Tips and Standards
Below are some of the helpful email marketing practice tips Enrollment Communications use to best communicate with prospective students.
Use calls to action and header text:
Every email should ask the recipient to take some kind of action. What do you want the recipient to do with the information you are sending? Do you want them to RSVP to an event, start an application or engage with social media? Put all call to action in every email, preferably toward the top of your message. If using more than one call to action, make sure they don’t contradict one another. Also, instead of using the language, “click here”, put the link in text or a call to action.
Use photos to convey a message:
Consider using a photo, even if a small one, in every email message. If you already know the picture you want to use, the faster the request can be completed. Contact Enrollment Communications if you have questions about lead time.
Use boxes instead of text for contact information and social media buttons:
We can create a box that includes all your contact information that can be reused in each of your emails. This will cut down on contact us paragraphs and put a visually appealing group of information at the bottom of your email. It also allows the audience to engage with you on social media, if applicable.
Using Links
- Use a descriptive subject line.
- Keep the text short and sweet.
- Avoid the use of internal jargon (i.e. program codes, internal names or abbreviations and always read the copy from the perspective of your audience.
- Target your message to as narrow an audience as possible. This personalizes the message and avoids spamming inappropriate audiences.
- Include personalization when possible.
- Ongoing and well-spaced communications will keep your audience engaged. Don't over spam by sending a message everyday, but offer new, relevant information periodically.
- When marketing an event, send out the initial email a few weeks before and send out a reminder the day before.
- Don't use MS Word or other tools that create bad HTML. Do it yourself or use a proper HTML editor. (a good free one is Kompozer).
- When sending HTML, include a plain text version, too, and make sure the copy in each version is as similar/identical as possible.
- Keep email subject lines under 45 characters to avoid losing any words by an email client.
- Email service providers flag messages as spam if you receive too many points. To avoid this, be aware of the following:
- Don't use an exclamation point!
- Always provide a contact name, address, and preferably an email address or telephone number. This makes the message appear legitimate and personal.
- Always include a way for people to opt-out from receiving emails. This is a legal requirement.
Always include a call to action within your message: i.e. "Find out more", "RSVP Now". Never list the full url path within the email. People don't need to read this, they just need to be provided the link within your call to action or copy.