Creating Standards-based Electronic Communications

• HTML e-mail• Online newsletters

University Publishing Web Services

February 20, 2009

2

What I hope you will take away from this session today

• You will understand the services offered by UP to help you create electronic communications.

• You will understand the options, costs and timeframes associated with HTML e-mail creation and delivery.

• You will understand the options, costs and timeframes associated with creating an online newsletter.

• Template resources.

• Inspiration.

University Publishing Web Services

• Build a standards-compliant HTML e-mail message.

• Develop interactive components as needed.

• Test your message in a wide variety of e-mail clients.

• Deliver your message to an address list.

• Measure the effectiveness of your message.

• Choose from several online newsletter options.

We offer a full service HTML e-mail and online newsletter development program in support of WSU’s internal e-communications policy.

Standards-compliant e-mail

If your e-mail is not standards-compliant it will end up as junk or get tagged as SPAM.

• Use tables to control the layout of your e-mail.

• Insert descriptive HTML text above the first image.

• Provide an unsubscribe link.

• Provide Alt text for all images.

• Provide a street address and phone number in the footer.

Here are the basic rules we follow to avoid this problem:

Wikipedia is a good source for info on CAN-SPAM

5

Program an interactive component

• RSVP component

• Add to Calendar component

• Notify Me component

• Send to a Friend component

Interactive features make the experience richer.

A good example of interactivity is in the CUB Grand Reopening e-mail

These features are only available on the Web as you can’t embed executable code into an e-mail.

Test, test and test some more...

• Test groups view emails in both machine-side and web-side mail clients.

• Machine-side clients include Outlook, Entourage, Mac Mail, Eudora, AOL.

• Web-side clients include hotmail, gmail, yahoomail, Outlook Web Access.

E-mail client testing ensures a quality presentation of your message.

HTML e-mails require special delivery

• We use an open-source e-mail/newsletter fulfillment manager called phplist.

• phplist provides metrics, manages subscriptions, and stores e-mail lists.

• We are working closely with IT to help streamline the delivery of internal e-mail via the Mailman system.

• We also provide a link to your e-mail on the Web so people who wish to view it in their browser may do so.

Copying and pasting complex HTML into a blank e-mail in Outlook and sending it will not produce consistent results.

Preparing to measure your success

•Setting Goals

•Open rates

•Click-throughs

•Google Analytics

•Examine ROI

You’re going to get results almost immediately so right away you can start seeing what people are doing once they receive your e-mail.

Online newsletters

At UP we offer several online newsletter program options. They are all created in our content manager. There are several different scenarios. Here are some examples:

•The Chronicle

•Play magazine

•MOA NOW

•EdNews

Other examples of HTML e-mails

• President’s State of the University Address

• Memo from President Floyd

• Holiday Message from VP Michael Tate

• WSU Foundation appeal

Estimated Costs

• Scrub your email list: $15

• Original e-mail design & testing: $200-$500 turn time 2-4 days

• Existing e-mail updates: $65-$130turn time 1-3 days

• UP CMS Newsletter templates: $500-$1000 turn time 7-21 days depending on specs

• Template updates $130-$500turn time 5-7 days

• Non-UP CMS newsletter templatescosts determined only after consultation

Support for e-Communications

• Communications plan consultation. Contact your current print publications coordinator to set up a meeting to discuss your needs.

• Assistance in choosing the right media mix for your message - e-mail, Web, video, print.

• Cross-training UP print design staff in order to keep up with demand.

• Offering templates as a way to save money and time.

• All of our Web applications and Web sites are hosted on servers maintained by UP and IT technical staff.

“All Electronic” Internal Communications Policy

• Executive Communications

• WSU Today – Daily Updates

• WSU Announcements

• Text Only or HTML Emails to various Mailman lists

• Electronic Tools Web Page

For more info

• Visit our Web site and you’ll see a headline with a link pointing you to a page with an in-depth look at our operation and more examples of our work.

• Visit Our Story to learn more bit about how we arrived at this point and what gives us strength as a service center.

• Follow our Twitter account for updates on products and services.

Thank You!

Edward Sala, Manager

University Publishing Web Services

sala@wsu.edu

16

OK. So, how did I do?

• Do you understand the services offered by UP to help you create electronic communications?

• Do you understand the options, costs and timeframes associated with HTML e-mail creation and delivery?

• Do you understand the options, costs and timeframes associated with creating an online newsletter?

• Do you know where to go to get template resources?

• Did you find some Inspiration?

Questions?