
- When: There is not a specific time that is best. Keep track of your open rates if you are using MailChimp to see if there tends to be a time when your particular audience opens emails more often than other times.
- Sending from: Please use your department email address to send emails.
- Subject: Subjects are important to increasing open rates.
Gathering Email
If you need to send an email to all existing students or a subset that a ListServe can be made for, learn more about the Listserve and fill out the mass email request form on the Campuswide Communications Guidelines website.
If you need to gather your own email list of students who are particularly interested in your area, the best approach to ensure you are following General Data Protection Regulation and best practice for list maintenance is to add a sign-up option to your website. If you are using MailChimp, this is super easy! Contact Dani daniellemckean@weber.edu to get this added to your website.
- We recommend that you send users to your website to sign up for your email rather than manually collecting email.
- If you do not have an email sign-up feature on your website, contact Dani to see what your options are.
- You cannot collect email via a paper sign-up list.
- It needs to be very clear that users are signing up for your email list - do not just collect email addresses from other materials without the users being aware that you will be sending them email.
Gathering email addresses at Block Party or tabling events:
We recommend that you use a Qualtrics survey/form on portable iPads for students to sign up or send them to your website or QR code where we can have the form. Please don't use a list on a clipboard where everyone can view the email addresses listed on the document. You have access to Qualtrics in your eWeber Portal. Check Training Tracker for training options. -
Email Signatures
For consistency, WSU offers a tool to create your email signature for you! This signature includes an official WSU logo.
If you prefer to have the SAS logo instead of a WSU logo, the URL to the official SAS logo that you can add into your email signature via your Gmail settings is below. Contact Dani to get a link to your department logo.
Link for SAS logo: https://www.weber.edu/wsuimages/student-access-success/email/department-logos/student-access-success-logo.png
Format Ideas:
Name
Title
Department
801-xxx-xxxx
weber.edu/website
Name (Pronouns: xxxxx)
Title
Department
Office: 801-xxx-xxxx
Cell: 801-xxx-xxxx
weber.edu/website
Name
Title
Department
Location
Office: 801-xxx-xxxx
Cell: 801-xxx-xxxx
weber.edu/website
(Pronouns: xxxxx) -
Getting an Email for Your Department
We strongly encourage each department to have an email (example: campusrecreation@weber.edu).
Pros of Department Email
- One email contact on marketing materials
- Don't have to update email on marketing materials with turnover
- Multiple users can have access to account
- Should be using department email to create social media accounts
Request Department Email
It is easy to request a department email address! IT has a simple online form. Be prepared with who the administrator will be, those who will need access, and what you want the password to be.
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Using SAS Info Email and SAS Newsletter
The purpose of SAS Info is to keep staff updated on things they need to know or may want to be involved in such as hiring presentations.
Who can send out info through SAS Info?
- Anyone in Student Access & Success after approval from supervisor
- Supervisor must proofread content before it is submitted to SASinfo
- Best practices below must be followed
How do I send an email through SAS Info?
- Add as a recipient in your email: sasinfo@lists.weber.edu
- The VP’s office will review it before sending it out officially.
- You will be notified when your email is approved or declined.
TOP REASONS TO SEND EMAIL:
→ Hiring Presentations
If you'd like to invite the division to a calendar event, reach out to studentlife@weber.edu for assistance.→ Retirement/Farewell Parties
These can include a Google Calendar invite if it is just one event. Please have all the information in the email so only one email needs to go out.
To send a Google calendar invite to SASinfo, just add sasinfo@lists.weber.edu as the recipient in the calendar invite. Please note that you will receive an email for everyone that accepts or declines your invite.
→ Basic Information About a Department or Services
Is the content relative to everyone or a large amount of folks in the Division?
- If yes, you are good.
- If no, maybe there is a more targeted option such as DPH (SASD@weber.edu) or direct email.
Is the content in this email for your department or services important for others in the division to know to better serve WSU students?
- If yes, you are good.
- If no, maybe there is a more targeted option such as DPH (SASD@weber.edu) or direct email.
- If it also needs to go to faculty, consider using the announcements instead.
SAS Newsletter
The bi-monthly SAS Newsletter includes upcoming events, staff accomplishments, exciting happenings and department updates.
Learn more about the newsletter and submit your events and other requests
*Note: if Student Communications is marketing your event, we are automatically submitting your event to the newsletter.
- Anyone in Student Access & Success after approval from supervisor
TEXTING
WSU does have a texting system through the Ask Waldo services that we recommend you use instead of purchasing your own (unless you are using your messaging system for a specific subset of students such as mentors reaching out to mentees only).
Ask Waldo sends text messages directly to students. It should be reserved to relay time-sensitive information that enhances the support provided to current and prospective students.